TRAINING & EDUCATION
YOUNG DRIVERS
83



Training for tomorrow		  


UK Youth is aiming to create safer roads for the future by educating tomorrow’s drivers. It is an initiative supported by leading fleet industry figure John Leigh, who believes responsible driving should be part of the school curriculum




John Leigh
“Loss of life is not about the metal; it is about the mindset of the individual behind the wheel”
Learning to drive responsibly should be a feature of the school curriculum so the mindset of youngsters is changed to promote safety first behind the wheel. That’s the view of John Leigh, senior vice-president of Vanguard, the company that owns National Car Rental, Alamo and Guy Salmon in Europe, and current chairman of the British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association.

While much is being done in a bid to rid the UK’s road network of the bad drivers who continue to cause carnage, Mr Leigh believes the way to reduce the human distress caused by death and injury on the roads is by educating tomorrow’s drivers. That is why National Car Rental has been a long-time supporter of Momentum, a scheme operated by UK Youth, which is a national registered charity that exists to develop and promote innovative non-formal education programmes for and with young people – working with them to develop their potential.

UK Youth supports more than 750,000 young people, 7,000 youth groups, clubs and projects and more than 40,000 volunteer and part-time youth workers throughout the UK. Momentum is aimed at youngsters aged 14 and over and is an informal education programme lasting a minimum of 30 hours that uses young people’s interest in cars – as well as motorcycles – as a starting point for learning through its First Gear (car) and On 2 Wheels (bike) schemes. Mr Leigh says: “It concentrates more on the social responsibility of car use than the traditional approach of driving skills’ development in car control. Bad driving is both dangerous and anti-social.”

Young drivers aged under 21 are not allowed to rent cars in the UK and motorists up to the age of 25 have an extremely limited choice as to the vehicles they can hire, and also face a range of additional charges before getting behind the wheel. “If we can create responsible young drivers then we are prepared to waive those rules and rent cars to them. However, they must show themselves to be safe and responsible road users and that means having undertaken the Momentum programme. So far, only a small number of young people have taken advantage of the scheme by renting cars, but it is something we are keen to promote,” he says.

“Loss of life is not about the metal; it is about the mindset of the individual behind the wheel. If we can change the culture of the majority of youngsters before they pass their driving test then we can start to reduce the number of road accidents and the misery they cause.”

A father of two young drivers, Mr Leigh says: “Cars are no playthings, but they are a major feature of life. However, driving does not feature on the national curriculum and rarely appears in any extra-curricular activities. Safe driving and responsible driving should become a feature of our education programme.” He adds: “UK Youth is only one organisation in the whole picture, but other organisations, the police and the government must be involved to instil in young people the right attitudes to road safety and safe driving.” About 10,000 youngsters have so far been through the Momentum programme and UK Youth chief executive John Bateman says: “We get very good feedback from those who have completed the programme, as well as from parents.

“Benefits to young people completing Momentum include an increase in personal skills, confidence and self-esteem”

“We have anecdotal evidence to show that where the programme is strong, the number of accidents is less than in other areas. However, our main aim through Momentum is to drive a change in attitude among young people. That is easier to measure and we can prove that young people’s attitude to car use is modified and improved because of the programme.” Mr Leigh believes that diverting some of the money currently raised through speeding fines could fund a schools-based driver responsibility programme. Although those aged 17–25 years old represent only 7% of UK driving licence holders, they are involved in 13% of injury accidents. In addition, men aged 17–29 years old are between 3.25 and 11.6 times more likely to be involved in a crash than all drivers, according to the Department for Transport.

Mr Leigh says: “The figures show that young drivers are a high risk, not only in terms of injuring or killing themselves, but particularly in terms of being involved in an accident with a third-party. As a business we cannot afford to have huge third party insurance claims, which is why the rental rules exist. Accidents typically don’t happen by chance, they are the result of irresponsibility. “But through Momentum we want to be able to demonstrate that the risk of hiring a car to a young driver is no greater than to any other type of motorist.”

Fact file

  • 74% of all accidental deaths of 15 to 19-year-olds occur in road crashes
  • One in five drivers has a crash in the first year after passing their test
  • 14% of injured casualties and 16% of deaths in 2001 were accidents involving car drivers aged 17–21
  • In 1999–2001, on average, only 5% of licence holders were aged 17–21
  • Average annual mileage of full licence holders aged 17–21 was 75% of the average distance covered by older car drivers
  • The 17–24 age bracket accounts for about one in four accidents on Britain’s roads, despite only representing one in six drivers


Source: IAM

The Momentum programme, whose patron is Prince Michael of Kent, has been developed by UK Youth with assistance from a number of organisations with expertise in road safety, driver and rider education, traffic management and representatives from the motor industry. They include the Department for Transport, the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Driving Standards Agency, the Motor Vehicle Repairers’ Association, the Motor Schools Association, the Motorcycle Industry Association and the Association of British Insurers. As well as backing from national organisations, which also include the RAC, BT and some supermarkets, Mr Bateman says support came at a local level from car dealerships and garages. Youth organisations pay £500 for the training of up to 10 staff to deliver the Momentum programme.

The main purpose of Momentum is to raise awareness and challenge attitudes, rather than to teach driving or riding skills at anything other than a basic level. The training framework offers an introduction to all facets of driving with the hope that young people will progress on to more formal instruction. In addition to instilling more positive attitudes towards vehicle use, benefits to young people completing Momentum include an increase in personal skills, confidence and self-esteem, together with an appreciation of the impact that motor vehicles and mobility can have on communities, the environment and particular groups in society.

The programme content includes:

  • “In the Mind”, which focuses on the personal, social and environmental impact of vehicle use, positive attitudes towards safe driving, laws relating to vehicles, vehicle-related crime and employment opportunities in the motor industry.
  • “Under the Bonnet/Tank” demonstrates the basics of routine checks for safety and to prevent mechanical breakdown, as well as safe use of tools and equipment in a safe working environment
  • “Behind the Wheel/Handlebars” gives youngsters instruction and experience of the main cockpit controls and specific controlled driving manoeuvres

Mr Bateman says: “Young people think they are invincible and, in order to effect change, we need to make safe driving trendy and build awareness of the consequences of poor driving. Momentum is an excellent youth work tool to attempt this.” As Momentum supporter and ex-Formula 1 driver Damon Hill says: “Young people have, by virtue of their age, quick reactions, yet hazard awareness, driving experiences and responsible attitudes are the keys to safe road use. In highlighting these areas, First Gear offers young people the chance to temper enthusiasm with realism.”

The life and work of UK Youth

The president of UK Youth is ex-Formula 1 world champion Nigel Mansell and ambassadors of the Momentum programme include motorsport enthusiast and commentator Murray Walker, BBC Grandstand presenter Suzi Perry, Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, top rally driver Colin McRae, ex-Formula 1 champion Damon Hill and some of the sports best-known names, including Ron Dennis (boss of McLaren), Sir Jackie Stewart and Sir Frank Williams (boss of Williams).

UK Youth began life as the National Organisation of Girls Clubs, with the original purpose of supporting clubs for women factory workers. Reflecting the changes in society and the lives of young people, the organisation became the National Association of Girls Clubs and Mixed Clubs (1944) and later re-named itself the National Association of Youth Clubs (1961). In 1987 the charity became known as Youth Clubs UK. In 2001, its 90th Anniversary year, the organisation’s name was changed to UK Youth to more accurately reflect the focus on the concerns, interests and lives of young people, rather than on any particular setting in which they meet.

Programmes and services are delivered through its membership of 40 local associations in England, as well as national members in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales and an expanding network of other organisations that recognise and value youth work approaches. Further details are available at www.ukyouth.org


Young drivers: the IAM view by Mark Edwards, head of training, IAM Fleet

There has been a major cultural shift over the past few years whereby cars have become much more affordable and driving is perceived by many young people as a right rather than as a privilege. In most aspects of life, there is a general understanding that there is a need to keep oneself up-to-date with changes and developments in technology and the surrounding environment.

Arguably, the current young driver training and testing regime militates against this, as there is a received wisdom – not actively or intentionally promoted by any group – that the relatively low number of hours of driving test preparation – and the test itself – should adequately prepare drivers for this vital skill for life. In other words, many young drivers will see gaining a driving licence as representing an absolute competency to drive. It is only after they’ve been driving solo for a while (with or without an incident) that the more enlightened new drivers appreciate that the driving test is more like an MoT test than a warranty. The notion of continuing, managed driver development is generally not something that young drivers are exposed to, either by their parents or, indeed, by many driving instructors.

This in turn is a function of the fact that driving instruction is an undervalued profession, but a necessary evil to prepare candidates for the test. In many other countries – and I have recent first-hand experience of this in the United Arab Emirates – driving instruction is seen as a vocation and a career for life, attracting young and enthusiastic individuals who are keen to learn as much as they can and pass this knowledge on to their pupils. Furthermore, many pupils are inspired to progress and qualify as instructors themselves. In the UK, the average profile of a driving instructor is someone in middle age, on his or her second or third career and unlikely to stay within the profession for very long.

What young drivers gain in terms of reactions and confidence, they lose in experience and anticipation. While the hazard perception testing (HPT) recently introduced to the driving test curriculum is a step in the right direction, it does tend to assess how drivers react to hazards rather than their ability actively to manage such hazards. Out of necessity, most basic driver training and testing is fault-focused, whereas more experienced drivers understand that many driving faults do not make them more likely to be involved in a crash.

It is, perhaps, this transitional period from driving by numbers to adopting a personal driving style in which young drivers are most at risk, as there will be a high degree of experimentation with methods and behaviour that will be designed to challenge the establishment norm.

 
 

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