Car insurance news
01/05/2009
Young drivers at work need more road skills
A new report from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) suggests that young drivers' car insurance customers who drive as part of their employment are lacking in some basic skill areas.
RoSPA's road safety charity, Young Drivers at Work, conducted a study that revealed over 60 per cent of employers believe young drivers are not trained or tested in driving conditions they are likely to encounter while driving for their work.
Over half of the 407 employers and 25 young drivers surveyed said they would welcome a post-test qualification relating to driving for work.
Of the employers questioned, 75 per cent reported that the current driving test did not cover driving situations that young drivers were likely to face at work, such as night driving and driving in adverse weather such as ice and snow.
Employers suggested a new post-test qualification would need to cover items including driving on motorways and in different conditions, plus enhanced hazard perception testing and the development of safer driving attitudes.
It was put forward that the test needed to be nationally accredited, but must be optional, flexible and that each organisation would be able to tailor it to their company's driving needs.
Duncan Vernon, RoSPA's road safety manager, said, "Many employers reported that they did not rely on the driving licence as evidence of competence in driving for work and many conduct their own assessments before allowing their employees to drive for work purposes. It is not surprising, therefore, that so many said they would find a post-test driving for work qualification useful."
A Hoot spokesperson commented, "Any further driving qualification achieved is likely to reduce the cost of a young driver's car insurance and would almost certainly be welcomed by the motor insurance industry."
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