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Young drivers at the heart of road safety – how should driver training be developed?
Finnish road safety has improved in many ways — serious accidents have decreased, and both the road network and vehicles are safer. However, one group continues to stand out in the statistics: young drivers.
For 17–24-year-olds, the risk of dying in traffic is up to three times higher than for other age groups. Especially among 18-year-olds, accidents often involve serious run-off-road crashes and head-on collisions. These incidents typically do not stem from poor vehicle handling skills, but rather from attitudes, inexperience, and underestimation of risks.
Driving skills alone are not enough – attitude education is needed
The ongoing reform of driver training in Finland offers an opportunity to take a critical look at how education can influence traffic attitudes.
We believe that responsible road behavior doesn’t happen by accident – it must be taught.
What’s needed:
- Professional instruction, where trained traffic educators influence the student’s mindset, not just their driving behavior
- Blended learning, combining theory, simulation, and real-life traffic experience
- Sufficient time and support for learning, including recognizing the role of the young driver’s close circle
- Development of the driving test and requirements to emphasize the most crucial safety-related skills
Home instruction needs more responsible frameworks
One major challenge is permit-based (home) instruction, which currently lacks pedagogical requirements or quality control. It can work well, but today it includes no expectations for attitude training, instructional quality, or even the safety of the training vehicle. This area clearly needs development.
At the same time, a “license with the bare minimum” mindset has become more common in driving schools as well. If the legally required amount of instruction is seen as sufficient without critically assessing the learner’s actual skill level, road safety easily becomes a secondary concern. Legislation should encourage responsible training, not just the cheapest path to a license.
The simulator is not the problem – it’s the opportunity
The role of simulator training has recently been questioned. For those of us who develop and use simulators daily, it is clear: simulator use is not to blame for accidents. On the contrary — it supports safer learning by providing a risk-free way to practice hazardous scenarios that cannot be safely recreated in real traffic.
With simulators, it is possible to:
- Translate theory into real-world scenarios
- Practice vehicle control and situational awareness safely
- Free up instructor time to focus more on attitude education
- Keep overall training costs under control
Technology and pedagogy evolve hand in hand. Digital tools bring consistency and accessibility — which is why Finnish driver education is now gaining interest internationally.
Toward more responsible driver training
The greatest opportunity for improving road safety lies with young drivers — and their way of thinking.
We believe that the driver education of the future should not be measured in kilometers or passed tests, but by a learner’s ability to understand their responsibility in traffic.
That’s why we propose:
- More professional instruction also for permit-based and age exemption learners
- Hybrid models, where home instruction and professional education complement each other
- Regulatory refinements that promote quality education, not just minimum compliance
We are ready to do our part. Working daily with thousands of students gives us the insight, data, and commitment needed to make Finnish traffic education the best in the world.
Klaus Rauhansalo
CEO
CAP-Group