Courses target young drivers

12:37pm Friday 16th May 2008

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THE first in a series of courses for young drivers will be held at Crewe Fire Station next week.

Wednesday's event will kick off five Young Driver Awareness Courses organised by the Crewe and Nantwich Local Road Safety Partnership Group.

The aim of the scheme is to identify young drivers between the ages of 17-25 years, whose behaviour on the road highlights them as being at risk.

The courses will give them the opportunity to develop appropriate driver attitudes and behaviour through road safety education.

The sessions will look to cover the causes of collisions, analysis of real life scenarios, and hazard awareness in the hope that, ultimately, those attending will become safer drivers.

PC Paul Burke, of Cheshire Police's Eastern Area Road Policing Unit, said: "While we have made progress reducing road casualties, statistically this age group are still a high risk group.

"One casualty on Cheshire's roads is one too many, preventable death and injury is unacceptable.

"The funding provided by Cheshire Safer Roads Partnership, has enabled us to increase the level of roads policing locally, particularly on the 'red routes', which are those roads where drivers are most at risk of being involved in a collision.

"The campaign will last throughout the summer.

"We have already identified a number of young drivers, who through the commission of a variety of road traffic offences, are felt likely to be at risk of being involved in a collision.

"As an alternative to prosecution, these drivers have elected to attend one of the awareness courses delivered by Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service and Cheshire Police."