Run in a COVID-Secure Environment
Free Driver’s Check
For anyone aged 65 or over
We are delighted to be able to offer free driver’s checks as part of a research programme sponsored by the Department for Transport.
Our team is offering you the chance to try out our simulator-based check-up to help you keep your freedom and mobility for longer.
If you are aged 65 plus, you can book an appointment below for one of the free 40-minute sessions, taking place at Castle Quay Shopping Centre, Banbury in October & November.
Each appointment, conducted by a qualified health professional, will provide you with an opportunity to consider your health, mobility and driving, making sure that you are best placed to enjoy your independence and maintain your safety in the years ahead.
This is not a test and won’t affect your driving licence or insurance. If you need a little extra help, our team will signpost you on to additional support that may assist.
Your questions answered:
In the section below we have provided answers to some of the questions that you might have about taking part in this research project and signing up for your free driver’s check.
What are the benefits if taking part?
If you choose to take part, you will receive a dedicated check with a trained clinician and using cutting edge simulator technology. Our staff will talk through any mobility difficulties you might be experiencing, concerns about your health and guide you to find relevant support (if necessary) after you have completed your check. There is no risk to your licence, only help and advice from our team and you will help us to design solutions that can keep people mobile into later life.
How long does a session last?
Each session will last approximately 40 minutes. We will use some of this time to discuss your normal driving habits and health, and up to half of the time will be spent in the simulator practicing a number of different driving scenarios.
How does the simulator work?
We are working with a company called XPI Simulators who are industry leaders in developing driving simulators for training. The simulator is like a cut down version of a car with a seat and
XPI Simulator Model
How do you book a session?
Booking is done using the form below. Select an appropriate date and time from the calendar, provide us with your contact details and preferred method of contact and we will send you a confirmation to let you know that your session has been booked.
What will happen when you arrive?
On arrival our team will be there to greet you. They will ask you some questions to make sure that you are comfortable to continue and take part in the study and they will ask you some questions about your driving, mobility needs and general health. You will then be given the opportunity to do a range of driving tasks in the simulator.
What about Coronavirus?
Naturally, we are taking the current situation with Coronavirus very seriously, and following all reasonable precautions to provide protection for you and our staff.
- In accordance with government guidelines on wearing masks in shops, we would ask you to please wear a face covering as well; unless you are exempt from the need to wear one.
- We will endeavour to maintain social distancing throughout, except where assistance is required in and around the simulator.
- The team will have face shields and gloves to limit their contact and exposure.
- Hand sanitiser will be provided and a strict regime of wiping down all surfaces with clinical grade wipes will be observed between all participants.
What if you don’t feel comfortable in the simulator?
Sometimes people do not find using the simulator comfortable experiencing something akin to travel sickness. If you start to feel uncomfortable at any point, please speak to one of the team immediately and they pause or end the driving task.
Are the team qualified?
Our team includes experienced researchers who work on major research programmes in the UK and abroad, and a fully qualified Occupational Therapist with over 20 years’ experience working with older people. They have been trained in the use of the simulator and are also DBS checked.
What information will we collect?
We will collect your name and contact details, which will use to contact you about your appointment. We will also ask you some questions about your driving, mobility needs and general health.
What will we do with your information?
We will contact you to confirm that you have an appointment booked, and to send a link to a follow-up survey to ask you how you found the experience and whether you have done anything differently since taking part.
Your personal data will only be stored on our system long enough for us to make contact with you for these purposes.
Any data relating to your health, driving or mobility needs will be anonymised, so there will be no way of anyone associating this back to you.
We will not pass on your details to any other agency unless a significant health concern arises for which we would need to advise your GP. We will, of course, discuss this with you.
What is the background to this project?
The research team wrote a paper for the Department for Transport in 2019 looking at ways to assist the older driving population to maintain their mobility into later life. This project takes forward one of the recommended solutions: a driving simulator check.
Research has demonstrated the viability of utilising relatively low cost, portable simulator rigs for testing physical conditioning and impairment, and the potential exists to extend this as a mechanism for screening. There is growing confidence that a viable screening assessment could be delivered using such a mechanism and to test this in a UK context. This study is design to understand how practicable it is to deliver a screening assessment in this way.
What is the aim of this study?
- To assess if the simulator tests provide a meaningful assessment of abilities which impact on drivers’ collision risk
- To assess if simulator tests are feasible to deliver
- To assess if the simulator tests are acceptable to older drivers, identifying the fears and barriers encountered by older drivers
- To assess if the simulator tests are more acceptable to clinicians than traditional assessment methods
What will happen when the study ends?
The study will result in a research report which will be submitted to the Department for Transport and other agencies working in transport, health and older people’s services. We trust that this will help to shape future provision to keep citizens independent and mobile into later life.
We will retain the anonymised data, in case there is a need to analyse further, however, all personal details will have been removed from our system.
If you would like to receive a digital copy of the research when it is concluded, we will provide you with an opportunity to sign up and receive a copy.
What will happen if I don’t want to carry on being part of the study?
Your participation in this study is voluntary and you are free to withdraw at any time, without giving any reason.
What if there is a problem or I wish to make a complaint?
If there is any problem on the day, please notify our staff immediately and they will take every step to try and ensure that it is rectified. If there is anything that cannot be dealt with on the day, please write to:
Simulator Research,
Road Safety Analysis,
27 Horse Fair,
Banbury,
OX16 0AE
or email
info@roadsafetyanalysis.org and it will be passed to our Head of Research for immediate review.
Who can I contact for more information?
For more information, please email info@roadsafetyanalysis.org or call 01295 731810 and we will arrange for someone to speak with you.
BOOKING ENQUIRY
Supported By:
Venue:
Unit 28C,
Castle Quay Shopping Centre,
Castle St,
Banbury,
OX16 5UH.
Any Queries:
Research Conducted by:
