Start them young

YOUNG driver safety is a topic rarely out of the headlines, with tragic collisions still too common an occurrence.

Various solutions have been discussed and while graduated driving licences have been seriously considered, the government has confirmed they won’t be implementing them.

One driver training scheme is proposing a new idea which it believes could have a significant impact on young driver safety — getting driving on the school curriculum. It’s an idea backed by others, including MPs, Headteachers, The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAMRoadsmart) and Suzuki GB.

Young Driver, the UK’s largest pre-17 driver training scheme, asked 2,700 parents and grandparents if they felt driving should be on the school curriculum — and two-thirds (65 per cent) felt it should. We also asked if parents supported the idea of a graduated licence,” said Adrian Harding, who now works for Young Driver but was previously a senior teacher. “While the majority (67 per cent) did agree with it in some form, one in four (23 per cent) said they thought with proper education, it wouldn’t be so necessary.

“Having delivered more than 1.5 million pre-17 driving lessons in the UK, we have seen first-hand the difference they can make to young driver safety. We take driving lessons into schools through our foundation and the feedback is staggering.”

In the UK, one in five newly qualified drivers has a crash within the first six months of passing their test. However, research with 450 of Young Driver’s past pupils showed them to be 84 per cent less likely to have an accident in that critical first six months than the national average, at only 3.4 per cent.

Caroline Nokes, MP for Romsey and Southampton North, said: “Having seen Young Driver in action at their Barton Stacey site, I was incredibly impressed by the way it equips young people with vital driving skills and road safety awareness well before they reach 17.”