Hazard anticipation of young novice drivers - SWOV

Prefrontal Cortex (DLPFC) and the Orbito Frontal Cortex (OFC). It is not so
much the late maturation of these areas in itself, but rather the late
maturation of these areas in combination with the earlier maturation of other
brain areas, including the sub-cortical areas related to motivation and
emotion such as the amygdala and the nucleus accumbens. The slowly
maturing prefrontal systems are supposed to have an inhibitory function on
emotional and motivational systems. It is thought that because of this
imbalance young people are relatively speaking: impulsive, have an
inclination towards sensation seeking, prefer immediate rewards, have a
greater sensitivity to peer influences and find it difficult to plan ahead.
Adolescents however, do not seem to be less rational than adults are when
reflecting on their own capabilities. This is to say, both young drivers and
middle-aged drivers tend to overestimate their own driving capabilities.
Young drivers also do not underestimate known risks when they have the
time to reflect on these risks. When asked for, they will tell that drinking and
driving is dangerous. The problem is that although they know the risks
(when asked for), at least some of them still will take the risks.
Although both young female drivers and young male drivers are
overrepresented in crashes, the young driver problem is predominantly a
young male driver problem. The pace at which the volume of gray matter
declines (until well into the third decade of life) and the volume of white
matter increases (during the second decade of life), differs between young
females and young males. Decrease in gray matter makes information
processing more effective and increase in white matter makes information
processing faster. Because of these differences in pace, young females mature
earlier than young males. Not only the brain matures at a different pace in
young females and in young males, also the hormonal regulation starts to
differ considerably between boys and girls when they get into puberty. The
effect of the different pace in brain development and differences in hormonal
regulation affecting the cortical and sub-cortical areas, could explain the
greater self-control over emotional behaviour and a lower tendency for
sensation seeking in young females than in young males.
7.2.2. Social and cultural aspects of being young
The social and cultural aspects of being young cannot be isolated from the
biological aspects of being young. It is both 'nature' and 'nurture' and the
interaction between the two. Motives for driving and having a car can be
different for young drivers compared to middle-aged drivers and may differ
across lifestyle groups. For many young drivers a car is not only a means of
transport to travel from A to B without the inconveniences of public
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