Learn Safe Drive Safe

The Learn Safe Drive Safe scheme started in 2009 with the aim of developing an intervention that had a ‘drip-feed’ approach and was administered over a period of time to learners as part of their driving lessons. All South Yorkshire Local Authorities take part in the scheme which is a South Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership project.

Development stemmed from literature reviews conducted by Sheffield University and evaluations of two South Yorkshire, DfT funded projects targeting young drivers that highlighted the benefits of tailoring interventions to learners personal issues.

Delivered by Approved Driving Instructors (ADIs) the scheme explores issues that are known to be linked with crash involvement. This is achieved through a number of in-car micro-lessons covering:

• Fatigue
• Self-evaluation
• Alcohol
• Distraction
• Peer pressure
• Speed choices
• Drugs
• Seat belts

These micro-lessons have been specifically designed to maximise the learning outcomes whilst minimising the in-car training time to only a few minutes in each lesson. The practical training is not compromised.

Learners are helped to identify personal driving risks that they might face after they have passed their test and are helped to develop a range of personal coping strategies to adopt in these situations.

The scheme has been supported from the outset by the DSA.

Instructor training
The Learn Safe Drive Safe scheme provides participating approved driving instructors with free specialist training covering the themes outlined below:

• Common crash causation factors linked to the Goals for Driver Education (Hatakka et al 2002)
• An introduction to coaching
• The delivery of the Learn Safe Drive Safe micro-lessons

The coaching training is conducted by Ian Edwards who has worked as a consultant for the DSA on the Learning to Drive Programme and who was the UK representative of the EU funded HERMES Coaching Project.

The three-hour session has been very well received by participating instructors, is free and instructors receive a certificate which counts towards CPD development.

As a result of involvement in the scheme Driving Instructor Associations (DIA) and Local Authority road safety teams have established strong links with some DIAs delivering additional road safety interventions to pupils and their parents beyond the scope of the scheme.

Details of instructors delivering the scheme are listed on the councils’ websites and on the webpage link below.

Progress update (February 2012)
• Over 200 South Yorkshire ADIs trained to date.
• Accredited by GoSkills and People 1st in summer 2011.
• A pilot project is underway which involves learner’s parents/carers in the scheme.
• A quantitative evaluation by an external body will be conducted in the summer of 2012.