Staffordshire instructors Tony Grocott and Tom Grocock are both taking part in the scheme.

Driving instructors team up with parents to help young drivers

A group of Staffordshire Approved Driving Instructors (ADIs) are in top gear to help parents help county's young drivers.

Staffordshire County Council's Young Driving Coaching Programme, designed to get parents, driving instructors and the learner drivers working together is now ready to receive its first recruits.

Already more than 70 ADIs have signed up to the scheme providing them with a number of resources which will ensure parents, instructors and the learner driver are all speaking the same language, particularly when the learner is being taken out for driving practice with their parents or whoever else is supervising their driving beyond that given by their Instructor..

More ADIs are being encouraged to join this exciting programme. There are no financial costs involved and as well as being promoted to potential drivers, instructors will be able to work much closer with parents, advising them of what aspects of driving are ready for practice and the appropriate approach to take.

The Young Driver Coaching Programme has already achieved national interest in its potential to tackle the perennial problem of young drivers and their disproportionate representation for the number of road casualties.

It achieved an IHT Award earlier this year but more recently, following a joint bid by Staffordshire County Council and Keele University, was awarded research funding for £20,000 from the Royal Society for the Protection of Accidents and British Nuclear Fuels Scholarship Grant. The money will be used to fund an external process evaluation of the Young Driver Coaching Programme resource pack.

Road Safety Champion Councillor Mike Maryon said: "Young drivers are a real problem on the roads. They only represent 10% of the population, yet 40% of those killed or seriously injured are aged 17 - 24 years. The Road Safety Unit is making great strides to cut these tragedies and hopes that by teaming up instructors and parents with the learner driver, they will be well equipped to keep themselves safe when they achieve their full licence."

Page Last Modified: 03/09/2009 10:33:19

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