YOUNG DRIVER SCHEME LAUNCHEDAN innovative scheme that aims to get 250,000 under 16s a year behind the wheel of a car and cut deaths among novice drivers has been launched.
The Young Driver project, sponsored by SEAT and Admiral MultiCar insurance, hopes to have ten centres up and running around the country within a year where drivers will be able to get their first driving experience.
Catering for youngsters aged from 11 and subject to them being tall enough to see over the dashboard, the pupils will be taken through five stages, gradually building up their skills and confidence to have the basics of controlling a car safely, learning observation and judgement about other traffic and the correct speed for the car, being able to manoeuvre when parking, cornering, negotiating roundabouts and reacting correctly to road signs such as Give Way and Stop.
Operating driving during school holidays and weekends the first venue is a car park at the NEC and use of similar off-road sites are now being negotiated with one due to be announced in Manchester soon.
Prices cost £29 for a half-hour and an hour’s session at £55 and pupils can have as many sessions as they like.
The scheme is the brainchild of Professor Kevin Morley, a business expert with long experience in the motor industry, who said he was inspired to set up Young Driver when his own children began to learn.
He said: “The statistics of how much a danger inexperienced drivers are to others, and how much danger they are in, are really horrifying. One in five young drivers is involved in a crash within the first six months of passing their test. Road crashes are the single biggest cause of death in the under-25s and of the 42,000 a year KSI accidents (where there is a fatality or life-changing injury) 90 per cent of them involve someone who has passed their test within the last two years. This is frightening and I decided to do something about it.’’
Professor Morley said that a similar project in Sweden for 14 to 16 year olds had cut the accident rate by 40 per cent. He added: “If we could replicate that level of success it would mean 300 young lives would be saved each year.’’
Young males are particularly at risk. According to Admiral’s Justin Beddows, the average cost of a crash by a 17 year old youth is £11,713; for a similarly aged girl it is £3,600. By the time they are both 25 those figures drop to £2,500 and £1,100 respectively.
He said: “Young men drive faster and tend to have bigger crashes. We want to help prevent this and that is why we are backing this scheme. We will monitor the results and if the data shows an improvement we will consider reducing the premiums.’’
At the recent press launch the instructors said they were impressed by the approach of the pupils, saying they were easier to teach than the older teens they typically get. They said the pupils were more receptive to instructions and advice and generally faster learners.
One pupil, 13 year old Frank Carroll, had driven a car before but that was an automatic. The SEAT Ibiza was the first manual car he had driven and he said: “I really enjoyed this and learnt how to use the gears. I hope I can come back for more.’’
For more details of the scheme or to book a session, log on to www.youngdriver.eu
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