A Questionnaire for Organisations with Young Drivers

This questionnaire is designed to establish the views of organisations about young and novice drivers who drive for work. It specifically looks at whether the current driving test prepares young drivers for work, and whether employers would value an additional post-test qualification to help ensure that young drivers are well prepared to drive for work.  The questionnaire contains a section devoted exclusively to this area of concern.

Definitions: For this questionnaire Driving for Work, means journeys which are taken for the purposes of work - such as deliveries, attending meetings or visiting other sites - but does not include commutes from home to the usual location of work. Young Drivers are defined as drivers aged 17-24

The questionnaire is made of 5 short sections and will take around 10 minutes to complete. Your answers are confidential and will not be linked with you or your company. The information will help us find effective ways of preventing accidents and injuries to young drivers. Thank you for your time

Section One - Your Organisation

Q1.1	Please indicate the type of organisation you own or work for?
	Private Sector Company
	Public Sector Organisation
	Voluntary or Charitable Organisation
	Club or Sports Group
	Other

Q1.2	What is the main purpose of your business? (briefly describe)

Q1.3	Approximately how many employees are there in your organisation?
	1 - 49
	50 - 249
	250 +

Q1.4	Approximately how many employees drive for work in your organisation?
	1 - 24
	25 - 49
	50 - 99
	100 - 249
	250 +
	Don't Know

Q1.5	Approximately how many employees under the age of 25 drive for work in your organisation?
	1 - 24
	25 - 49
	50 - 99
	100 - 249
	250 +
	Don't Know

Q1.6	What type of jobs involving driving do your younger drivers undertake? (please tick all applicable)
	Sales visits to customers
	Deliveries to customers
	Service visits to customers
	Carrying passengers
	Other

	Please use the box below to specify the other jobs your young drivers use the road for

Q1.7	Do you have a minimum age limit for your employees who drive for work?
	Yes
	No
	Don't Know

	If yes, what is it?

Q1.8	If you have answered yes to 1.7, why do you set this limit (please tick all applicable)
	To meet our duty of care under Health and Safety Law
	Insurance cover is not available for drivers below that age
	Insurance premiums are too high for drivers below this age
	I do not feel that people under this age have adequate experience to drive for work
	Young drivers under this age do not have the experience to undertake roles that require them to drive for work
	I am concerned that drivers under this age may be at greater risk of road accidents
	Drivers below this age have not had time to get the right driving licence category
	Don't Know
	Other reasons

	Please use the box below to specify other reasons why  you set an age limit

Q1.9	Briefly, what current driving for work policies or procedures do you have in place to ensure that all drivers are suitably skilled to drive for work? (e.g. licence checks, points limit, certain amount of experience, driver training scheme)

Q1.10	Do you have any other specific policies for young drivers within your organisation?
	Yes
	No
	Don't Know

	If yes, please describe them

Section 2 - Learner Driver Training and Testing

This section seeks your views on learner driver training and the driving test, and how it prepares young drivers for work-related driving

Q2.1	How adequately do you feel the current driving test prepares young drivers for driving for work?
	Completely adequately
	Quite adequately
	Not very adequately
	Not at all adequately
	Don't know

Q2.2	Please explain why you feel the test that does or doesn't adequately prepare young drivers for driving for work

Q2.3	Do your employees drive in any situations at work which is may not be covered in the driving test? (e.g. during night time, carrying passengers of the same age)
	Yes
	No
	Not Sure

	If you have answered yes, then please describe the situations

Q2.4	Should the driving test prepare new drivers for driving at work?
	Yes
	No
	Not sure

Section 3 - Driving for Work Qualification

The Government is considering establishing a nationally recognised vocational assessment or qualification in Driving for Work. This would be based on the requirements of employers and show that an individual has reached a required standard.

Q3.1	How useful would you find a driving for work qualification?
	Very useful
	Quite useful
	Not very useful
	Not at all useful
	Don't know

Q3.2	Why would you find it useful? (please tick all applicable)
	To help identify safer candidates during recruitment
	To reduce accidents
	To help fulfil Health and Safety obligations
	To demonstrate your commitment to safety to the community
	To demonstrate your commitment to safety to your insurance company
	To reduce fuel costs
	Other reasons
	Don't know

	Please can you explain the other reasons why you might find a Driving for Work qualification useful?

Q3.3	What would you like a qualification to include? (please tick all applicable)
	Motorway driving
	Better hazard perception skills
	Driving in difficult weather conditions
	Driving at night
	Developing driver attitudes to safe driving
	Seperate modules for different vehicle types (e.g. taxis, vans)
	Delivery driving
	Journey planning
	Navigating
	Eco-driving
	Other
	Don't know

	Please can you list the other things you would like to see included in a Driving for Work qualification (list as may as you want)

Q3.4	Are there any non driving skills which all your at work drivers need that could be included in the driving for work qualification (e.g. manual handling, customer services) which would improve it's value to you?

Q3.5	What form would you like this qualification to take? (please tick all that are applicable)
	A one-off course during work time
	A one-off course outside of work time
	Regular training sessions in work time
	Regular training sessions outside of work time
	Structured vocational training to be completed during work time (eg, like an NVQ)
	Other
	Don't Know

	Please specify how you would like to see the qualification delivered

Q3.6	Why would this format suit you best?

Section 4 - Your Views on Younger Drivers

Think about the driving styles of both young and experienced drivers in your organisation. To what extent do you agree with the following statements?

Q4.1	Compared to more experienced drivers, younger drivers...
		Strongly disagree		Disagree		Neither Agree nor Disagree		Agree		Strongly Agree
	... are less at risk of being involved in a road accident when driving for work
	... make better assessments of road safety risks while driving for work
	... make better assessments of road safety risks while driving outside of work
	... take fewer risks because of their attitudes to safety
	... are more able to perform checks to ensure that a vehicle is roadworthy
	... are better at adjusting their driving in response to adverse weather conditions
	... are more capable of planning a safe route
	... are more aware of the dangers of fatigue
	... are more capable of driving different classes of vehicles (e.g. vans, 4x4s)
	... are safer when driving on the motorway
	... are safer when driving at night
	... drive in a more fuel efficient manner
	... are more likely to self review their driving to recognise deficiencies
	... have more desire to improve their driving skills

Section 5 - The Potential for Post Test Training

Q5.1	To what extent do you agree with the statement "Education and training schemes in the work place are a good way of engaging young employees"
	Strongly Agree
	Agree
	Neither Agree nor Disagree
	Disagree
	Strongly Disagree
	Don't Know

Q5.2	To what extent do you agree with the statement "Younger employees believe that safety messages from their employers are credible"
	Strongly Agree
	Agree
	Neither Agree nor Disagree
	Disagree
	Strongly Disagree
	Don't Know

Q5.3	What would encourage you/your organisation to provide additional training or education for younger drivers? (please tick all that are applicable)
	Ability to insure young drivers at work
	Reduced insurance premiums
	Evidence of a positive cost benefit
	Grants available to pay for part of the training
	Free training
	Free educational materials and resources
	Accredited training scheme
	Other incentives
	Don't Know

	Please specify what else would encourage your organisation to provide additional training or education

Q5.4	What educational or training resources would you find useful to help you manage the risks to younger drivers? (please tick all that are applicable)
	Driving for Work workshops
	Advice leaflets
	Good practice guidelines
	Training for driver assessors
	Training courses specifically aimed at younger drivers
	Education resources aimed at younger drivers
	Training or education packs for employers to use to train younger drivers
	Information about advanced training for drivers
	An approved training syllabus and work book
	Driver education workshops
	Other resources
	Don't know

	Please specify what educational or training resources may help you

Q5.5	Are you aware of the Pass Plus training course?
	Yes
	No

Q5.6	If you answered yes to Q5.5, have you ever given preference to a candidate for a driving job, who has taken the Pass Plus course?
	Yes
	No

Q5.7	If you have any further comments or thoughts regarding Young Drivers at Work which is not covered in the questionnaire then please let us know in the box below?

SECTION 6 - Your Details

In the next stage of the project we will be conducting some half hour interviews with employers to explore some of the issues in more depth. If you would like to take part in an interview then please contact Duncan Vernon at dvernon@rospa.com, or fill out the contact details below.

Q6.1	Name

Q6.2	Contact Number

Q6.3	E-mail

Thank you for completing the Questionnaire