Follow Scottish Pass Plus example - LARSOA

LARSOA is calling on the Government to follow the Scottish example and help pay for newly qualified young drivers to take the Pass Plus course.

In Scotland the Government has announced plans to fund 90% of the cost of Pass Plus. Initially the scheme will be limited to a six-month pilot in Moray, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire - the areas with the highest fatal accident rates involving car drivers aged 17-25 years.

David Frost, LARSOA spokesman, says: "At the moment there is no minimum time that a learner needs to be on the roads before they can put in for their test. This means we have some very inexperienced drivers out there and mistakes behind the wheel can so easily be fatal.

"Pass Plus can give new drivers a chance to experience a range of different driving conditions under expert tuition. Drivers get the chance to face hazards and learn how to deal with them.

"RSOs spend a lot of time educating young people in schools and communities to change attitudes but that needs to be combined with experience on the roads."