Would Driver CPC Training Help the White Van Man?

Not too long ago, we published a blog post referencing research done by an insurance company that declared middle-aged women driving minivans to be the safest drivers on the road. Now we have the results of additional research, conducted by a prominent UK law firm, letting us know who the worst drivers are: boy racers and the white van man. Would Driver CPC training help either of them?

The Mirror reports that the study in question was conducted via a survey among 1,000 British drivers. Survey respondents were asked a series of questions, including who they felt were most likely to cause serious accidents. The results did not come back favourably for the two previously mentioned sets of drivers. According to the survey:

• 48% of the respondents said young males known as ‘boy racers’ are the worst drivers on the road
• 45% of respondents cited van drivers, also known as ‘white van men’ as being the worst.

Even more interesting is the fact that white van men were cited as the worst in the north-east of England, with some 58% of the respondents not very fond of them. Responses in the south-east were just the opposite. Only 38% said that white van drivers are worse than boy racers.

We have to wonder out loud what it is about the north-east that would produce such a stark difference. Perhaps white van drivers operating there need more Driver CPC training than their south-east counterparts. Perhaps a specific CPC course could be designed based on the geographic location of said drivers.

The Point of Driver CPC Training

It should be obvious that the referenced survey is entirely non-scientific in nature. And, of course, our comments about driver CPC training for white van drivers are tongue-in-cheek. But let us talk about driver CPC training as a serious topic. Why is it required?

The driver CPC scheme was first developed by the EU more than a decade ago. The point of the scheme, in its earliest form, was to ensure professional drivers possessed uniform levels of proficiency and safety. As the original proposals were expanded, they went on to cover more licence categories and more professional drivers.

Driver CPC is a requirement in the UK now that we have adopted the EU standards. Every professional driver with a Category C or D licence must undergo the proper amount training to continue working. Drivers must submit to 35 hours of training at some point in the fifth year of their current qualification cards in order to renew those cards for another five years.

As for new drivers just obtaining licences, driver CPC training is automatically included in their initial training packages. They receive a CPC qualification card upon completion of training and successfully passing all of the required tests.

The HGV Training Centre offers Driver CPC training to both individual and company drivers. Contact us for more information if you need to renew your qualification card this year.

Sources:

Mirror – https://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/motoring/who-exactly-worst-drivers-britain-7198674