Facilitator's Notes
After the Workshop
This link takes you to the Facilitator's Notes containing practical advice based on our experience of running pilots of this Activity Workshop.
Facilitator's Notes : After the Workshop
After the Workshop
There are two things that the facilitators should do following the workshop.
If external to the organisation, as soon as possible after the workshop, prepare a feedback report for the employers. This needs to set out what was covered in the workshop and barriers that the delegates said prevented safer driving. Quite often the employer had some control over these, and in this way, the workshop fed into the safety culture of the organisation. An example feedback report is provided below.
After three weeks, the facilitators should scan in the post cards and send them to the participants.
You can also evaluate how the workshop went, and the Workshop Evaluation Page page will suggest how you can do this.
Sample Employer Report
The purpose of the report to employers is to:
- Provide an overview of the topics covered and the issues discussed
- Highlight any particular areas for employers to explore further
- Report on the delegates' recommendations for an occupational road risk policy
The purpose of the report is not to:
- Describe any individual's comments
- Describe any individual's level of participation
Where comments are especially relevant and raise issues which may warrant further action, individuals' comments can be reported but must be genuinely anonymised (e.g. in a workshop of nine young men and one young woman, do not report on one delegates comments by using the term 'she').
SAMPLE REPORT
The structure of the sample report is based on the reports produced for companies involved in the workshop pilots. The example feedback included in the sample report is fictitious.
RoSPA Presenters' Report for the Young Drivers at Work Workshops 2009 held at (company name), (place)
This short report is a summary of two [alter as applicable] Young Drivers at Work Workshops run by RoSPA at Company A Plc in the morning and afternoon of [insert date].
The report is intended to provide Company A Plc with a synopsis of the sessions and the topics covered. At the end of the report, in the facilitator comments section, we raise the key issues arising from the day and make some example suggestions as to how to take these forward.
1. Project background
In 2008, RoSPA conducted a Young Drivers at Work Study among employers who have young staff (17-24 years) who drive as part of their work, and young at-work drivers themselves.
The report looked at:
- The views of employers on how well the present system of driver training and testing prepares young people for the sort of driving they do for work
- Whether employers would recognise and make use of a driving for work qualification when recruiting or managing young staff who drive as part of their job
- If so, what should be included in such a qualification or training programme
The project was conducted with support from the Department for Transport's road safety partnership grant and with the help of a working group including the DfT, DSA, Buckinghamshire and Lancashire County Councils, Birmingham City Council and Roadsafe.
The results were published in a report in March 2009, which is available online (PDF 728kb).
Based on this research RoSPA developed a Young Drivers at Work Workshop. The aims of the workshop are to:
- Develop the participants' knowledge about the specific issues pertaining to driving for work raised by employers in the Young Drivers at Work report
- Help young at-work drivers understand how they can develop the additional skills they need when driving for work
- Identify new ways that the employer can help their younger drivers use the road safely, by understanding the influence that they are having from the perspective of their young drivers
Young drivers from Company A Plc took part in the workshop on [insert date].
2. Feedback from the workshop contents
The Young Drivers Workshop is based on an interactive approach to driver education and young drivers were encouraged to discuss their own experiences during the workshop. This feedback and perspective from the young drivers is compiled below to assist Company A Plc in managing the risks specific to young drivers at work.
2.1 Situation awareness
The workshops began by asking delegates if they had noticed anything out of place in the room. Only one or two pointed out the images of camels which had been strategically positioned in the room prior to delegates arriving.
This icebreaking activity led to a short talk on research findings demonstrating limited peripheral vision and reduced situation awareness amongst young drivers when compared to experienced drivers. This activity was designed to help young drivers to recognise their limited visual awareness.
The implications of distracted attention and limited visual awareness were mentioned, for example, at pedestrian crossings and junctions. Distracted attention and mobile phone use was also discussed. [insert own descriptions of what was discussed]
This introduction was followed with an audiovisual awareness test. The version of the video shown was produced by Transport for London and is available on YouTube.
2.2 What is a safe driver?
Delegates were then asked to shout out how they would describe a safe driver. This was a quick exercise intended to elicit honest responses record and to the skills, knowledge and attitudes of what they believe to be a 'safe driver' .
The responses given by the delegates at the start of the workshop were:
- Slow
- Not under the influence
- Never had an accident
2.3 Pop quiz results
After a small group work session where delegates were given quotes from other young at-work drivers and asked whether they agreed with them, the next section was an 10 question pop quiz and is a way of helping the younger drivers appreciate the difference between their formal learner training and the different driving situations they are now in.
The quiz questions were based on research and official statistical findings. The questions (and answers) are attached as Appendix One.
On average the company A PLC teams scored 70%. The questions which were answered incorrectly by more than one team were:
Q.1. Road traffic accidents whilst at work are the largest cause of occupational fatality in the UK.
True or False?
The correct answer is true.
Clarke, D.W., Ward, P., Bartle, C., and Truman, W. (2005) An in-depth study of work-related road traffic accidents: Road Safety Research Report No. 58 London: DfT, pp.5.
Q.5. The greatest number (proportion of those tested) of failed roadside breathtests occur in which of these age groups?
a) 17-19
b) 20-24
c) 25-29
d) 30-39
e) 40-49
The correct answer is b) 20-24.
DfT (2008) Road Casualties Great Britain: 2007 Annual Report London:TSO, pp.35.
Uncertainty over question 1 may indicate that delegates do not have full appreciation of the significance of the risks faced when driving for work. This concurs with research studies which have found that young drivers over-estimate their driving ability and under-estimate the risks.
2.4 Accident investigation scenario
The last section before the refreshment break was an accident investigation task, where delegates were shown a description of an accident involving an at-work driver with a busy schedule. Delegates were asked to identify causal factors and preventative factors, both immediately before the incident and in the days leading up to it. This related back to the discussions from the earlier quote exercise: in particular the degree to which driving is 'pot-chance' or whether there are steps we can take to reduce our likelihood of becoming involved in an incident.
On this exercise, delegates successfully identified many of the factors which caused the accident; both immediate and underpinning. The group then discussed what could have been done to prevent the accident, and they identified what could be done immediately beforehand such as not rushing, and leaving more space behind the car in front. We then asked the group what the company in the scenario could have done to prevent the accident. This was discussed by the facilitators with reference to Company A Plc's own policies.
One issue to come out of these discussions was the difficulty some delegates had in balancing work pressures with the goal of safe driving, regardless of the printed support given in the company's driver handbooks. A particular example discussed by delegates was XXXXXXXXXXXX.
2.5 Journey planning
After the break, delegates completed a journey planning exercise, referring to the RoSPA Safer Journey Planner (PDF 250kb). This is an activity which is rarely covered whilst learning to drive and is an aspect of driving which many employers highlighted as a concern in the initial Young Drivers at Work research.
The workshop went on to cover issues involved with driving different vehicles, and in-vehicle technology such as satellite navigation systems. Examples of the issues raised were XXXXXXXXXXXX.
2.6 Suggestions for an occupational road risk policy
In the earlier accident investigation task, we discussed the responsibilities of both employees and employers. In this next exercise we asked delegates, in their small groups, what they would include if they were in charge of designing their organisation's occupational road risk policy. The delegates' suggestions were:
- A minimum level of driving experience to be able to drive abroad for work purposes
- All drivers to take a post-test driving qualification
- When driving a different company or hire vehicle, time must be spent on familiarisation with the vehicle before commencing journeys
- Van drivers to take a van driving course
- Enforced maximum driving hours without a rest break
- New drivers not to drive unsupervised for an initial period
- Share driving with a colleague when driving long distances or for long periods
- Ban use of hands-free mobile phones when driving
[Include a comment if any policy item(s) is mentioned by every group]
[Include description of the employer's special option topic – cover what the presenters discussed and any special issues arising from the delegate feedback]
The next exercise was a 'scenarios' section where delegates were asked what they would do in three different situations. These situations were: alarm clock not going off and running late for work; having a lot of alcohol the night before needing to drive to a meeting; travelling in a car with a colleague who is exceeding the speed limit considerably.
2.7 What is a safe driver?
Finally, we repeated the group shout-out exercise what makes a safe driver. Delegates were asked, as they were at the start, how they would describe a safe driver.
The end-of-workshop responses were:
- Awareness
- Plans journeys in advance
- Knows the speed limits for different vehicles
- Considerate of other road users
- Takes account of adverse weather conditions
- Pre-journey vehicle maintenance checks
- Does not drive tired
This list is different to the beginning of the workshop, and many of the responses identify more positive characteristics.
2.8 General facilitator comments
The group was already knowledgeable about safe driving methods. Most delegates seemed generally aware of what they should do, so the workshop highlighted the need to identify the barriers preventing us from turning intended behaviours into actual behaviours. For instance, what internally drives us to break speed limits?
The purpose of the workshop was to try and explore and reflect on what motivates us as drivers, what beliefs we hold about driving, and what causes us to drive in ways that we know we should not. It was hoped that by identifying the difference between what they know and what they do, delegates can begin to be more self-aware and reflective about their own driving practices.
From the issues raised during the session, we recommend Company A Plc pay particular attention to the following:
- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
4. Acknowledgements
We would like to thank all of the Company A Plc delegates for their participation and active and honest involvement in the workshops. Also we must especially thank [name of company contact] for their help in organising the workshops.
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