When your workforce relies on vehicles to travel between sites, ensuring they are safe and roadworthy is a non-negotiable part of health and safety. For National Grid, this challenge became an opportunity—to innovate, engage, and protect their field-based colleagues using cutting-edge virtual reality (VR).
In this article, we explore how VR car safety training helped National Grid transform a routine task into an immersive learning experience, why checking personal vehicles is a persistent risk, and how VR health and safety training is emerging as the most impactful solution in high-risk sectors.

Why Car Safety Is a Real Concern for Field Workers

Many organisations with a dispersed workforce rely on employees to drive between locations using either company or personal vehicles. But with increased autonomy comes increased risk—particularly if routine safety checks are missed or not performed correctly.

Common issues include:

  • Under-inflated tyres or worn treads
  • Non-functioning brake lights or indicators
  • Cracks in windscreens or defective wipers
  • Low fluid levels (oil, coolant, washer fluid)
  • Faulty brakes or suspension

These aren’t just mechanical failures; they’re legal liabilities and potential health and safety breaches. Employers have a duty of care under UK legislation to ensure that any vehicle used for work purposes—whether owned by the business or not—is fit for purpose.

However, despite policies and checklists, many employees either forget to perform checks or are unsure what to look for. Traditional methods like emails, posters, or paper guides simply don’t engage busy workers in a meaningful way.

How Organisations Traditionally Address Vehicle Safety

Historically, vehicle safety training has taken the form of:

  • One-off inductions or toolbox talks
  • Written policies and self-certification checklists
  • Reminder emails and printable posters
  • E-learning modules or YouTube-style videos

While these methods offer some value, they suffer from a lack of:

  • Interactivity
  • Real-world context
  • Retention of critical information

Put simply, these formats fail to embed the practical, tactile knowledge required to make someone competent and confident when checking a vehicle.

That’s where VR car safety training enters the picture.

Why National Grid Chose VR for Vehicle Safety Training

Recognising the limitations of traditional training and the potential risk to both people and operations, National Gridpartnered with us to create a bespoke VR health and safety training experience, designed specifically for colleagues who drive between sites.

The goal was to create a realistic, scenario-based training module that would:

  • Reinforce the importance of pre-drive safety checks
  • Demonstrate how to spot critical issues
  • Offer practice in a low-risk virtual environment
  • Increase engagement and knowledge retention

We deployed the training using Pico Neo 3 Pro headsets, enabling portable, standalone learning that could be rolled out across multiple sites with ease.

What the VR Training Covered

Working to National Grid’s specifications, we developed a lifelike virtual vehicle that users could explore in a 360° environment. Colleagues were tasked with performing a complete walkaround and under-the-bonnet inspection, just as they would in real life.

Key elements included:

  • Checking tyre pressures and spotting tyre wear
  • Verifying brake lights, indicators, and headlamps
  • Identifying fluid levels (oil, coolant, washer fluid)
  • Recognising windscreen damage or worn wipers
  • Ensuring visibility of vehicle registration and number plates

Colleagues interacted with these components, receiving real-time feedback and scoring. They could make mistakes and learn from them safely—without ever stepping outside.
The result? An intuitive, engaging, and repeatable training experience that helped raise standards, reduce risk, and encourage personal accountability.

Why VR Works for Car Safety and Health & Safety Training

Virtual Reality is rapidly becoming the go-to tool for H&S training in the utilities and energy sectors, particularly when it comes to:

• High-risk or hard-to-replicate scenarios
• Field-based or mobile workforces
• Retaining knowledge through active learning
• Reducing training time and cost

For car safety specifically, VR allows colleagues to practice physical inspection skills in a safe, controlled, and measurable environment. Unlike videos or paper checklists, VR actively builds muscle memory and real-world awareness.

It also ticks several organisational boxes:

• Demonstrable compliance with H&S regulations
• Scalable deployment across regions or departments
• Consistency of training delivery
• Valuable performance data and feedback

The Future of VR in Health and Safety Training

Vehicle safety is just one area where immersive training adds value. As the energy sector continues to innovate, we’re seeing increasing demand for VR modules covering everything from lone working and confined space entry to cyber security awareness and operational safety.

At Virtual Reality Experiences, we specialise in bespoke VR H&S training that’s grounded in real-world need, tailored to your workforce, and aligned with your compliance goals.

Could VR Help Your Organisation Improve Vehicle Safety?

If your colleagues rely on vehicles—whether company-owned or personal—you may be exposed to risks that traditional training fails to solve. VR offers a powerful, practical alternative that transforms mandatory safety checks into engaging, effective learning.

Whether you’re in energy, logistics, utilities, or manufacturing, our team can help you design and deploy VR training that drives results.