Enhanced Pass Plus scheme introduced in North Yorkshire

10.49 | 11 March 2010 | | 18 comments

North Yorkshire County Council has joined forces with the 95 Alive York & North Yorkshire Road Safety Partnership to deliver an Enhanced Pass Plus scheme for newly qualified drivers. 

The North Yorkshire scheme differs from Pass Plus by insisting that pupils attend a discussion group to discover why newly qualified drivers crash and examine their attitudes to risk taking and driving.

Approved driving instructors (ADIs) who register onto the scheme also have to go through a special training procedure where they look at the causes of crashes involving newly qualified drivers.

Pupils taking part in Enhanced Pass Plus will receive a 50% contribution towards six training hours.

Cllr John Fort, executive member for road safety, said: ”The whole point of this scheme is to take a step forward, to give new drivers a more realistic idea of the threats and responsibilities of driving on our roads. To make putting safety first as automatic as putting on a seat belt and looking in the mirrors.”

David Clark, who will be training the ADIs, added: ”As teenagers we all felt we were invincible and sadly sometimes it takes something to happen close to home to make us realise just how dangerous driving can be. I feel that this scheme addresses a need that has until now been missing.”
 
For further information contact Janet Gleeson on 01609 798304.

 

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    We have been offering a subsidised pass plus scheme in Staffordshire since 2002. We added the workshop to the scheme in 2005 and it became Pass Plus Extra. The full evaluation which is currently being produced has shown some extremely promising results. The document should be available by the end of the year.


    Kevin Wilcox, Staffordshire Road Safety
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    Great idea and every area should sign up for this. Excellent if all ADI’s have to go through some training for it as it also keeps them up to date with issue’s around safer driving. Road safety must come first and for young driver’s who have passed the driving test, the pass plus I believe should be compulsory in order to achieve better drivers on our roads and hopefully safer ones.


    Caroline. Roberts – Cowny, North Wales
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    It’s great to get so much feedback and discussion. It may be helpful if we elaborate slightly on the Pass Plus Enhanced programme that we have just launched in North Yorkshire. It is very similar to the scheme run in Kirklees and probably to the Cumbria one as well. It seeks to fill the gap between increased knowledge and skills obtained on
    Pass Plus and the introduction of attitudinal elements to start young drivers thinking about the potential consequences of their driving behaviours, relative risk assessment and so on. We will be evaluating the effectiveness of the scheme and are working closely with the DSA to do this. With the current training programmes and tests for new drivers under review, this is an opportune time to assess this type of enhancement and additional coaching style training and see how it works both for new drivers and for the ADIs who are delivering it for us. The business model has to be right as well as the course content,method and style of delivery. The outcomes of our evaluation will also go to DfT who are aware of what we are doing. If other authorities have data and evaluation on similar schemes, it would be helpful for us and for the DSA if they would please share it. The TimeBank would be the obvious place to do so but I would be happy to receive/discuss anything on these lines as well.


    Honor Byford, North Yorkshire County Council
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    Its good to see this type of scheme being rolled out elswehere. We have been running a very similar scheme in Cumbria for the past few years and it has proven sucessful.

    The big draw for young drivers is the financial discount that having completed Pass Plus provides with (some) insurance companies.

    We have found Pass Plus + (our scheme name) to be sucessful due to targetted campaigns in colleges, 6th forms and apprentice workplaces, however our biggest allies will always be the ADI’s who promote the scheme with their pupils.


    Steven Thompson, RSO Cumbria.
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    Excellent idea but will only work if made compulsory, as most councils will not fund it especially in my area, as the Greater London Authority has stopped funding Pass-Plus and even with funding pupils were reluctant to take it up.


    billy2 London
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    Great idea North Yorkshire Council.Instructor training can only add to the credibility of the P P scheme.
    I was involved with Pass Plus Cymru,until recently. Trying to organise a date for 2 or 3 candidates can be a nightmare. Most prefer 1to1,which won’t be cost effective


    u2drive (Phil) Hereford
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    Excellent should help to standardise how we implement pass +, Make it compulsary and support the 11 to 16 year old, driving experience schemes.


    Graham ADI LDC Bristol
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    Why is it still “only” 6 hours?


    Drivesmith.co.uk
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    Fantastic idea – will it have long term funding, given all the cuts on council spending will it keep going???


    Naomi, Leeds
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    I think this is the way forward, I hope it is rolled out across the uk


    Peter Clayton ADI Tamworth
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    Yes, an excellent move forward, but to echo Brian from Yeovil, it will still be a small minority to take it – unless it becomes mandatory. It should be the third part of the learner qualification process. If it is so effective and important, why do we leave it to choice? Why do we allow (the majority of) new drivers to go out into the big wide world, out of their local area – without this training? Some new drivers (and/or their passengers / other road users) will undoubtedly die because they were never taught how to deal with, say, motorways, and most worryingly, rural roads / at night. Not just the mechanics of the driving – but attitudes and understanding ( the discussions in the proposed Pass Plus will undoubtedly bring results ). Because of the voluntary nature of Pass Plus – is it not possible that we are currently ‘preaching to the converted’ Pass Plus pupils, I suspect, are already better (attitude / skills ) than the average and their instructor has pushed the benefits, too.


    keith Northumberland
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    After doing an enchanced pass plus course myself in Kirklees, this is something I’ve been trying to get our local council to do for some time now, through our local mp Yvette Cooper, but to no avail. The project has been accepted by several councils all over the country for the last three years at least and has proven to be a success, probably in some ways because of the financial incentive.
    Let’s hope that the Wakefield Council now see the advantage of Enhanced Pass Plus Courses and do what their neighbouring councils are doing and be even more proactive in road safety!


    David Erwin, Pontefract Driving Instructors Association
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    great idea, is it planned for other areas?


    Ideal driver and rider training, Hull, East Yorkshire
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    A great idea. The key to take up is in the marketing. It would be interesting to find out from those drivers who sign up – the answer to the following question. What persuaded you to do so?


    Mark – Wiltshire.
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    As one of the instructors registered for this enhanced Pass Plus scheme I must say that it is an excellent project. The new drivers not only do the 6 hours,but also have a 2 hour discussion group. This covers things like “why are new drivers more likely to be involved in a crash” The discussion then goes into this in depth.The instruction on the road will tie in with the discussion group.It only costs £87 for you to do this as the balance is paid to instructors by the council. I believe it is a step forward in road safety as anybody taking part will without doubt be a safer driver.


    James Prescott ” Elite Driving School” Northallerton North Yorkshire
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    good luck unless the goverment force them to do the course only a small number will do it. question to the dsa how many people passed thier test last year, and how many did pass plus


    bryan yeovil
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    I welcome this and wish my council (Essex ) would adopt it. I lead a campain to get Braintree council to pay towards the PP scheme but to no avail. A good thing.


    Chris Barnett Braintree Essex
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    Fantastic idea, let’s hope it takes off nationally


    Tracy Farrell Adi Bolton, Lancashire
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