Poll discovers women miss out on driver training

A poll conducted by IAM Drive & Survive and the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) and covers both genders, found that 61 per cent of females drove to or for work, but only 22 per cent of these were offered driver training by their employer.

Almost the same proportion of men drove to or for work (60 per cent), but a staggering 94 per cent had been offered driver training by their employer. The poll also found that only 47% of females feel perfectly safe on the roads.

Simon Elstow, IAM Drive & Survive head of training said: “These are very interesting results. The poll suggests that women are missing out on beneficial driver training simply because statistically, women appear to be safer drivers overall.”

Department for Transport figures showed that in 2007 530 females were involved in KSI (Killed or Seriously Injured) accidents compared to 1,640 men.

“We know that women have fewer KSI’s, but they are most vulnerable at junctions and are involved in more low speed accidents, which can result in hefty costs to employers. We would encourage female drivers to ‘speak up’ at work and request driver training as part of the employer’s duty of care.”

It’s well documented that the most dangerous periods for accidents are in the morning and evening, during the ‘rush hour’ period, which would suggest all those driving to work are at high risk of being involved in a driving incident.

Elstow continued: “We encourage businesses to offer driver training and assessment to all their employees as best practice and a duty of care. Employers have a responsibility to take all reasonable steps to lower the risks to employees when behind the wheel. Prevention is much better than cure and it’s important to offer tailored training instead of a ‘one size fits all’ approach. There are a number of unconscious risks associated with driving that they may well not be aware of. These can be easily addressed with an expert instructor and can be prompted through on-line training or an individual driver risk assessment.”

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