'Unproven' Driving Safety Course Changes Gear

[Standard Dave]

The Driving Standards Agency has dropped its claim that a road safety programme for young drivers can reduce accidents after being told there is no evidence to back it up.

'Unproven' Driving Safety Course Changes Gear
Share Share Comments (13)9:39am UK, Friday August 13, 2010

Gerard Tubb, North of England correspondent

The Driving Standards Agency has dropped its claim that a road safety programme for young drivers can reduce accidents after being told there is no evidence to back it up.
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The Pass Plus driving course was launched in 1995 to counter high accident rates for youngsters and involves six hours of driving lessons at night, on motorways and in bad weather.

Without publicising it, the agency has dropped claims on its website that Pass Plus can reduce accident rates and give "peace of mind" to relatives.

The move comes after the agency was told there was no evidence to back up the claim.

The site now says the extra lessons will "help you become a more confident driver".

Figures obtained by Sky News show 360,000 newly-qualified drivers have spent up to £180 on the course since 2006, with public subsidies of more than £1.75m.

The websites of at least five local authorities still tell youngsters to take subsidised Pass Plus courses to reduce their chance of an accident.

A spokeswoman for the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) said it is not responsible for alerting local authorities that its information has been "updated".

"It is the website owner's responsibility to ensure the information they publish is accurate and up to date," she said.
The car insurance industry, which initially gave big discounts to youngsters who took the course, recognises its limitations.

For Sky's investigation, the Admiral Group analysed more than 4,000 claims involving young drivers.

Spokesman Justin Beddows said: "We could find no evidence that Pass Plus makes a young motorist any safer and less likely to have an accident in the future."

In 2006 the Government was informed by the Association of British Insurers that most young drivers admitted to taking just as many risks on the road after taking Pass Plus.

By 2008 they had been told by the Transport Research Laboratory that the course appeared to make "little or no difference" to accident rates and it was "not possible to determine conclusively whether Pass Plus has a positive effect".
Professor Frank McKenna, a psychologist on the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, believes more confidence could lead to more crashes.

"The worst thing you can do with a young driver is increase their confidence without increasing their competence," he said.

"If there's no increase in competence you potentially run the risk of increasing the chance of accidents."

In a statement supporting Pass Plus, the DSA said: "Post-test training builds upon existing skills and knowledge and gives new drivers additional experience to help them drive more safely.

"New drivers who have taken Pass Plus tell us that it improves their driving skills and confidence on the road and major insurance companies offer discounts to drivers who have taken Pass Plus precisely because they believe that the scheme improves drivers' ability."

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-New ... ng_Drivers

[ROG]

So PP is generally crap - no new news there then as I've heard it before from those that have done it

Pity Sky did not have the inclination to find out what does work - such as seeing how those that passed the AD test fared......

[jbsportstech]

Young Drivers can be taught to rospa gold level still doesn't mean they won't drive like tools.

My cousin passed his theory on 17th and 3 days later his test iApn a town 70 miles from where he lives. He is a former grade x 17 car club member.

He got his gold just after turning 18. I have see him driving on several occasions and I have come to conclusion it's all a badge collecting excercise. He limited by the fact he drives two landrovers. I witnessed him come tearig through his college carpark with friends in try car no sign of pull push or anything Advanced.

When I posted on his Facebook he said I have rospa gold I can do it properly when I want to.

TheRe lies the problem. Mindset

[Gareth]

Mindset

"Can" rather than "Is".

[ROG]

When I posted on his Facebook he said I have rospa gold I can do it properly when I want to.

Then inform him he is not an advanced driver unless he drives to the advanced standard

[TripleS]

When I posted on his Facebook he said I have rospa gold I can do it properly when I want to.

Then inform him he is not an advanced driver unless he drives to the advanced standard

I certainly feel that the attitude or mindset of jb's cousin is less than ideal, but is it quite as stark as you imply, ROG?

Are you saying that he or she who purports to be an advanced driver should display all of the advanced qualities at all times? If you are, then I think this is too rigid. The main aspect where I'm inclined to disagree with you relates to the 'making progress' element of the advanced driving specification. I know I've queried this a time or two previously, but I still maintain that even the best of advanced drivers should not be expected to be 'making progress' in all of his or her driving.

Quite likely Von (for example) will take his wife out for drives in the countryside, or they may enjoy touring holidays, in which case I would be very surprised to find him seeking to make progress all the time. If I'm right, does that mean he's not an advanced driver? I hardly think so.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

[Gareth]

Von (for example) will take his wife out for drives in the countryside, or they may enjoy touring holidays, in which case I would be very surprised to find him seeking to make progress all the time. If I'm right, does that mean he's not an advanced driver? I hardly think so.

There's a difference between taking it easy when out on a drive, (your example), and behaving like an arse, (jbsportstech's example).

[TripleS]

Quite likely Von (for example) will take his wife out for drives in the countryside, or they may enjoy touring holidays, in which case I would be very surprised to find him seeking to make progress all the time. If I'm right, does that mean he's not an advanced driver? I hardly think so.

There's a difference between taking it easy when out on a drive, (your example), and behaving like an arse, (jbsportstech's example).

Yes I know; not for a moment am I defending behaving like an arse, but I still have concern with what I felt to be ROG's overly rigid view. To me it implied that an advanced driver was 'not allowed' to take it easy. OK, don't worry about; I'll leave it at that.

Best wishes all,
Dave.

[ROG]

An AD does not have to be at full 100% in order to be advanced.

There are many types of advanced.

No human can keep 100% of high concentration all the time

By 'driving in advance mode' I simply meant that IPSGA should be considered for every hazard and to be aware enough at any given point and not letting the ethoos of advanced driving go out of the proverbial window

I doubt if police pursuit advanced drivers actually drive at pursuit standard all the time !!

[Standard Dave]

I doubt if police pursuit advanced drivers actually drive at pursuit standard all the time !!

There driving in pursuits is probably not very system at times and would be of a lower standard from a pure roadcraft point of view that say a training drive in an unmarked car or response run across the county.

[zadocbrown]

...no sign of pull push...

**********

I seriously hope you informed the local constabulary speedily forthwith. I'm sure they would want to give some words of advice on the use of approved steering techniques...

...Or maybe pull-push wasn't the most effective solution for that driver/vehicle/situation?

[jbsportstech]

When I posted on his Facebook he said I have rospa gold I can do it properly when I want to.

Then inform him he is not an advanced driver unless he drives to the advanced standard

Thats not to say that at 18 years old he has done very and is a much better driver than I was at his age. My father didnt have a fleet of cars as lots of money time to run me around the country and let me drive around in aston martin at under 17 car club events. So he is very fortunate for his age as well as skilled to get to gold.

However driving through a carpark is not what is expected of compent driver. Let alone someone with IAM/ROADAR under their belt.

[jbsportstech]

...no sign of pull push...

**************

Charming! Ignorance is bliss hey

I seriously hope you informed the local constabulary speedily forthwith. I'm sure they would want to give some words of advice on the use of approved steering techniques...

...Or maybe pull-push wasn't the most effective solution for that driver/vehicle/situation?

Whether or not you think you know better than people like chris glibert with his training background.
It wasn't just his steering it was his speed and irratic mannor in a carpark typical 18 lad with a car full of piers, its show off time.

I spoke to him about no need to tell daddy or contact the police. I am yet to be convinced avon and somerset police know what roadcraft or pull-push is as not one of the drivers I have seen applies it and nigel albright shares my views.

[jbsportstech]

However driving through a carpark is not what is expected of compent driver.

WTF?

Yes I saw you post and then proceeded to reply without fully reading this post!

the missing words are "at that speed"

[crr003]

....... making it all look visually acceptable to ROADAR onanists.

Sometimes words fail me (or at least words that are publically acceptable on fora such as this)...

I had to check, but I was right in thinking what onanist meant.

But I say old chap, not all RoADAR members are wankers!