Driving: hobby or vocation?

A MAJOR review of driver training and testing has been unveiled by the Government – and one of its key features is to develop qualifications for at-work drivers.

Although the Department for Transport’s proposals to reform the way people learn to drive and how they are tested focuses on young drivers, the Government also says it wants to create a culture in which the driving test is a milestone towards lifelong learning.

A vital component of that ‘skill for life’ concept will be the development, in partnership with employers, of vocational qualifications for all at-work drivers, but particularly van drivers.

The announcement, contained in the Department for Transport’s ‘Learning to Drive’ consultation document have been welcomed by RoadSafe, the organisation that is at the centre of promoting occupational road risk management to British business and already manages the Department’s ‘Driving for Better Business’ campaign, which is aimed at spreading best practice in work-related road safety.

In launching the consultation, which runs until September 8, Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly said: “One in five newly-qualified drivers is involved in an accident within six months of passing their test. This is reflected in the lack of confidence employers often have in newlyqualified drivers, and the higher insurance costs they face. I want newly-qualified drivers to be better prepared for modern driving conditions.”

With most tests carried out in cars, the consultation document adds: “We have received feedback from some employers that they do not have confidence that drivers have the driving skills they need. Some companies feel they have to give their staff further training before they let them drive company vans.”

The measures signal the biggest shake-up in the driving test since it was introduced in 1935 and are aimed at the implementation of an improved learning process, an improved driving test, the provision of better information about instructors to enable ‘L’ drivers to make an informed choice, improved instructor training and further options for learning and qualifications.

With the aim of helping more learners to pass first time as safe and responsible drivers, Ms Kelly said: “We want to create a culture in which the driving test is a milestone towards lifelong learning, so that people continue advanced learning after their test.”

Throughout the pages of the 84-page consultation document one message is clear - that acquiring a full driving licence is only the start of people learning to drive. The document makes clear that the Government thinks road casualty numbers will reduce through a programme of education and incentives, rather than one based on regulation and restriction. In the run-up to the document’s publication there had been suggestions that young drivers would be subject to a zero drink-drive limit, a nighttime driving curfew and a limit on the number of passengers they could carry, for example.

The Government says if the changes are given the thumbs up they could be in place in two to three years.

Annually, around 750,000 people pass their driving test – 44% of candidates. However, 300 of them fail to complete a year in possession of a full driving licence as they and their passengers account for 20% of all car deaths in Britain. In addition, one in five of new drivers have a crash within six months of qualifying.

Road crashes are the single biggest killer of young people in the UK with almost 1,200 killed or seriously injured on the roads every year.

Crucial to the overhaul of driver testing and training is that employers and insurers should have greater confidence in the driving abilities of people who have undertaken further training. As a result, the Government intends to work with them to develop proposals for post-test courses and qualifications. Examples could include a new advanced training qualification, a course in motorway driving or vocational qualifications such as those suggested for van drivers.

The Government belives that vocational qualifications could cover vehicle loading, unloading, driving a van and customer service and would be offered through awarding bodies like an NVQ. In addition, it wants to see new post-test standards set and driving for work training to be developed with employers and insurers. The document says: “These would help drivers who want to demonstrate their high standard of driving, or who want to indicate that they have the skills needed to drive for work. We will work with employers to decide the scope of these.

“We would want this qualification to be recognised as being of real value indicating a high standard of driving, which would make a person a real asset to any potential employers, who have indicated they need more knowledgeable and trained drivers.”

Such options will be piloted over the next five years when the Government will review their effectiveness and consider whether further steps should be taken, including whether any of the options for learning post-test should become part of the pre-test learning process.

RoadSafe director Adrian Walsh said: “Whether driving company cars, vans or their own vehicles on business, employees who drive as part of their job undertake daily one of the most dangerous tasks they will ever be asked to undertake in their working life.

“The Government recognises that and wants to develop a programme of higher and vocational qualifications, which includes an assessment.

“That is an initiative which has our 100% support. Once developed, we believe such qualifications could be a key part of a company’s staff recruitment process.

“But, such qualifications take time to develop and launch. In the interim it is hugely important that companies and organisations of all sizes and operating in all spheres of business and industry face up to their legal responsibilities now and don’t wait for the Government plans to reach fruition.

“Many organisations are already focused on promoting the benefits of safe driving to their employees and reaping the benefits. Measures implemented include encouraging staff to voluntarily take advanced driving courses.”

Further details at www.dsa.gov.uk

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