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Young Drivers on Probation... Get the Right Information
 Young drivers are the age group at highest risk of accidents on the roads and now drivers on probation in Essex are to be given new “On Probation” packs.
The initiative from by the Essex Casualty Reduction Board (a partnership of services in Essex), will help to inform drivers between the ages of 17-20 years of the two year probationary period they are entering and the ways in which they could avoid losing their licence.
Under recent government legislation, drivers who accumulate 6 penalty points within two years of passing their test have to return to L plates and re-sit both their theory and practical driving examinations.
The packs will be distributed to driving schools and outreach workers across the county who will be able to hand the packs out to young drivers.
Essex County Council road safety officers will be educating and training these outreach workers in a variety of situations to portray the importance of paying full attention whilst driving.
Young drivers are at a higher risk than any other age group of being involved in an accident. Research carried out by Essex County Council has shown that young drivers are unaware of the many ways of how to lose their licence and how easy it is to tally up the 6 points.
A case study used in the pack explains the story of a young female driver whose life changed when she gained 6 points through speeding. After the initial first 3 points, she was on edge when driving worrying about getting another 3 points and losing her licence. Only 2 months before reaching the end of her probation she made a silly mistake and accidentally went through a red light camera. She tells of the difficulty of re-sitting the practical driving test as she has picked up bad habits in the time that she had been driving.
Councillor Norman Hume, Chairman of the Essex Casualty Reduction Board, said: “Most young drivers are responsible but many still take unnecessary risks through a combination of over-confidence and inexperience
“This new pack helps get across the message about safe driving in a straight-forward and non patronising way and enables young drivers to take control of their own attitudes to the road responsibly”.
Andrew Westoby, Head of Marketing & Communications at SEEVIC College says “We are happy to be involved the launch of this exciting new young driver project, we have many young drivers attending the college who will benefit from this pack and the simulator.”
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