From Learner to Licensed: Parental Support for New Drivers

As a parent or guardian, your influence on your young person’s driving journey and beyond is more powerful than you might think. This free webinar explores how you can play a vital role in shaping safe driving habits and reducing risks for young drivers long after they pass their test.

You can now access the event recording and supporting slides below.

Speakers

Dr Elizabeth Box

Dr Elizabeth Box is a leading transport researcher with over 20 years of experience in the field. As Research Director at the RAC Foundation, she holds a doctorate in transport psychology and brings extensive expertise in designing, delivering, and evaluating evidence-based road safety interventions, particularly for young drivers. In this session, Dr Box will draw on cutting-edge research and international best practice to demonstrate how positive parental involvement can significantly improve young driver safety. She will share evidence-based strategies, offer practical examples, and guide participants towards the most effective ways to support new drivers.

Sharron Huddleston

In July 2017, Sharron’s youngest child, Caitlin, aged 18, was killed as a front-seat passenger in a young novice driver’s car. Since this tragedy, Sharron has campaigned in memory of her precious daughter for a safer driving licensing system for young drivers. (More commonly known as a Graduated Driving License). Sharron created and named ‘The Forget-me-not Families Uniting ‘ Campaigning group for bereaved parents and families to campaign together for a safer driving licensing system in memory of their children and family members who were tragically killed due to a young driver crash. With help from Brake, the Road Safety Charity, and the AA Charitable Trust, she worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the dangers posed to young novice drivers upon passing their driving test, especially on rural roads.

Sgt Owen Messenger

Sergeant Owen Messenger works for Devon and Cornwall Police Roads Policing Unit, with his job role specifically in Road Casualty Reduction. He joined D&C Police in 2003 and was promoted to Sergeant in 2008. Since then, he has worked in several roles, including response, custody and roads policing. He balances his passion for cars with his love for road safety. He works with George’s Media to try to explain the existing rules to new and young drivers in a way that they’ll understand, and that’s engaging, informative and entertaining.

Kate Monk

Kate Monk (36) from rural West Devon has been a driving instructor for a decade, working with learner drivers and their families. Mum of two children, she is passionate about improving road safety for newly qualified drivers and regularly works with new and experienced drivers post collision, helping to create small changes in their driving and behaviours to keep them safe and legal for the future. With a background in agriculture, she completely understands how important it is for our young people to be mobile, but is also very aware of the dangers and risks that new drivers face on the road. Kate has designed and built My Learner Driver to give parents and families the tools they need to create a safer family of drivers and help manage the risks faced by new drivers and their friends beyond the test.