
Yoopies claims to have become the first UK childcare platform to offer a free...read more
A new online safe driver qualification designed specifically for childcarers has received backing from Morton Michel, the UK’s leading provider of childcare insurance in the shape of a discounted premium if you hold the qualification. Nanny Drive iQ is the world’s first programme developed to assess and quality approve the knowledge and driving skills of thousands of childcarers who take to the roads in charge of other people’s children each day.
The company behind the programme, leading online driver education specialist a2om, backed by the childcare-training College Norland, says distraction is one of the leading causes of accidents involving children. Recent Australian research* has shown that driving with children on-board is 12 times more distracting than using a mobile phone at the wheel. Equally concerning is a study* revealing that during a typical 16 minute car journey with children, drivers take their eyes off the road for a full three minutes.
The initial Nanny Drive iQ assessment and course tuition is all conducted using a sophisticated online e-learning platform initially developed to help screen some 8,500 drivers for the London Olympics and Paralympics and now used by corporate fleet operators around the world. A link-up with the Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy, the manufacturer’s own international driving school, means parents can also choose to give their nannies in-car driving assessments, family car familiarisation and driver development sessions.
Sarah Rowley, CEO of Nanny Drive iQ, says the course is aimed at bridging the gap between passing the driving test as a teenager and often, years later, needing to adapt to driving safely with young children. “Families quite rightly expect those looking after their children to have qualifications in areas such as child care and first aid, but one of their first tasks might the school run in the family vehicle, something they have never experienced before,” she explained. “Last year in the UK over 17,000 children under the age of 15 were involved in road accidents with over 2,300 killed or left with life-threatening or life-changing injuries. Contributory factors such as distraction, anxiety, mood, fatigue and lack of planning or concentration play a part in around 95% of all crashes.”
The new online course, which costs less than a tank of fuel, includes an e-book, a self-assessment tool and a series of interactive e-learning modules designed to address weaknesses and increase driver skill, attitude, knowledge and planning. It even includes a section on child car seats to address an issue raised by a Which? Report* that revealed many car seats are either wrong for the car, wrong for the child or simply wrongly fitted. For successful candidates, the e-learning course results in a final qualification which they can include on their CV for prospective employers.
Claire Burgess, Early Years Consultant at Norland, Britain’s most famous nanny training college established 121 years ago, commented: “We have helped shape Nanny Drive iQ to ensure it gives all childcarers across the UK the right skills and confidence to drive safely with children in the back. It is something we feel passionate about, and this assessment is now part of the College’s core training for all our students.”
Adrian Walsh, Director or RoadSafe, described Nanny Drive iQ as an excellent initiative adding: “When carrying children by car there is a lot of potential for distraction and there are often time pressures too. This programme will certainly help nannies to be able to cope with both, and become better drivers.” To find out more go to www.nannydriveiq.com
*Research sources:
Distraction & Eyes off the road - Australian Automobile Association 2013 Road accident statistics – Department of Transport Annual Report 2012 Child car seat survey – Which? 2013
November 2013
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