DriveFit pre-driver education intervention wins a prestigious Prince Michael International Road Safety

23 October 2023

DriveFit, which was developed and delivered as part of the Pre-driver Theatre and Workshop Education Research project, is a road safety intervention for 16-18 year olds. It comprises a 40-minute film plus online workshop material aimed at engaging participants in identifying, understanding and ultimately tackling high-risk driving behaviours. It draws from a substantial body of research into effective ways of achieving behaviour change and supports young people to develop coping mechanisms and strategies for managing risk.

As part of the research project DriveFit was trialled with a number of volunteer schools and colleges in Devon. The programme was subject to rigorous evaluation which revealed that it achieved longer-lasting effects on the attitudes of participants than traditional 'shock' theatre-based performances which focus on collision consequences.

DriveFit was funded by national level partners including the Department for Transport, the Road Safety Trust, Road Safety GB, the National Fire Chiefs Council, the RAC Foundation and Kent Fire and Rescue Service. Surrey Fire and Rescue Service and Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service supported the delivery of the research trials, which were conducted by Elizabeth during her doctoral studies at Cranfield University. All the organisations are committed to supporting the dissemination of DriveFit and the project’s associated research findings to inform the delivery of future road safety interventions for young soon-to-be-drivers.

The Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards ceremony will take place at The Savoy on Tuesday 12th December 2023.