Pride Park Stadium hosts safety challenge for young drivers

10 May 2010

Rolls-Royce apprentices and Derby College students joined forces last week to compete in a young driver safety challenge organised by Derby and Derbyshire Road Safety Partnership (Tuesday 4 to Thursday 6 May).
A young driver learns winter driving techniques in the skid car

A total of 432 young drivers took part in the event at Derby County Football Club. On each day, participants formed eight teams then spent the day learning safe driving techniques.

Everyone who took part in the challenge received emergency reaction training and learned how to corner safely. They also learned how to survive in wet and icy conditions using a specially-adapted skid car.
 
When they weren’t behind the wheel, team members listened to presentations about drink driving, the emergency services, crash investigation and the way that courts deal with bad driving.
 
Mike Ashworth, the chairman of Derby and Derbyshire Road Safety Partnership, said: “The aim of these events was to prepare the young drivers for some of the challenges they will face during their driving careers. More than a quarter of the deaths and serious injuries on our roads last year were the result of a crash that involved a young driver.

“The road safety partnership exists to reduce deaths and injuries on our roads. We believe our young driver safety challenge will help us to achieve this goal because it has given these young drivers the opportunity to improve their skills in a safe, controlled environment.”   

Tom Glick, president and chief executive officer of Derby County Football Club, said: “We were delighted to be hosting this event and have been working closely alongside Derby and Derbyshire Road Safety Partnership to ensure it is a success.

"The statistics show that drivers under the age of 25 have a high risk but drivers under 20 represent the greatest risk of them all. In addition, young male drivers are twice as likely to be involved in a crash as young females.

“Therefore, we believe events like the young driver safety challenge are hugely important for the community.”

The vehicles used during the event were provided by TC Harrison.