Organisation
Road Safety GB
Amount awarded
£46,000
Completed
2025
Uploaded to Knowledge Centre
9 October 2025
The project expanded the reach of the RSGB Ageing Driver Training Course by delivering training to a further 300 Approved Driving Instructors (ADIs). This important previously evaluated training course is a specific recommendation of the Older Driver Task Force, which was set out in their report to Government “Supporting Safe Driving Into Old Age”.
The RSGB Ageing Driver Training Course provides ADIs with information and advice on how to support older drivers by expanding their understanding across a range of areas. The results of the evaluation demonstrated that the Ageing Driver Course had improved the participating ADIs’ awareness and understanding of the issues faced by an ageing driver. The results for the video blog which supported ADIs that had previously completed the training were similar with the evaluation finding an improved level of knowledge after they had viewed the blog. The ADIs’ felt the blog was a very useful reminder of their previous learning.
The evaluation recommended the following areas of development:
- The Ageing Driver Course, should be promoted to ADIs by Road Safety GB.
- The Video Blog is sent to all the ADIs 6 months after completing the ageing driver
course. - The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) should consider how it can
facilitate driving instructors to support older drivers. - Further research is conducted to identify whether there is a need for changes to
the training and assessments of ADIs to ensure they are being given sufficient
training on the needs of older drivers and older road users.
A key element of the project has also been to make the contact details of the trained ADIs available to local authority and national older driver scheme providers through the creation and implementation of a register of ADIs. The register provides contact details split by RSGB region. There are 12 existing well organised regions; providing the information in this way is familiar and useful to local authorities and other scheme providers.
ADIs have previously been slow to take up the offer of a paid for course. This resistance is because of a number of factors including the long-term business effect of Covid; the high demand on ADIs time; and the general cost of living crisis being experienced by some ADIs.
The Road Safety Trust funding has allowed ADIs to access the training free of charge, which has resulted in a full uptake of training places.
The project has been helped by the unique position held by RSGB, which has the ability to engage with local authority older driver scheme providers and other stakeholders through RSGB communication channels.
Click the link below to read the full report:
https://www.roadsafetytrust.org.uk/small-grants-awarded/road-safety-gb