Begg Dorothy, Langley John, Brookland Rebecca, McDowell Anna, Ameratunga Shanthi, Broughton John
Injury Prevention Research Unit, Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago, PO Box 913, Dunedin, New Zealand.
N Z Med J. 2009 Nov 20;122(1306):63-77.
To investigate the opinions of newly licensed drivers towards the minimum age of car driver licensing, and reasons for getting a licence.
The New Zealand Drivers Study (NZDS) is a prospective cohort study of 3992 newly licensed car drivers in New Zealand, recruited between 1 February 2006 and 31 January 2008 from driver licensing agencies and licensing courses throughout New Zealand. The cohort comprises 51% females and 49% males, 49% were aged 15 years and 28% 16-17 years, 55% self-identified as New Zealand European, 21% Maori, 13% Pacific, 11% Asian, and 15% as "other". After passing the learner licence theory test all participants completed a questionnaire that included a range of questions on driver licensing topics, including minimum driver licence age and reasons for getting a car driver's licence.
Overall, 51% of newly licensed drivers supported 15 years as the minimum age to start licensing but this varied significantly by the age, gender, and residential location of the learner driver. The most frequently reported reason for getting a licence related to independence and freedom. This applied equally to males and females, rural and urban drivers, and across all ages, although for learner drivers aged 18+ years, to drive to work was also a very important reason for having a licence.
Contrary to what many may believe to be the case, the evidence presented here showed that there was not universal opposition by young people to raising the driver licensing age. Also those in rural and urban areas had much in common with respect to the reasons for obtaining a licence. With respect to the latter it is worth noting that travel for work was of most relevance to the learner drivers aged 18 years or older. Overall, these findings suggest that increasing the minimum age for licensing would have relatively little impact on essential travel among young people in New Zealand.
调查新获得驾照的驾驶员对汽车驾驶执照最低年龄的看法以及获得驾照的原因。
新西兰驾驶员研究（NZDS）是一项对新西兰3992名新获得驾照的汽车驾驶员进行的前瞻性队列研究，于2006年2月1日至2008年1月31日期间从新西兰各地的驾照颁发机构和驾照课程中招募。该队列中51%为女性，49%为男性，49%的年龄为15岁，28%的年龄为16 - 17岁，55%自称是新西兰欧洲人，21%是毛利人，13%是太平洋岛民，11%是亚洲人，15%为“其他”。在通过学习驾照理论考试后，所有参与者都完成了一份问卷，其中包括一系列关于驾照颁发主题的问题，包括最低驾照年龄和获得汽车驾驶执照的原因。
总体而言，51%的新获得驾照的驾驶员支持15岁作为开始颁发驾照的最低年龄，但这因学习驾驶员的年龄、性别和居住地点而有显著差异。最常报告的获得驾照的原因与独立和自由有关。这同样适用于男性和女性、农村和城市驾驶员以及所有年龄段，不过对于18岁及以上的学习驾驶员来说，开车上班也是获得驾照的一个非常重要的原因。
与许多人可能认为的情况相反，此处提供的证据表明年轻人并非普遍反对提高驾照颁发年龄。此外，农村和城市地区的人在获得驾照的原因方面有很多共同之处。关于后者，值得注意的是，上班出行与18岁及以上的学习驾驶员最为相关。总体而言，这些发现表明提高驾照颁发的最低年龄对新西兰年轻人的必要出行影响相对较小。
