Safe Speed Forums

'Unproven' Driving Safety Course Changes Gear

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.

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".



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.

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."

He did get some tuition in the snow earlier this year courtesy of the bad weather - but his instructor was not able to give it for insurance reasons! Luckily we had access to some private land! I'd confidently pay to put him on a skid pan if the opportunity arose!

Having driven with him, I'd say he drives too far up to corners before braking to turn - but apparently that is the way he was instructed.
Apparently, "Gears are for going, Brakes are for slowing" - not like my day!
I anticipate bends and manouvres and slow appropriately in good time!

Apparently, "Gears are for going, Brakes are for slowing" - not like my day!
I anticipate bends and manouvres and slow appropriately in good time!