The standard driving test is inadequately preparing young staff for the demands of driving at work, according to research by the Royal Society of the Prevention of Accidents.
More than 60% of employers claimed 17-24 year olds were insufficiently prepared for work driving by the standard driving test. Only 6% felt that young employees were completely prepared by the standard test.
87% of respondents to RoSPA’s research indicated they would support an additional driving for work qualification. This comes in part from 75% of managers saying their young drivers were encountering situations not covered in their original test, such as motorway and night driving.
“Our research found that there is a clear skills and training gap,” said Duncan Vernon, RoSPA’s road safety manager. “Young workers are being required to drive vehicles, and in conditions and situations, in which they have limited, if any, prior experience.”
RoSPA will now be developing a free Young Drivers at Work Workshop to address some of the findings.