Evolving Driver Education Carly Brookfield CEO Driving Instructors

Evolving Driver Education Carly Brookfield, CEO Driving Instructors Association

Who do we think we are coming in here…? • • • One of the UK’s largest driver training, testing and education bodies in the UK Largest professional association for all types of rider and driver trainers Expertise and experience spans all vehicle and licence categories Member of several road safety stakeholder groups including Df. T Road Safety Delivery Group DIAmond - one of only three DVSA accredited advanced driving qualifications, and the only advanced driver development programme wholly delivered by professionally qualified and regulated driver trainers and assessors. Leading testing body for taxi and private hire market An internationally recognised driver training, testing and accreditation brand. Developing drivers and trainers worldwide from police forces to large corporates with multi-national fleet. The only global membership body dedicated to driver educators and trainers. Largest publisher in the space – reaching an audience of over 30, 000 trainers and road safety professionals

Why does road safety need to evolve? Q. How many road deaths were there in 2015? A. 1, 732 Q. In terms of reported accidents, what is the total cost to the UK? A. £ 14. 7 billion Q. Average cost to the economy per road death? A. £ 1. 5 million Road crashes cost USD $518 billion globally, costing individual countries from 1 -2% of their annual GDP.

Why does road safety need to evolve - driving for work? Q. What do road accidents cost individual businesses? A. On average, a company needs to sell over £ 22, 000 of goods or services to cover the costs of each RTC • About a quarter of all vehicle miles travelled annually on Britain's roads are for work purposes (excluding commuting). • Company drivers who drive more than 80% of their annual mileage on work related journeys, have in excess of 50% more injury accidents than similar drivers who do no work related mileage • And the risk of dying in a road accident while driving for business reasons is significantly greater than the risk of dying as a result of all other workplace accidents

Why does driver education need to evolve in the UK? Measured against other leading countries, Britain has: • More vulnerable road user deaths per head of population (particularly pedestrians and motorcyclists), but no evidence of higher levels of activity (exposure); • A higher ratio of 18 -24 year old road user deaths relative to other age groups, possibly reflecting the lower driving age limit in the UK; • A higher proportion of deaths on roads with speed limits of 60 mph and above; • More deaths per unit length of motorway. Although this is not adjusted for vehicle miles, it still indicates where investment may have greatest benefit. • Lower Euro NCAP safety ratings for new cars; and • Euro NCAP pedestrian protection scores which are only 19 th out of 28 European countries. • We trail behind other countries in introducing a zero tolerance on alcohol • We have no mandatory learning to drive process – just turn up and take your test, with anyone, learning anything Sources: Report: ‘Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of Britain’s road safety performance’ PACTs October 2016

Learning to drive – how we compare UK Sweden • No mandatory education/training interventions • Usually around 13 -14 tests before initial licence issued • Not mandatory to use a qualified and regulated instructor professional trainer • The theory test alone consists of 8 tests • Can go straight to test with no training the day you get your provisional licence • Two tests to get your licence – one practical, one theory • No licence restrictions for novice drivers • No mandatory re-testing of drivers post licensure • The instructors and student must go through a traffic safety course before permission is granted to carry out training • First two first years are probationary • If a driver commits a serious traffic offence during that time, the licence is revoked, and the driver must retake the driving test to regain it.

Evolving who’s involved Parents All road users Media Govt Employers Df. T/Do. E Highway Planning ME/YOU Responsi bility for road safety Public Health officials Uniform services Road Safety officers All licensed drivers Schools Driver trainers Young drivers

Learning to drive should be an evolutionary process New parent and parent to be education Educational awareness campaigns about patent influence on young driver development Holistic road user education programmes in school and key learnings for Mum & Dad Parents engaged in learning process and developing their skills too – accompanied practice Parents engaged beyond L test, monitoring driving, promoting further training

Evolutionary driver development cycle? Inclusion in school curriculum (intra and extra) from primary education level Ramp up in Years 10 thru 12 Core competency based learning to drive programme with mandatory tuition and key stage assessments (including post test) Regular post test training interventions – every 10 years with licence renewal

Evolving driver training • • Increasing the quality and skills of driver trainers Developing the qualification and professional development process and programme Educating consumers – what does good look like, what is a professional driver trainer? Closing any loopholes allowing non-qualified or regulated driver trainers to represent as ‘professional’ trainers Consistent delivery of the National Standards for Driver and Rider Training Enabling the use of a wider training toolkit Trainers following a consistent curriculum, achieving key competences Developing the training and assessment process puts an onus on the trainer as much as the pupil

Evolving novice driver education • • • Attitude towards learning to drive and driving as a whole Enhance and embed the level of knowledge and skills Develop a better recognition that driving is composed of a number key competences and skills – not just one licence, one skill Encourage all drivers to see driving as a skill which needs continuing development throughout their driving lives – it doesn’t just stop with the L test Better education on risk and positively develop attitude to risk Balance confidence – over confidence v under-confidence, both equal danger Increase respect – for our roads and other road users, and for the craft and skill of driving itself To encourage more young people to engage in safer driving, we also seriously need to look at how we can lower the financial costs associated, and incentivise engagement Engage more parents and other key influencers of young people in the process of young driver development Leaving learning to chance and chancers – which is what we do with a non-mandatory approach

What should a driver education programme deliver • A better understanding of the impact of behaviour and attitude on driving • A better understanding of what risk is in a driving context • A lower risk profile for the pupil base engaging • Enhanced driving skills and knowledge • The right kind of confidence in driving • Enhanced employability skills • Longer term decreased costs of the driver– better insurance profile, eco driving awareness • Increased awareness and advocacy of the importance post-test and continual driver development • Thinking drivers – able to mitigate, not just manage risk

Cyclical process allows for continual evaluation and evolution of skills and knowledge Risk profiling Developing individual driver profile Assessment All drivers Practical training E learning

Already evolving? • • Test trial completed, positive response – expected implementation Spring 2017 Consultation on learners on motorways expected late soon Motoring Services strategy and Road Safety Statement both reflect desire to evolve training and testing Major research project underway to investigate better delivery methods and mechanisms for driver education – in classroom, in car and online DIA proposals on a modular competence based (similar to PPL) learning regime supported by an electronic log highlighted in Df. T Road Safety statement Government stakeholders and policymakers will listen to pragmatic proposals backed with a business case – think Dragons Den, not ‘can you give us some funding for another car smash video’. Focus on road safety interventions evidencing their impact and proving their worth– healthy cynicism and challenge need to be applied to many road safety campaigns

Parking - a road safety perspective • • • Parking is a core part of driving – and therefore a core part of learning to drive The new driving test includes two parking manoeuvres for a very good reason – key area of driving risk “Prang and run bandits” colliding with other people’s cars when parked are responsible for £ 169 million in damage every year 3. 5 million car crashes every year in Britain, about 700, 000 of which involve simple prangs to parked cars Cost to insurers is even higher, with parked car prangs alone responsible for £ 1. 2 billion in repair bills Approximately 80% of prangs happen on the street, with just 20% occurring in car parks

Parking - a road safety perspective • One causative factor is that today’s larger vehicles are now trying to get into narrow spaces of only 237. 5 cm in width – the average car park space size – leaving drivers of the latest Golf GTD for instance, at 202 cm wide, has just 17. 5 cm either side. • Major causation factors, however, are distraction, spatial awareness, lack of observation and awareness, speed • ‘It’s not really like the roads, I don’t have to follow the same rules’: - motorists not respecting speed limits - give way and stop signs not observed - leaving trolleys and other hazards littering the pedestrian and vehicle lanes • Parking operator issues – poor lighting, poor signage and traffic controls, badly maintained ‘road’ surfaces, challenges of tackling unsafe driving • Car parks are also a good meeting place for bad drivers – donut anyone?

Working together to improve parking safety • • • Use driver education knowledge and understanding of driver behaviour to improve signage, car park design and traffic controls Educate customers with more than just messages at the exit – their brain has already travelled several miles beyond the barrier or they left it in the shopping mall with ‘those shoes they should have bought’. Allow more learners to practice in your parking lots and help us deliver the next generation of safer parkers Work with us – successful partnership with Q Parks focused on pupil and instructor education and promotions Ensure all your employees and ‘brand ambassadors’ can fly the flag for good parking (driving)

Thank you for listening Contact Us: carlybrookfield@driving. org www. advancedmotoring. co. uk