One of the best things about passing your test and getting your first car is the freedom it gives you. But unless you're a hermit, the chances are you'll want to spend your free time and new found freedom with a few mates. Nothing wrong with that.

Except that, for a new driver, the chances of having a crash (which are already pretty high) doubles for every passenger you carry. Yep, you did read that right.

So why does carrying passengers soon after passing your test make you more likely to have a collision? Well, the answer really comes down to distraction. Sure, you might be trying to impress them a bit (or 'show off' as your mum would say - urgh!). But basically they take your attention away from the task of driving safely - like spotting hazards and reacting to them.

This can be made even worse when you are carrying passengers who don't yet drive, as they won't be able to read the road and know when to shut up, like at a tricky roundabout. At worst, they egg you on to take risks and you end up doing something you'd never normally do, just to keep them quiet.

I'm not going to fire my friends! So, what should I do about it?

Enter MyCarMyRules.

Half the problem with passengers is the fact that they don't know what you expect from them. If you plan on getting them to cough up petrol money, for example, that's something you want to set out early. The same is true of other stuff that happens when you're in the car with them.

MyCarMyRules has a backstory. Sgt Olly Tayler of Devon & Cornwall Police was out on patrol one evening when he pulled a car over for something (I can't remember what). It was full of young people and the driver, a newly qualified girl, told Olly not to worry about the number of passengers because she'd set some 'ground rules'.

She quickly produced an A5 piece of paper, listing of all the stuff they could and couldn't do in her car. This became the template for MyCarMyRules. Peer pressure and showing off (yes, we went there) are a part of human nature. Better than relying on your own self control is relying on a printed point of reference that helps you manage your passengers' behaviour when you're behind the wheel.

After all, it's your car - so you're the boss, right?