Young Drivers’ Commission to give young people a leading voice in the future of learning to drive
Young people will take the lead in a major new Trust-funded project exploring how driver training, testing and licensing can make driving safer and fairer for them, before presenting their recommendations to local and national decision-makers.
Decisions about learning to drive affect young people directly, yet they are rarely given a sustained role in discussions about how the process could improve. The Young Drivers’ Commission, funded by The Road Safety Trust, aims to change that through a programme that will support young people to examine evidence, hear from their peers and develop their own recommendations.
The Commission brings together 30 young people aged 17 to 24, with 10 from each participating region: Greater Manchester, Devon and Cornwall, and West Mercia. They include qualified drivers and motorcyclists, learner drivers and non-drivers who want to make a difference to road safety.
Commissioners come from urban, small-town and rural communities and bring a diverse mix of genders, socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds, disabilities and additional needs. Half are male. They include college and university students, as well as young people who are employed, unemployed or self-employed.
The first of four online workshops will take place on 20 October 2026, with the programme continuing into spring 2027.
The workshops are being developed by Leaders Unlocked, a youth empowerment social enterprise, with support from psychologists Dr Neale Kinnear and Dr Simon Christmas, who bring extensive experience in road safety and driver behaviour.
Over the course of the programme, Commissioners will explore what works well, where young people face difficulties and what could be done differently. They will consider research, carry out peer research and have opportunities to hear from professionals working in transport, policing, education and government before developing practical recommendations for their local areas and for national decision-makers.
This is more than a request for young people’s views. The Commission gives them the time, information and support to consider different perspectives, decide which issues matter most to them and work towards recommendations grounded in evidence and experience.
Amber Dunn, Project Manager at Leaders Unlocked, said: “As a young person myself, I know how much being able to travel independently can matter. Yet young people are rarely invited to spend real time exploring the decisions that shape the experience of learning to drive. The Young Drivers’ Commission is an exciting opportunity to do something more meaningful.
“We’re creating space for young people to ask questions, look at the evidence, speak to their peers and work with others to develop ideas they believe could make driving safer and fairer. I can’t wait to hear where those conversations lead.”
Leaders Unlocked is working with Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Vision Zero South West and West Mercia OPCC locally, and the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) nationally.
Jamie Hassall, Executive Director of PACTS, which leads Protect Young Drivers, said: “The Young Drivers’ Commission is a significant opportunity for the road safety community. It will bring fresh perspectives to long-standing questions about how we help young people learn to drive and stay safe, while recognising the independence that driving can bring.
“What matters now is that policymakers and practitioners engage with Commission’s work, listen carefully to the findings and are prepared to consider what they recommend - including ideas that may challenge our assumptions.”
The Commissioners are expected to present their findings to local and national decision-makers in summer 2027.
The Commission’s progress can be followed at https://leaders-unlocked.org/job-opportunity/young-drivers-commission/
16 October 2026