Devon youths steered on road to life of safer driving

Car-crazy youngsters can look forward to an early experience behind the wheel thanks to a groundbreaking SEAT driving course being launched in Devon.

SEAT Young Driver comes to the Exeter area for the first time on January 26, when youths aged between 11- and 17-years-old can take the first steps to learn how to drive with a qualified Advanced Driving instructor in a new dual-controlled SEAT.

A ten per cent discount for the course - at Devon Travel Academy, Westpoint, Clyst St Mary - is available on bookings if made through SMC Exeter SEAT at Hennock Road North, Marsh Barton Trading Estate, Exeter.

Recent research by Young Driver Training Ltd, the company running the SEAT Young Driver programme, has revealed the accident rate of newly qualified drivers is markedly reduced for youngsters who have undergone training compared to the overall rate for those who have recently passed their test.

"Safety on the road is a major concern for all parents when their children start to drive and what better way to help them prepare for their driving future than a course with the SEAT Young Driver programme," said SMC Exeter SEAT General Manager Nick Mitchell.

"It is the only driver training course of its type in the UK so we are delighted the course is operating in Devon and to celebrate we are offering a ten per cent discount on all bookings through us."

Statistics from the Department of Transport show that two out of ten newly qualified drivers will crash within six months of passing the test, while drivers aged 17 to 24 are involved in one in four incidents of serious injury or death on the road, despite accounting for one in eight full UK driving licences.

By comparison, of those that responded to a Young Driver Survey and held a full licence for six months or more, fewer than one in ten had been involved in an accident behind the wheel: to be precise, nine per cent, which is less than half the national rate.

By the end of last year over 60,000 young people will have taken the SEAT Young Driver course, each of them equipped to start their driving lessons at 17 having learned the fundamentals of driving. Tuition for youngsters, who must be at least 4ft 8in tall, includes the very basics of manoeuvring a car to more complex, real-world skills like overtaking, using a roundabout and reverse parking. Lessons, which take place throughout the UK, are conducted at venues equipped for driver training - and away from the public highway.

Young Driver also now welcomes wheelchair users, thanks to its specially adapted SEAT Ibizas. The cars have been fitted with hand controls and are fully automatic. The scheme also welcomes children with special needs and has already delivered more than 35,000 lessons to young people including those with Asperger's Syndrome, profound deafness and visual impairment.

Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) Chief Examiner Peter Rodger said: "It's good to see early indications that pre-driver courses are producing safer drivers. The IAM felt that training drivers over a longer period of time and catching them when their attitudes towards driving are still developing is key to producing a safer driver. Facilitating more time to develop skills of observation and anticipation, and to build a broad experience of different traffic conditions, will ultimately save lives.

Research undertaken for the Swedish Government found that establishing a minimum number of hours of pre-test driving experience slashed accidents among young drivers by 40 per cent. SEAT Young Driver was set up in 2009 based on this research, and remains the only course of its type in the UK.

The course, priced at £29.99 for a 30 minute lesson or £57.99 for an hour, is scheduled to run on the last Saturday of every month. Full details can be found at www.youngdriver.eu

Whilst visiting the dealership to book the course, parents can enjoy a look around the new SEAT Mii city car and the SEAT Ibiza supermini - both ideal cars for young drivers thanks to low insurance premiums and high safety ratings.

Devon Travel Academy is dedicated to providing practical training, education and advice to all road users. In 2005 it was awarded the ISO 9001:2008 quality mark for "the provision of education, training, information and facilities for the provision of sustainable travel and of road and driver safety in Devon."