Highways Agency - Safe roads, Reliable journeys, Informed travellers

"Now That's What I Call Worst Hits"

Gaz, Shaz and Chaz are the stars of "Now That's What I Call Worst Hits" - a new DVD that aims to generate discussion about good and bad driving habits by setting out the 10 most common accident scenarios likely to involve young drivers - and their consequences.

The DVD features a cool, state of the art fusion of 2D and 3D graphics to present the most likely crash scenarios in a contemporary 'top 10' style.  It is narrated by the actor Tom Baker, who is best known to the target group as the 'voice' of Little Britain.

In each scenario, players have three possible actions, one of them safe, two of them risky.  They make their choice and then see the consequences of their actions.

Behind it is the serious message that 16 - 19 year olds are more likely to be killed or seriously injured on England's motorways and major A roads than any other age group.

"Now That's What I Call Worst Hits" will be made available to organisations who work with young people, including the fire service, police and local authorities. In being delivered by the experts, group discussion and participation can take place to engage with young and would-be drivers.

Please note: the interactive DVD has been developed for educational use only in an educational environment. It has not been designed for home use. Please contact your local fire service or Road Safety Officer to arrange a presentation/workshop.

Artwork

• Poster (936KB PDF)
• DVD Label (571KB PDF)
• DVD Cover (1.6MB PDF)
• T-Shirt (236KB PDF)

Questionnaires

These questionnaires have been validated for use with Worst Hits only and therefore should not be used to evaluate other Driver Information Programmes. It is not mandatory for these to be used but they are offered as a tool by which to evaluate Worst Hits should it be required. Any queries regarding their use should be made to louisa.cliffe@highways.gsi.gov.uk.

• User Guide for Worst Hits Questionnaires (47KB PDF)
• Pre-Dip Worst Hits Questionnaire (63KB PDF)
• Post-Dip Worst Hits Questionnaire (61KB PDF)

Key safety messages for Young Drivers

Police crash site investigators helped to identify the most common pitfalls for young drivers, including:

• overtaking on roundabouts
• not concentrating on the road ahead
• lane hopping
• driver and/or passengers not wearing seatbelts
• a right turn across traffic
• overtaking a vehicle that's waiting to turn right
• taking bends too fast
• collision at a junction

Young drivers may pride themselves on their fast reactions, but research shows they often fail to spot hazards and are more likely to take risks on the road.  Every death or injury affects not just those involved, but families and friends too, so everyone - young and old - has a vital role to play in reducing even further the number of accidents on our roads

Police accident database figures for 2008:

• 8% of all casualties on HA roads were aged 16-19
• 22 fatalities and  142 seriously injured on HA roads, aged 16-19
• There were around 4 casualties, aged 16-19, on our network every day
• 11% of casualties aged 16-19 were killed or seriously injured

For more information please contact our HAIL line (08457 50 40 30).