RoSPA Young Drivers at Work Report

Chapter 9
Implications for
Competency Framework
The Driving Standards Agency’s Competency Framework
sets out the skills required for a driver in a structure which
is designed to be delivered in the driving test. To be
considered competent, a driver should have acquired the
skills set out in all sections of the framework.
The overall structure of the Competency Framework is
shown below. There are 5 ‘roles’ which are designed to
group the competencies that a driver must have into
reasonably coherent categories. However, it is important
to remember that these ‘roles’ are not discrete and the
achievement of full competence depends not only on
understanding the individual elements of each role but
also being able to relate the content of one to another in
an active way. This is particularly important in relation to
Role 5 which is about reviewing and adjusting behaviour
over time. If a driver is to demonstrate competence in this
Role it would automatically imply active reviewing of, for
example, their understanding of the Highway Code or their
ability to manage incidents effectively.
These roles are further broken down into individual
competence elements and performance criteria, which
provide observable evidence as to whether a driver has
that competence.
R1
Prepare car/light van and its occupants for the journey
U1.1 Prepare occupants of car/light van for journey
U1.2 Make sure car/light van is roadworthy
U1.3 Plan journey
R2 Guide and Control the car/light van
U2.1 Start/stop and leave car/light van safely
and appropriately
U2.2 Drive the car
R3 Use the road in accordance with the Highway Code
U3.1 Negotiate road correctly
U3.2 Complies with signals, signage, road markings
and traffic calming measures
R4 Drive safely and efficiently in the traffic system
U4.1 Interact appropriately with other road users
U4.2 Minimise risk when driving
U4.3 Manage incidents effectively
R5 Review and adjust driving behaviour over lifetime
U5.1 Keep up to date with changes
U5.2 Learn from experience
One of the objectives of this research was to ascertain
what employers need to be incorporated into a post-test
vocational qualification. One way of doing this was to map
respondents’ specific concerns about the learning to drive
training and testing process, onto the DSA Competency
Framework. As respondents were not shown the
Competency Framework when responding, and were not
prompted in their response, there are some general
comments about the driving test which could not be
categorised or mapped onto the framework.
This was intended to help identify:
●
●
Elements of the Competency Framework where young
drivers do not demonstrate sufficient competence
Competencies related to driving in a work environment
that employers feel are beyond the scope/range of the
existing learning to drive process
9.1 Elements of the Competency
Framework where young drivers do not
demonstrate sufficient competence
Questionnaire responses showing a lack of competence in
the skills, knowledge or attitude that related to any of the
elements of the framework were identified. These were
then mapped onto the Competency Framework as shown
in Tables R1 to R5 below. For example, in the Table R1 below,
ten employers made statements indicating that their
young drivers did not have the skills to ‘make sure they are
physically and mentally fit to drive’. This then suggests that
this element of the Competency Framework is not being
taught in a way that adequately prepares young drivers to
be competent in that element when they drive for work.
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