Safex 2008 Driver Education World Conference London 16-18 May

The focus was on sharing ideas on training methods to reduce the numbers of road accident casualties globally. This article summarises some of the main speakers' presentations (following on from a similar summary in the July/August edition of Driving). Topics covered included evaluation of the Austrian driver education scheme, which has significantly reduced accidents involving young and inexperienced drivers; a description of a project in California, training teenage drivers on simulators; information about UK driver training and testing, including the need to overhaul the current testing and assessment procedures; a description of the large-scale driver education evaluation research going on in North America, highlighting the importance of good evaluation of research projects to identify the level of effectiveness of the various safety programmes in North America; a look at the need for positive behavioural change through driver education in order to increase road safety levels in Ireland; an overview of the attitude of young drivers to safe and responsible driving, looking at ways to encourage them to be more receptive to driver training and road safety teaching; a strategy for driving instructors to use sports coaching techniques which have been proved to help novice drivers particularly with hazard perception; and strategies for improving road safety in the middle east, leading on to global strategies.