Driving instructors to steer teenagers to safety

A TRIO of female driving instructors have launched a scheme to help teach teenagers a lesson in road safety – sooner rather than later.
The scheme is aimed at 16 year olds and it is hoped that it will eventually be incorporated into the school curriculum.
The Accelerate driving school is based in Shawclough Road and its instructors plan to teach teenagers the basics of driving in an attempt to keep them safe on the roads.
The trial scheme will run from 10 August at the Soccer Village site in Wildhouse Lane, Milnrow, with instruction from Alison Marshall, Val Holden and Jean Devine.
While some secondary schools in Rochdale already offer a pre-drive lesson in connection with BSM, the Accelerate, ‘Let’s Drive’ course is intended to eventually work as part of the curriculum during the school term.
The site at Soccer Village will be converted into traffic junctions, with students being taught the basics of driving including the importance of mirror, signal, manoeuvre, clutch control and reverse parking.
Alison said the police and fire service will also be involved to educate young potential drivers about the dangers on the roads,
She added: "If a new driver can start out their driving life having already gathered good basic knowledge of not only the legal requirements, but a good grounding in car control then this will go a long way to advancing their progress while under instructor supervision.
"Those in the 17 to 25-year-old age group are the ones most at risk and it is very difficult for any young person to accept this, because in their heads they are young and their reactions are quicker.
"They believe that if it does go wrong their quick reactions will save them, but that is not always the case.
"With the introduction of pre-age driving lessons in a controlled environment it can only aid a new driver’s understanding of car control and the realisation that driving requires 100 per cent effort and concentration.
"If educating our young drivers commences at an earlier age there is more time to cover in depth skills required to be a competent, safer driver for life.
"As hard as an instructor may try to get across the dangers in driving, young learners only focus on getting their full driving licence as quickly and as cheaply as possible."
For more information on the course contact 0800 0328188.