DRIVING instructors have been called on to help reduce the number of young drivers killed and injured on Warwickshire’s roads.
Research shows a quarter of drivers under the age of 24 crash their car within the first two years of passing their test.
And in Warwickshire, four young people were killed, 66 seriously injured and more than 260 suffered minor injuries on the county’s roads in 2018.
Statistics suggest the majority of those killed and seriously injured, in cases involving new and young drivers, were not a result of poor driving but a lack of decision-making skills and understanding of the dangers faced when behind the wheel.
The findings have prompted a nationwide project known as ‘The Honest Truth’. It aims to boost the confidence of new drivers to make decisions, challenge dangerous behaviour by passengers and make other changes necessary to stay safe.
So far 65 instructors have been recruited by Warwickshire Police to join them as ‘Honest Truth’ driving instructors.
Although instructors are under pressure from learners to get them through their tests as quickly and cheaply as possible, the project hopes vital road safety education can be taught effectively in just a few minutes per lesson.
Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe said: “This scheme is really important as it means we can get good road safety messages to every single one of the pupils the instructors take on, which will equate to a considerable percentage of all new learner drivers in Warwickshire.
“In turn we hope that the increased awareness of road safety among new drivers will begin to make a noticeable difference, keeping our roads safer for everyone.”
There are still a few places left for instructors who would like to join the scheme.
In return, members receive one year’s membership subscription to the project including access to online training, and are added to a list of approved driving instructors on The Honest Truth website. Instructors can email [email protected] for more details and learners can visit thehonesttruth.co.uk to find instructors who are signed up.
