Out of all the age groups on the road, drivers under the age of 25 are the most likely to be involved in an accident. One of the main reasons for this is lack of experience.
As such, keeping young drivers safe at work is an important issue that employers have to grapple with, especially as at-work driving is very different to the type of driving that you experience before taking your test.
Research conducted by RoSPA – with the help of employers – showed that most bosses were comfortable about the ability of their young drivers to control a car or recognise road signs.
However, they were less confident about their drivers’ experience across a range of contexts. For example, when controlling larger vehicles or driving to a schedule.
To address these concerns, RoSPA developed a workshop that was tailor-made for young drivers at work – and which helped generate some valuable points about ways to improve their safety.
Drivers’ discussions considered many of the contexts in which accidents occur (which may not have been covered while learning to drive).
By doing so, it triggered a debate about the factors that influence a driver’s safety at work – such as journey planning and social pressures to speed or use a mobile phone.
Crucially, the workshop got participants thinking about what they can do practically to improve their safety on the road, so that they left the project with ideas that could be easily implemented.
Quite often participants opened up a new perspective on why a company’s safety policy might not be followed as intended, or would suggest a solution to a problem they felt they couldn’t raise outside the workshop.
This kind of dialogue gives organisations important information about what they can do to keep their drivers safe, while giving young drivers the chance to engage with issues in a way that might better secure their safety on the road at work.
- Find out more about the Young Drivers at Work research workshop at www.rospa.com/roadsafety/youngdriversatwork/
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