Nearly four out of ten Walloons claim to have learned to drive in the free sector. Nationally, the formula combining a few hours of driving school and free learning remains the most popular (34% of respondents), according to a survey conducted by the Road Safety Institute Vias.
A third of young people in Brussels take a maximum of hours of driving school (20) before continuing with a solo apprenticeship. It is also in the capital that direct access to driving has had the greatest success. They are 15% to choose this formula which consists in following 30 hours of driving school before passing the license directly. “Basically created for job seekers, direct access therefore seems to have attracted a much wider audience. However, doubts can be expressed as to a driver’s ability to understand all the dangers of traffic after having only driven for 30 hours, especially since these hours include maneuvers“, advance Vias.
Young people who had their license in 2019 or 2020 drove significantly less
This possibility does not exist in the north of the country. One in three young people aged 18 to 30 have been involved in an accident in the last three years, a stable percentage compared to the last survey in 2019. Vias notes, however, that, for 18-24 year olds, this proportion has strongly increased. evolved in three years, going from 23 to 32%. “The health crisis has certainly played a role in this regard. Young people who had their license in 2019 or 2020 drove much less given the restrictions imposed (limitation of travel, curfew, etc.). Then, when everything reopened in early 2022, they faced unfamiliar traffic conditions which may have caused them problems“, analysis Vias.
The Institute also deplores the high percentage of young drivers sanctioned for alcohol (11%) and drugs while driving (12%).