Cornish initiative tackles young driver perils

Most 17 year olds have the desire to drive and each year thousands of teenagers pass their driving test - many at the first time of asking.

But very few realise how vulnerable they are - and how many of them and their passengers will be injured, or worse still killed. Being able to drive gains them instant independence but the experience necessary to help keep them safe on the roads takes years to acquire.

"Drivers in the 17-21 age group represent under 10 per cent of licence holders and have lower than average mileage, yet they are involved in around 20 per cent of all road traffic collisions involving injury," said Carol Wright, road safety project co-ordinator.

"Research indicates that one in five drivers have a collision in the first year after passing the driving test. Reducing the number of casualties involving drivers by just one per cent would make a tremendous saving on the economy of the country."

To combat this problem, the Cornwall County Council Road Safety Unit offers its Young Driver Education Programme.

The day-long programme is designed to appeal to the next generation of drivers and comprises a series of activity based workshops using a mixture of video, worksheets, problem solving exercises, role play, practical demonstrations and discussions, and focuses on knowledge, attitudes and risk perception. Students in the 16-17 age bracket are given the opportunity to attend and participate in topics such as buying a second hand car, drink, drugs and driving, hazard perception, road collisions and driving skills. The Road Safety Unit, police officers, approved driving instructors and a theatre company all contribute to the workshops.

In the ‘buying a second hand car’ workshop students are given a specific amount of money to buy a car of their choice and run it for one year. This enables them to discover that car ownership is a complex and expensive business that requires careful thought and planning.

The programme is currently touring sixth form schools in Cornwall and has raised considerable media interest including GMTV, Carlton TV, Radio Cornwall and the Western Morning News.

Further information about this article can be obtained from Beverly Skilton, bskilton@cornwall.gov.uk