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Better-trained drivers surely make for safer fleets. Now the Government wants to start at the very beginning, with better L-driver training and testing.
Better-trained drivers surely make for safer fleets. Now the Government wants to start at the very beginning, with better L-driver training and testing.
This week, Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly set out proposals to reform the way new drivers are taught and tested. The move is a response to growing worries as to whether the current system is still fit for purpose.
After all, fleets expect to be in trouble if their vehicles are not up to the job. Surely the same should go for the basic standards of competence delivered by the national driving test?
The Driving Standards Agency is putting forward an interesting set of ideas. They include 'pre driving' courses for school pupils; changes to driving instruction, and making the driving exam itself more of a measure of 'road awareness' and not so much a test of basic manoeuvring abilities.
Of real relevance to employers with fleets is a proposal to develop extra courses and qualifications for drivers who've passed their test, to set them up for a career in 'the driving for work sector'.
It is easy to assume that drivers acquire greater competence and confidence as they gain experience. But follow-ups on new drivers over three years show that most of them actually become less confident as time goes on, particularly about driving in snow and fog, parking and judging what other drivers will do.
Many new drivers display this lack of confidence, the DSA says, despite taking an average of 52 hours of lessons and spending £1,500 on learning to drive. Within six months of passing the driving test, two in 10 newly qualified drivers are involved in crashes and fully 70% report having a near miss.
Giving learners hazard perception tests significantly reduced their chances of having an accident. The higher the test score, the lower the likelihood of a crash later on.
These findings suggest that it is risky for fleets to make assumptions about the competence of even experienced drivers. Risk assessments and driver evaluations, especially hazard perception, are clearly important activities in view of the DSA's findings about the skills gaps created by traditional L-driver teaching and testing.
Legally, it is the employer's responsibility to assess drivers' ability - whether they passed their test last week or last century. That will always remain the case, although the changes proposed by the DSA will hopefully lead to higher basic driving standards in future.
The DSA is consulting on the proposal until 8 September. Full details are available here.
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