Evaluation report highlights potential of pre-driver education

A research project funded by The Road Safety Trust has been found to support scalable, curriculum-embedded delivery in schools and colleges according to a new RAC Foundation report.

DriveFit 2.0 is a redesigned pre-driver road safety education programme aimed at high school and further education-aged pupils, integrating film content with structured classroom activities.

The report, DriveFit 2.0: Trial evaluation, was authored by Dr Elizabeth Box, Research Director at the RAC Foundation and presents the findings from a quasi-experimental evaluation conducted in partnership with Surrey Fire and Rescue Service across four post-16 settings in Surrey. The study assessed the feasibility, acceptability, and short-term psychological impacts of a teacher-led model of pre-driver education, informed by behavioural science and designed for delivery within PSHE and enrichment provision.

Key findings

The evaluation found that DriveFit 2.0 is feasible to deliver as a teacher-led, curriculum-embedded programme and acceptable to students, with lessons rated as credible, useful, and moderately engaging. Emotional responses were neutral to moderate rather than fear-inducing, aligning with best practice in PSHE and behaviour change. The programme adopts a strengths-based approach, focusing on skills, judgement, and practical strategies rather than fear-based messaging.

It was found that there was:

• No significant short-term effect on attitudes, intentions, or self-efficacy related to mobile phone use, fatigue, or speeding once baseline levels and trends in the comparison group were taken into account.

• A small but statistically significant increase in perceived risk was observed among intervention students, suggesting a modest improvement in risk appraisal.

Conclusions

The findings indicate that DriveFit 2.0 can be delivered safely and acceptably at scale, with some modest but encouraging benefits, particularly for groups that are often harder to reach through education-based road safety programmes. At the same time, the evaluation does not yet determine which delivery model is most effective - pointing towards cautious, informed rollout alongside continued evaluation, rather than assuming that a single delivery approach will achieve the same impacts in all settings.

Overall, the study makes an important contribution to the evidence base for pre-driver road safety education, offering practical insights for practitioners, commissioners, and policymakers seeking to balance impact, feasibility, and scalability in real-world settings.

Steve Gooding, Director of the RAC Foundation said: “This evaluation shows why careful assessment matters in road safety education. Too often, education programmes are judged on good intentions or early trends rather than robust evidence.

“This study shows that DriveFit 2.0 is feasible and acceptable in real school and college settings, and that it can produce positive signals, particularly among groups that are typically less responsive to road safety education.

“Importantly, it reflects a broader reality in this field: progress in road safety education is typically built over time through careful learning about what works in practice. The message for policymakers from this study is that scale and impact must be considered together, and intervention decisions should be guided by evidence, not assumptions.”

Ruth Purdie OBE, Chief Executive of The Road Safety Trust, added: “I’m encouraged by the findings of the DriveFit 2.0 evaluation report which indicate that pre-driver education delivered within an educational setting is considered to be both feasible and acceptable.

“With an increased focus on new drivers within the Government’s National Road Safety Strategy, it’s important that we look at whether interventions such as DriveFit can have a positive impact on driver attitude and risk awareness among young people. I look forward to seeing where the project goes next.”

Further information about the study can be found on the dedicated project page.

28 January 2026