The DriveFit film and workshop, aimed at pre-driving-age young people, has won a Prince Michael International Road Safety Award.
DriveFit, designed by Dr Elizabeth Box, research director at the RAC Foundation, was developed and delivered as part of the Pre-driver Theatre and Workshop Education Research project.
It comprises a 40-minute film plus online workshop material aimed at engaging participants in identifying, understanding and ultimately tackling high-risk driving behaviours. It draws from a substantial body of research into effective ways of achieving behaviour change and supports young people to develop coping mechanisms and strategies for managing risk.
As part of the research project, DriveFit was trialled with a number of volunteer schools and colleges in Devon. The programme was subject to rigorous evaluation which revealed that it achieved longer-lasting effects on the attitudes of participants than traditional ‘shock’ theatre-based performances which focus on collision consequences.
DriveFit is available for practitioners to deliver and will be featured as a model of good practice in forthcoming national road safety education guidance.
The Prince Michael judges “were especially impressed by the depth of research and evaluation and the involvement of partners in the pre-Driver Theatre and Workshop Education Research project”.
Dr Elizabeth Box said: “We are honoured and delighted to receive this prestigious award for DriveFit. Not only does the award recognise the dedication and hard work of the team, and the invaluable contributions of our national-level partners who supported the research trials, it will help raise the profile of these research findings and the availability of DriveFit for others to use.
“Collectively we are committed to continuing our efforts to improve road safety for young drivers and to further developing DriveFit and other evidence-based interventions for this at-risk group.”
Dan Quin, the National Fire Chiefs Council’s Road Safety Lead, said: “We are thrilled to have played a pivotal role in supporting this crucial research, the findings from which are actively shaping our nationwide preventive efforts. The National Fire Chiefs Council and Fire and Rescue Services remains steadfast in its dedication to delivering forward-thinking educational initiatives that harness the latest theories and techniques.
“It fills us with great pride to see this collaborative research honoured with a prestigious Prince Michael International Road Safety Award, and we look forward to building on this excellent research within our service provisions.”
The Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards ceremony will take place at The Savoy on Tuesday 12 December 2023.
Footnote: DriveFit was funded by national level partners including the DfT, the Road Safety Trust, Road Safety GB, the National Fire Chiefs Council, the RAC Foundation, Kent Fire and Rescue Service. Surrey Fire and Rescue Service and Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service. All these organisations are committed to supporting the dissemination of DriveFit and the project’s associated research findings to inform the delivery of future road safety interventions for young soon-to-be-drivers.
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