The Driver2020 project evaluated the real-world effectiveness of five interventions designed to reduce collisions and risk in learner and novice drivers aged 17-24 in Great Britain. Three interventions were delivered to learner drivers. These were a logbook (designed to increase on-road practice), a hazard perception training e-learning intervention (designed to improve hazard perception skill) and a classroom based education intervention designed to improve a number of safety-related attitudes and behaviours.
Two interventions were delivered to novice drivers in their first 12 months of post-test driving. These were a mentoring agreement (designed to encourage drivers to set voluntary limits on high risk driving situations such as driving at night or in the dark and with peer-age passengers) and a telematics intervention (that provided feedback on driving style). Over 28,000 participants were assigned randomly to one of the treatment groups, or a no-intervention control group, in the learner or novice arm of the study. All participants were invited to complete surveys when they passed their practical driving test, and at 3-, 6- and 12-months post-test. The surveys collected data on learning to drive (for example types and amounts of ;practice) and post-test driving, including self-reported collision involvement.
None of the interventions reduced collisions relative to the control groups. Engagement with the interventions (which were offered on a voluntary basis with modest incentives designed to reflect what would be possible in a real-world roll-out) was low, at between 3% (logbook) to 16% (telematics). In those participants who did engage, the mentoring agreement and hazard perception training interventions were shown to have potentially the best safety benefits. Engaging with the mentoring agreement encouraged setting of limits on driving in the dark and driving with peer-age passengers in the first six months post-test, and with less self-reported driving in the dark 4-6 months post-test. Engaging with the hazard perception training intervention was associated with a reduction in the number of attempts needed to pass the theory test (consistent with an increase in hazard perception skill) and a lower frequency of speeding in the first three months of post-test driving. The other interventions had mixed findings.
Other reports on the Driver2020 project
PPR2009 Weekley J, Helman S, Chowdhury S, Hammond J and Hutton J (2024a). Driver2020 – an evaluation of interventions designed to improve safety in the first year of driving for novice drivers. Report D1.
PPR2010 Weekley J, Helman S, Makosa H, Harpham N and Hutton J (2024b). Driver2020 – an evaluation of interventions designed to improve safety in the first year of driving for learner drivers. Report D2.
PPR2011 Hitchings J, Holcombe A, Christie N, Weekley J and Helman S (2024). Driver2020 – an evaluation of the delivery of interventions and engagement by novice and learner drivers. Report D3.
PPR2034_Driver2020 - supplementary appendix of data collection
PPR781 Pressley A, Fernández-Medina K, Helman S, McKenna FP, Stradling S and Husband P (2016). A review of interventions which seek to increase the safety of young and novice drivers.;
