Driving plays an important role in maintaining independence, confidence and connection with everyday life.
As we get older, our needs behind the wheel can change, while roads, vehicles and driving guidance continue to evolve.
That is why BLT Driver Training has launched the Mature Drivers Confidence Builder Course – a relaxed, reassuring and supportive one-to-one session for drivers aged 60 and over, designed to help them stay confident and safe on the road for longer.
Why mature driver safety is an important conversation
For many experienced drivers, decades may have passed since they last received any formal driving tuition. During that time, road layouts, technology, vehicles and guidance have changed.
Our own abilities can change too. Age alone does not determine whether somebody is a safe driver, and people age differently. However, eyesight, hearing, mobility, health, reaction times and confidence can all decline over time, which may affect how comfortable and capable someone feels behind the wheel.
The Department of Transport Road Safety Strategy 2026 has brought renewed attention to how drivers can be supported throughout their lives. The strategy sets a national target to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on Britain’s roads by 65% by 2035, and specifically identifies older-driver safety as an area for further action.
One of the proposals being considered is mandatory eyesight testing when driving licences are renewed from the age of 70, alongside work exploring how cognitive fitness to drive could be assessed in certain circumstances.
The principle behind these conversations is important: supporting safer driving does not have to mean taking away somebody’s independence.
Identifying changes early, refreshing skills and receiving professional advice can help drivers make informed decisions and remain confident behind the wheel for as long as it is safe for them to do so.
We check our cars – so why not check in on our driving?
We MOT our cars, arrange services, attend eye tests and take steps to look after our health.
Yet driving is one skill that many of us can go years – or even decades – without having professionally reviewed.
The Mature Drivers Confidence Builder Course provides an opportunity to do exactly that.
It is not about assuming somebody is unsafe because they have reached a certain age. It is about making a driving check-in feel as normal and proactive as the other things we do to keep ourselves and our vehicles safe.
Sometimes a driver may simply want reassurance that they are doing well. At other times, they may have become less confident driving at night, navigating unfamiliar roads, approaching busy junctions or adapting to changes in traffic.
A supportive session can help identify these concerns before confidence is lost completely.
Developed with insight from Rob Heard MBE
The Mature Drivers Confidence Builder has been developed with input from Rob Heard MBE, Chair and Founder of the Older Drivers Forum, whose work has focused for many years on helping mature motorists remain safe on the road for longer.
Rob established the Older Drivers Forum after his experience in roads policing highlighted the need for greater support, practical information and reassurance for older drivers and their families. In 2025, he received an MBE for services to road safety, particularly his work supporting older drivers.
The Mature Drivers Confidence Builder programme is based on research and successful pilots commissioned by Rob, with the aim of providing a consistent and supportive approach to mature-driver safety.
What is the Mature Drivers Confidence Builder Course?
The Mature Drivers Confidence Builder Course is a practical, one-to-one on-road session for full UK licence holders aged 60 and over.
It is designed for somebody who wants to:
- Review their current driving skills
- Rebuild or improve their confidence
- Increase their awareness of potential driving risks
- Receive practical, professional advice
- Identify areas where further training could be beneficial
- Gain reassurance for themselves and their family
Most importantly, this is not a test. There is no pass or fail.
The aim is to provide an honest, supportive review of someone’s current driving in a relaxed environment, helping them understand their strengths and any areas they may wish to work on.
Each session lasts approximately 60 minutes and is delivered one-to-one by a specially trained DVSA Approved Driving Instructor (ADI).
What happens during the session?
The assessor will contact the driver to arrange a convenient time and meeting location close to their home and discuss any particular concerns they would like to focus on.
At the start of the session, the assessor will:
- Complete a short questionnaire and vehicle safety checks
- Check your current valid driving licence
- Check that you pass an eyesight test at 20m
The on-road element then takes place in the driver’s own vehicle, helping the session feel familiar and relevant to their everyday driving.
During the drive, the assessor can review areas including observation, awareness, junctions, judgement of speed and distance and general decision-making, while providing practical guidance tailored to the individual.
Following the course, every driver receives a written Driving Risk Assessment Report by email, alongside access to an exclusive post-course training video to reinforce their learning.
The course costs £99 including VAT.
Worried about a parent or loved one’s driving?
Driving can be a sensitive subject for families because it is so closely linked to independence, routine and freedom. Raising concerns can feel difficult, especially if you are worried that the conversation may be taken as criticism or as a suggestion that someone should stop driving altogether. If you have noticed that a parent, grandparent, partner or other loved one seems less confident behind the wheel, it can be difficult to know how – or when – to raise it.
The conversation does not have to begin with:
“I don’t think you should be driving.”
Instead, it can begin with support:
“Would a little reassurance help?”
There may be a natural opportunity to start that conversation – perhaps following an eyesight test, a change in health, a near miss, increasing nervousness about certain journeys or simply a comment from your loved one that they no longer feel as comfortable driving as they once did.
The aim should not be to take away somebody’s keys. It should be to find out whether the right support could help them remain safer, more confident and independent for longer.
The Mature Drivers Confidence Builder provides families with a constructive next step. It allows the conversation to move away from personal judgement and towards supportive, professional advice.
If the candidate wishes, their written report can also be shared with a family member or carer.
Confidence for the road ahead
Whether someone wants to refresh their skills, rebuild their confidence following a change in circumstances or simply gain professional reassurance about their driving, the Mature Drivers Confidence Builder offers a positive and supportive place to start.
Relaxed. Reassuring. Supportive.
The course is currently available across a growing number of locations in England, subject to assessor availability.
Find out more and book your Mature Drivers Confidence Builder Course with BLT Driver Training today.
Proudly supported by 3SFire
In Hampshire, our Mature Drivers Confidence Builder is proudly supported by 3SFire, whose support helps us continue promoting safer driving and safer communities across the county.
