‘Nudge unit’ to present at YDF 2017

Delegates at the 2017 Young Driver Focus conference will hear how behavioural insights can be used to improve road safety.

The presentation will be delivered by James Watson from the Behavioural Insights Team, the world’s first government institution dedicated to the application of behavioural sciences.

Young Driver Focus will once again be held at the Royal Automobile Club in Pall Mall, London on 26 April 2017. The 2017 event is being jointly organised by Road Safety GB, FirstCar and the RAC Foundation and sponsored by the young driver insurer, ingenie.

The Behavioural Insights Team, commonly known as the ‘Nudge Unit’, began life inside government in 2010. The team aims to use insights from the growing body of academic research in the fields of behavioural economics and psychology to encourage, enable and support people to make better decisions.

James Watson joined the team in August 2015 and has worked on a variety of projects in schools and colleges. This included a set of interventions aimed at improving numeracy and literacy levels among further education college students.

More recently, his work has focused on tackling crime through behaviour change, including multiple trials in partnership with a large police force and an initiative to protect banking customers against fraud. Prior to this he worked at the University of Bristol testing parent engagement interventions designed in collaboration with Harvard University.

Now in its fourth year, Young Driver Focus (YDF) examines current and future thinking with regard to the challenge of reducing crashes and casualties caused by the high-risk young drivers. It is intended to benefit both private and public sector road safety professionals.

While all the ‘early bird’ places have been snapped up, the fee for those from the public sector and third sectors and academia is just £125 and for other attendees £175 (both plus VAT).

Young Driver Focus 2016 sold out well in advance and with a limit of 200 places the 2017 event is once again expected to be fully subscribed.

Click here for full delegate pricing or to register to attend, or for more information contact Sally Bartrum by email or on 01379 650112.