Young driver training scheme to expand

AN EXCITING scheme has been launched in curricula across the country to give children education in and practical experience of safe driving.

A mixture of off-road hands-on young driver training mixes with theory work to give kids a head-start on road safety issues and take away some of the urge to rush to pass their tests when they reach 17.

After tracking the progress of students who took part in a pilot scheme, the operators of Young Driver at School discovered that the training course reduced the rate of accidents by half, when compared to the normal accident rate for 17-24 year-olds.

With backing from Seat, Admiral and Goodyear the scheme has begun to roll out across the UK, with 30 centres available for use. Lessons can also take place on empty school play areas if permitted, with dual-control cars designed to add a safety net and give a measure of reassurance to nervous youngsters.

The launch of Young Driver at School comes at a time when new research from Auto Trader shows that 77 per cent of UK drivers believe that driving lessons should form part of the school curriculum.

Kim Stanton, director of Young Driver, said: "There is widespread acceptance that the way we teach young people to drive in this country is inadequate, evidenced by the fact that one in five crash in their first six months on the road.

“Learning to drive is no different to learning a language or a musical instrument – you learn better at an earlier age. We have already delivered over 100,000 lessons to under 17s and our research shows that learning to drive at school age halves the likelihood of accidents and saves lives.”

Among the schools and academies that piloted the scheme was The Cheadle Academy in Staffordshire. Teacher Adrian Harding said: "One key life skill and source of independence is the ability to drive and we wanted students to view driving with respect and care, and not start driving at 17 with a misguided view about either the difficulty of it or the safety of it.

“We decided that it would be a good idea to expose students to driving as early as possible in the safe and positive environment of the school, using Young Driver's dual control cars and specially trained instructors."

By Press Association reporter