Speed is one of road risks ‘fatal five’, yet in driver education speed ‘control’ is typically confined to vehicle control, knowledge and rule compliance. Education focused from the bottom-up and purely within Levels 1 and 2 of the Goals for Driver Education Matrix.

This session reframes “speed” through two critical lenses.Firstly, it looks at speed through the lens of competence development…stunted learning, restrictive environments, and limited reflection that, alone, can restrict long-term behavioural awareness. Secondly the lens of speed and post-test collisions. Where decisions are often driven by fast thinking and motives linked to Levels 4 and 3 of the GDE matrix, identity, emotions, social influences and more. A top-down system of control.

The presentation will highlight dual-process theory, and contrast fast (automatic) and slow (reflective) thinking. The reality is that current training models don't go far enough and tend to lean on an over-focus on fault-based competence development in isolation. With little to no focus on when and how things go right, when actions ARE safe…with the intention of raising awareness and self-awareness skills that give novice drivers the tools to choose how to get it right post-test. The presenters will introduce their practical intervention: the CREATE–E.R.M. (Emotional Regulation Model), designed to raise self-awareness, and give the tools for the driver to regulate their internal states, to support safe driving and safer decision-making.

Delegates will leave with a clearer understanding of how “speed” extends beyond the accelerator pedal, practical strategies to promote reflective processes into driver training and driver thinking.

The session ultimately argues that if we are to meaningfully reduce collisions, driver education must address not just how fast we drive…but how fast we think.

Lee Jowett and Mick Knowles, driving instructor trainers, Knowledgeablee Instructor Training

Lee Jowett is a recognised voice in the driver training industry, known for challenging traditional, competence-focused approaches to education. His work pushes beyond skill and centres on how motives, thinking and identity influence driving behaviour, integrating frameworks such as the Goals for Driver Education (GDE) Matrix with coaching, metacognition and emotional awareness.

Mick Knowles brings extensive frontline experience as an instructor and trainer, translating theory into practical application. His work focuses on helping instructors recognise and respond to the behavioural and emotional factors that underpin risk, enabling more effective interventions for both instructors and learners.

Together, they advocate for a shift from teaching people the skill of driving, to developing safer drivers through self-understanding.Their work aligns driver education with the realities of decision-making, risk and post-test driving, with a shared aim of improving road safety outcomes through more meaningful learning.