Emergency response driving education within UK ambulance services

This article focuses on the driver training and education that new recruits to the ambulance service receive in order to drive under emergency conditions. The specific driver training has evolved over the last three decades to a point where the candidates leave the programme prepared to immediately implement their newly acquired skills. The programme of driving is essentially divided into two parts known as Driver 1 and Driver 2. Driver 1 introduces the concepts of safe driving using principles and systems from the police driver training model. Driver 2 advances the skills of the candidate by introducing high speed driving techniques and skills.

Each ambulance trust across the country will have a pool of driving instructors, trained specifically to deliver driving programmes that range from basic driving assessments when new employees start in the service, to full high-speed emergency driving. The driving instructors will have undergone an intense driver instructor programme. The driving instructors are themselves assessed regularly under the new High Speed Driving Act 2009. These new national registers of emergency drivers, which are for all services that include high speed driving as one of their functions, is an attempt to standardise and add a further level of quality to the skill sets of those that drive in emergency situations. Instructors will be reassessed every 3 years and other staff every 5 years.