House of Commons - Transport

Select Committee on Transport Seventh Report

8 Driver education

121. There is a large body of opinion, and growing evidence, that young people pick up attitudes to driving and road safety long before they reach the minimum age to hold a provisional licence.[193] Indeed, research conducted by Reading University for the AA Foundation, showed that many young people of secondary school age, and males in particular, were showing signs of developing undesirable attitudes to driving. They found this included having the view that they already know how to drive, that learning to drive will be easy, and that it will improve the popularity of the new driver. They also found that the pupils were developing an affinity for speed.[194] Given the evidence that attitudes are one of the most important factors influencing collision rates of novice drivers (along with inexperience and age), ways of shaping safer attitudes to driving are urgently needed.

122. Research commissioned by the Department for Transport found that young people make a distinction between learning to pass the test and learning to drive, and between the law and 'lore' of the road.[195] The Department concluded that this shows "extensive work is needed on pre-driver education and other early influences, as well as on driver training prior to the driving test, so that more young people develop a safe attitude to driving."[196] The Department developed this theme as part of its proposals for reform in the Second Review of the Road Safety Strategy:

197

123. The Department has stated its commitment to developing a package of better quality materials to allow teachers to teach road safety as a stand-alone subject, and also as part of other existing mainstream subjects, such as English and Science.[198] Some witnesses called for road safety and driver education to be made part of the National Curriculum.[199] The Minister did not make any commitment that road safety and driver education would form part of the National Curriculum, stating that although he would like children to be exposed to road safety messages at school, it was not the place of a Transport Minister to determine the content of the National Curriculum.[200] Pointing to the limitations of a voluntary approach, Cumbria County Council noted that because the road awareness training it provided in schools was a voluntary module, some schools did not participate.[201]

124. There was a strong feeling that education within schools should emphasise the dangers and responsibilities of driving, and that it should engage with the social and cultural aspects of driving, in addition to the physical skills, in order to shape attitudes at an early age.[202] Several organisations—including driving schools, road safety charities, and fire and rescue services—already provide education programmes in schools and colleges. Brake described how its trained volunteers delivered road safety presentations to young people. Feedback on the scheme suggested that the young people had engaged with the presentation, and "consider the advice to be memorable, with many pledging to use what they have learnt by driving safely […]"[203]

125. We understand that attitudes to road vehicles and driving are formed very early, and later influence the way people choose to behave when driving. We support the principle that school-age children should learn both about road safety in general, and specifically about the dangers and responsibilities of driving, long before they reach the age of 17. The Department for Transport must work more closely with the Department for Children, Schools and Families, local authorities and schools to ensure that the messages disseminated are effective. We note the benefits of education initiatives delivered by people bereaved or injured through road collisions, but we acknowledge that such schemes rely on the courage and efforts of victims, and as a result they can be extremely difficult to provide.

LOCAL AUTHORITY DRIVER EDUCATION SCHEMES

126. Some local authorities, in conjunction with local road casualty reduction partnerships, have already developed education schemes aimed at improving novice driver safety. We received examples from Transport for London, Warwickshire, Cumbria and Lancashire. Some details of the schemes are given below.

Transport for London and the London Borough of Havering

127. As part of a project run by Transport for London, in partnership with the London Borough of Havering and the emergency services, 3,500 students aged 16 and 17 were shown a film of a fatal road crash and the events leading up to it.[204] The film includes a scene in which young people, of a similar age to the audience, are extricated from a vehicle. Interspersed with the film are testimonials from road safety officers, emergency service officers, and a crash survivor who explained how the experience had changed their life. The project ends with a bereaved parent talking to young people about what it is like to lose a loved one in a road collision. TfL is commissioning before and after research to determine if this is a suitable means of achieving long-term attitude and behaviour change.

Cumbria Road Safety Partnership

128. Cumbria Road Safety Partnership has implemented a similar scheme which uses the Fire and Rescue Service to visit senior schools with a hard-hitting "Road Awareness Training" package that graphically illustrates the consequences of a road crash. The partnership advised that the programme had been proven to be effective in making "teenagers aware of the dangers of bad driving".[205]

Warwickshire Casualty Reduction Partnership

129. Since 2004, secondary school pupils in Warwickshire have received a programme of road safety education through each school year. The programme consists of a series of short, hard-hitting modules of approximately one hour each, delivered by a team of specialist trainers. The modules were developed with the support of Warwickshire Casualty Reduction Partnership, the police, approved driving instructors, the Fire and Rescue Service, Warwickshire Road Safety Unit, education departments and schools.[206] The scheme aims to influence pupils' future attitudes towards driving, and to encourage a consideration of the impact of driving inappropriately on both themselves and others. The modules for year groups 11 and 12 include pre-driver education, as well as four practical driving sessions.

130. The Warwickshire scheme is being evaluated in terms of participants' views of the programme, and in terms of its actual effect on young driver casualties. Results from market research undertaken to date show positive results, however the impact on casualty rates is not yet available. Young driver casualty statistics from 2003-04 are being used as a baseline, and evaluation will be ongoing for 6-10 years, to cover the first full cycle of pupils passing through the programme.[207] Warwickshire County Council advised that the participation rate by schools for 2006-07 is 69%, which is predicted to rise to 85% by the end of the academic year.

Lancashire County Council Pre Pass Support Scheme

131. Lancashire County Council has implemented a scheme aimed at drivers who accompany learner drivers on extra practice sessions, called the Pre Pass Support Scheme.[208] This innovative scheme—it is the first of its kind in the country—uses both theory and practical elements to assist accompanying drivers in their task of supervising a learner driver. It is designed to enhance skills and safe driving attitudes and behaviours, in conjunction with professional tuition. It also raises the awareness of the accompanying driver to the vulnerability of novice drivers. It is delivered by trained, approved driving instructors and experienced presenters and has been made available free of charge. Since the course began in 2004, 236 accompanying drivers and 173 learner drivers have attended.

132. The Pre Pass Support Scheme is being evaluated by academics at Cranfield University over the next two years.[209] Learners who participated in the scheme will be contacted at intervals to ascertain crash involvement statistics for new drivers whose accompanying drivers had attended the course. Feedback from participants indicates that they found the scheme helpful.

Under 17 Car Club

133. Practical driving education is also provided by the Under 17 Car Club.[210] The Club provides pre-licence off-road driver training to children aged between 11 and 16. Membership is open to young people from all backgrounds from the age of 11. Over the past 30 years, 3,000 children have been taught to drive through this scheme. The Club has developed a tuition and assessment process with the support of approved driving instructors, police and emergency service drivers, RoSPA and the IAM.

134. Based on a recent survey, the yearly collision rate for ex-Club Members is 1 in 10 compared with a national average for novice drivers of 1 in 5. Paul Silverwood, President of the Club told us that he believed the scheme encouraged young people to develop responsible attitudes, technical skills, and a positive road safety ethos. He also explained that the syllabus was designed to develop participants' understanding of vehicle dynamics and the handling limitations of themselves and the vehicles, and to encourage a defensive and risk-averse driving attitude. The Club is developing a Summer School to open access to more young people.[211]

135. We were impressed by the evidence we received from the Under 17 Car Club of the effectiveness of their off-road driver training for young people aged 11-17. We understand that schemes such as this are resource intensive and require the commitment of parents and guardians, as well as the young people themselves, but we nevertheless suggest that the potential to broaden such schemes to reach a wider group should be assessed.

EFFECTIVENESS OF EDUCATION

136. Whilst all these schemes appear to be very positive developments, no evidence is yet available (other than for the Under 17 Car Club) to prove the efficacy of such schemes in reducing novice driver casualties. RoadPeace urged that driver education schemes should be evaluated with the same rigour as engineering measures, before being promoted. It quoted the conclusion of researchers, Williams and Ferguson, "Despite decades of research indicating driver education does not reduce crash involvement among beginning drivers, it still has tremendous appeal as a means to improve driver safety."[212]

137. Participation in voluntary schemes, such as Pre Pass Support and the Under 17 Car Club, risks being self-selecting. Effort should be made to ensure that pre-driver education schemes reach all young people, including those who leave school at 16. This requires a partnership approach with employers, as well as schools and colleges. Cumbria County Council runs a "Safer Business Driving" initiative which delivers driver training for occupational drivers. This is not tailored exclusively to young people or novice drivers, but would cover employees of those businesses which fall within scope of the definition of occupational driving.[213]

138. We were presented with several examples of local authorities' work in promoting road safety in schools, with a particular emphasis on novice driver safety. Much of this work is impressive, but the evidence for its effectiveness is only anecdotal. Although we acknowledge that it is notoriously difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of educational initiatives, some local authorities have attempted to put a monitoring system in place. We recommend that the Department for Transport undertakes an overarching evaluation of the impact of driver education programmes, in order to help establish which schemes are most effective in reducing actual casualty numbers. The results of the evaluation should be disseminated to Local Education Authorities and schools, in the form of good-practice guidance. We commend the work of those local authorities, and Transport for London, which have sought to directly tackle the problem of novice driver casualties, through the services they provide.

193 Ev 1, 6, 40, 56, 85, 119, 123, 126, 138, 151, 155 Back

194 Ev 40 Back

195 Department for Transport (2007) "The Good, the Bad and the Talented: Young Drivers' Perspectives on Good Driving and Learning to Drive" Road Safety Research Report No. 74. Department for Transport: London Back

196 Ev 85 Back

197 Department for Transport (2007) Second Review of the Government's Road Safety Strategy Back

198 Department for Transport (2007) Second Review of the Government's Road Safety Strategy Back

199 Ev 1, 6, 56, 126, 155 Back

200 Qq 421-423 Back

201 Ev 126 Back

202 Ev 1, 6, 155 Back

203 Ev 1 Back

204 Ev 151 Back