Transforming road instructor training through Attitude Change: long-term impact of a GDE-aligned Model for safe driving education

• Attitude-change model significantly improves teaching predisposition. • Positive training effects persist 48 months after initial intervention. • Enhances risk anticipation, ethical commitment, and safe driving habits. • Sustained impact aligns with higher levels of the GDE matrix. • Model proves effective for transforming road safety educator training. Despite growing awareness of the human and social costs of road traffic incidents, training programmes for driving instructors often remain limited to procedural content, lacking transformative impact on attitudes and values. This study evaluates the long-term effectiveness of an educational model centred on attitudinal change, developed by the ERES’v research group at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Grounded in the upper levels of the Goals for Driver Education (GDE) matrix, the model was implemented in the official training programme for driving instructors in Catalonia, Spain. A quasi-experimental longitudinal design was applied to an entire cohort (n = 48), with data collected at four time points: pre-test, post-test, and 6- and 48-month follow-ups. Two validated instruments (APRECONS and CPFV) measured predisposition to teach safe driving, beliefs about road risks, self-reported behaviours, and ethical commitments. Analyses included paired-samples t-tests, repeated measures ANOVA, Cochran’s Q, and McNemar’s test. Results showed statistically significant and durable improvements in seven out of nine attitudinal dimensions, with notable gains in risk anticipation, emotional engagement with road safety, and long-term professional commitment. Although certain indicators declined slightly at six months, most stabilised or improved by the 48-month mark—indicating sustained internalisation. These findings offer robust empirical support for integrating value-oriented, emotionally grounded educational models into instructor certification. The demonstrated impact over four years highlights the model’s potential to redefine the role of the driving instructor—not merely as a technical trainer, but as a socially engaged educator committed to the protection of life and promotion of ethical mobility.