Darren Rowley of BT Operate has been named this year’s BT Safe Driver of the Year competition winning a trophy and £5,000.

He scooped the top prize after competing against almost 8,000 BT employees, who are eligible to drive on company business and had entered the competition earlier in the year.

A member of BT Operate’s data centre technical service delivery team, Rowley said it had been good to try things he’d never normally get the chance to do - like hazard perception, navigating an off-road course in a 4x4 and driving a lorry.

Runner-up Graham Dowling - a higher apprentice in BT Operate - went home with a trophy and £2,500, while third place went to Colin Naylor, a business analyst in BT Innovation and Design, who was awarded a trophy and £1,500. The remaining 30 finalists at the event each received £100.

Organiser Tony Holt from the BT Group safety centre of expertise said: “Everyone agreed it was the best Safe Driver of the Year event so far, with three fantastic rounds allowing us to engage over 8,000 drivers in road safety, before selecting the 30 best performers for the finals day.”

The event was supported by Interactive Driving Systems, which provided the online platform and driver communications to initially engage 8,000 employees to participate, and then filter them down to a manageable number for the later rounds.