Every week it seems a new p-plater gets in some horrific accident, does something stupid or kills themselves, their friends or some innocent third party. We appear to be on the verge of collapse as we are inundated with hooligans on our roads who really do not give two hoots about the law and simply do not understand the chaos and devastation they can create. Our children are all dying because they can’t drive properly!
Well, not really. This is a moral panic whipped up by the media. Stanley Cohen was the guy that invented the term moral panic. He says in his 1973 book that it happens when something emerges and is identified and defined as a threat to societal values and interests.
Currently, p-platers are certainly seen to be a threat to societal values and interests. For a start, they are usually younger people under 25, a group that has always been a target. Add a deadly thing like a car and high speed and you have a heady mix of scandal and drama that is perfect for the modern media.
After a series of highly publicised incidents involving deaths of or resulting from p-plate drivers law enforcement’s changed its policies in dealing with p-platers. Tougher laws were made and p-platers faced increased criminalisation. Suddenly, you weren’t allowed to drive your mates home past 11 o’clock and if you happened to get a cop having a bad day, speeding 1km can mean you kiss your license goodbye. It also became much harder to become a p-plater in the first place, with introduction of 120 driving hours when on your learner’s license.
Aside from clearly showing that the politicians like to listen to the media and what the media recommends, as opposed to what experts would, it also shows that the media is like a dog with a bone. Though they got the tougher laws they want, it is still not enough. The Daily Telegraph runs a daily I Promise campaign, where various people, often teenagers, are paraded about promising to be perfect safe drivers. You can even buy a bumper sticker. This just goes to show it is more about the story than the results.
The fact is p-platers lack experience and are bound to get into more trouble than experienced drivers. The extremely high levels of concern whipped up by the media caused a moral panic, making the problem seem much worse than it is. P-platers seem to be killing themselves and others at an alarming rate, but really, that is not very plausible.
Cohen, S., 1973, Folk Devils and Moral Panics, Routledge, Canada
Linnell, G., 2010, "I Promise: Our Campaign", Daily Telegraph , accessed 21st Oct 2010 http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/ipromise
Provisional (P1) Driver License, RTA, 2010, accessed 21st Oct 2010, http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/licensing/gettingalicence/car/provisional_licence.html
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