The first two speakers have been confirmed for Young Driver Focus 2027, with presentations exploring post-collision care and collaborative campaigning to improve young driver safety.
The annual event, organised by FirstCar in association with Road Safety GB and the RAC Foundation, brings together more than 175 road safety professionals to focus exclusively on the challenges and opportunities surrounding young driver safety.
Now established as a key event in the road safety calendar, Young Driver Focus provides an opportunity for practitioners, researchers, policymakers and industry representatives to share the latest research, data and practical interventions aimed at improving safety for young and newly qualified drivers.
The 2027 edition, for which tickets are now available, takes place at the RAC Club, on London’s Pall Mall, on Wednesday 19 May.
Professor Tim Nutbeam, director of IMPACT (The Centre for Post-Collision Research, Innovation and Translation), and Rebecca Morris, engagement director and co-founder of Protect Young Drivers, are the first speakers announced.
Closing the care gap by enabling bystanders
Professor Nutbeam will explore the role young people can play in providing assistance following a road collision, drawing on research into injuries, early care and the gap between a collision occurring and professional help arriving.
Young drivers are more likely than other age groups to crash with a car full of friends, meaning that young people themselves may be among the first at the scene when a collision occurs.
Thanks to funding from The Road Safety Trust, Professor Nutbeam is currently carrying out a research project to examine what bystanders can do to help in the event of a collision. As well as this, his presentation will look at the barriers that may prevent bystanders from acting, and how young people can be equipped with the knowledge, confidence and support to assist those injured.
Professor Nutbeam will also consider whether enabling young people to help after a collision could encourage greater understanding of the consequences of driving.
He is an emergency and pre-hospital emergency medicine consultant working in Plymouth and with Devon Air Ambulance. His research focuses on improving care and outcomes following road collisions.
Campaigning together for safer young drivers
Rebecca Morris will share insights from the work of Protect Young Drivers, which has brought together organisations from across road safety, insurance and the emergency services behind a shared call for action.
Launched in Parliament in November 2025, the campaign aims to build a collective approach to improving young driver safety.
Her presentation will examine how the campaign has developed, the messages that have resonated with policymakers and the media, and how road safety teams can connect their own work to a wider national conversation.
Morris has 23 years’ experience in road safety communications, specialising in bringing organisations together around shared objectives and developing evidence-led campaigns to influence policy and public awareness.
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