Final Focus Call
YDF'26 is the must attend conference when it comes to young driver training and safety
We’re now just two weeks away from Young Driver Focus 2026, taking place on Wednesday, 13 May at the Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall.
With the venue capped at 150 delegates and bookings closing fast, this is your last chance to join the UK’s leading gathering on young driver safety.
Ahead of the game
Organisers are promising a programme shaped not only by cutting-edge research but also by the real-world experiences of those working on the front line of driver training.
With young drivers remaining the most vulnerable single group, both behind the wheel and as passengers, finding solutions and the best way to help keep them safe on the roads has to be an essential for any driver trainer and road safety professional.
What’s on the programme
This year’s agenda brings together ministers, regulators, researchers and practitioners for a full day of evidence, debate and practical takeaways. Highlights include:
-
- A ministerial keynote from Lilian Greenwood MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Transport, setting out the government’s direction on young driver safety
- An industry update from Jacqui Griffiths at the DVSA, alongside a DfT THINK! update
- A workshop on young drivers and the Safe System from Agilysis
- Marketing agency Maze Media shares insight on what actually cuts through with Gen Z on social
- The latest findings from TRL’s Driver2020 study
- A young driver panel hosted by FirstCar TikTok star Keanan Lloyd-Adams, putting the spotlight back on the people we’re all trying to reac
- The latest findings from TRL’s Driver2020 study
- Rapid-fire sessions covering GoDrive, the Five in Five VR film, Drive Fit 2.0, and a fresh approach to learner driver skill-building
- Plus much, much more…
Find out more and book your ticket here.
The full agenda
08:30 – 09:30 Registration & exhibition
09:30 – 09:40 Welcome Gill Starkie, GEM Motoring Assist Steve Gooding, RAC Foundation
09:40 – 10:05 DVSA industry update: Jacqui Griffiths, DVSA
10:05 – 10:30 THINK! campaign update: Anna Hastie & Max Malagoni, DfT
10:30 – 10:40 Young driver road safety annual review: Ruby Martin, RAC Foundation
10:40 – 11:00 Keynote: Lilian Greenwood MP, DfT
11:00 – 11:30 Mid-morning refreshments
11:30 – 11:50 Screaming into the Gen Z void: Are you actually engaging young drivers with your social content? Sophie Tucker & Eve Miller, Maze Media
11:50 – 12:10 Vehicle maintenance for young drivers: Emma Burley, TyreSafe
12:10 – 12:30 How employers shape young drivers’ futures: Simon Turner, Driving for Better Business
12:30 – 12:50 Driver2020 update: Dr Shaun Helman & Dr Jill Weekly, TRL
12:50 – 13:50 Hot buffet lunch
13:50 – 14:40 Young drivers and the Safe System workshop: Dan Campsall & Dr Özgün Özkan, Agilysis
14:40 – 15:25 Rapid fire sessions
- GoDrive – Cheryl Evans, West Berkshire Council
- ‘5 in 5’ VR film – Kate Garrigan & Matt Hyland, Leicestershire Fire & Rescue / Bedfordshire Fire & Rescue Service
- Drive Fit 2.0 – Dr Elizabeth Box, RAC Foundation
- A new approach to building skills in learner drivers – Kate Monk & Neil Kinnear, My Learner Driver
15:25 – 15:55 Young driver panel discussion, road safety through the lens of a young driver: Keanan Lloyd-Adams, FirstCar
16:00 Conference closes
Find out more and book your ticket here.
Pre-event drinks reception
Included in your ticket price is an invitation to a pre-event reception the night before. It’s a great networking opportunity at Davy’s Wine Bar, Pall Mall (close to the RAC Clubhouse), with welcome drinks served from 18.00 – 21:00 and a light finger buffet from 19.00, with 75 guests expected.
