Young Wirral drivers targeted in new road safety campaign




Police are working with young Wirral drivers in a bid to save lives.

They have launched a campaign to reduce the number of young people injured on the roads.

And on Saturday officers will be holding a special event at Bromborough police station to promote road safety and awareness.

Almost 2,400 young people aged under 25 have been injured on the roads of Merseyside in the last three years.

Of those, 12 youngsters have lost their lives following collisions since 2009.

As part of the campaign, young people will have the chance to use car simulators to test hazard perception and go for a spin with police driving instructors.

Sergeant Paul Mountford, from the Roads Policing Department, said: "Young people are among the highest risk groups on the roads.

"By nature they are inexperienced but also tend to be over-confident, which can be a disastrous combination.

"Young drivers, especially men, are more likely to take risks - driving too fast, too close to the car in front and dangerous overtaking.

"Young drivers are also more unaware of hazards and take longer than experienced motorists to identify and react to hazardous situations.

"We hope that as many young people as possible come to this event and take advantage of the expertise and experiences that are on offer so that together we can make a difference to their safety on the roads.

"As a dad of a 20-year-old I would also ask other parents to encourage their children to come to this event.

"Road collisions wreck lives. One death on the roads of Merseyside is too many and not only does it needlessly cut young lives short but ruins the lives of their friends and loved ones."

Experts will be available on the day for questions and advice and police vehicle examiners will be on hand to check cars to ensure they are safe and roadworthy.

The event is free and runs from 10am to 4pm.

For further information about road safety visit www.merseysidepolice.uk for advice on Merseyside Police's website.


THE GLOBE

That is a waste of time and will never work, When I was young and stupid I wouldn't listen to anyone who told me how to drive, other than the instructor to pass the test!!1

It's time that the minimum driving age is raised to 25.

the problem lies in the fact that you learn to pass the test not to drive. Loads of people pass after a dozen lessons or so but it doenst make them a good or safe driver

Both young lads I work with have had more crashes than I had while banger racing (that is an exageration but you know what I mean) the youngest one rolled his car within a week of passing his test we actualy had a book running as to how long it would take
they all think they are invincible

I'm not so sure.

It's not just a 'young' driver thing but more the feeling of power and invincibility that comes with passing your test and thinking you can drive.

The fact is, and I really believe this, you only learn to drive once you have passed your test. You're simply taught to drive at slow speeds, and look in your mirrors a few times. When you're learning and having your test, people are wary of you due to the L plates.

I'd suggest doing away with L plates was a better idea, you would learn to deal with the idiots on the road, and those doing the higher speeds.

25 is stupid, you can have sex, fight for your country, drink, smoke, buy a house, get a loan etc etc - but you can't pilot a car on the roads? Doesn't seem right to me.

I believe it's possible to pass your test on the Wirral without going over 40mph! Since they put a limit on the Moreton to Bidston bypass, where can you drive over 40mph? You can't use the motorway... until you pass.

I learned at an early age that I'm not invincible. Those that know me, will know I was involved in an accident which cost someone their life, 4 days after I passed my test, back in 2004. In fact, I passed my test 8 years ago today, and in 4 days it will be 8 years since that accident in which my friend died. It was simply inexperience that caused it, I was well within the speed limit and witness accounts described my driving as good up until the point of an accident.

I'd suggest being shown pictures of a young lad lying in the road, pretty much unrecognisable due to horrendous head and facial injuries would teach these youngsters to take care.

I still drive over the speed limit at times, and I still do things that I instantly regret whilst behind the wheel, in the heat of the moment.

I've vented enough, we need to introduce a stricter test, perhaps some car control courses - no 17 year old knows how to control a car when it gets out of shape, as all they've done is drive around at 30mph under the close supervision of an instructor with dual controls.

Raising the age won't take away inexperience.

i agree with u on this alex .

its all well and good learning to control a car for an exam situation, but not once do u ever get taught how to control the vehicle once things go pear shaped !

and your quite correct , many driving routes on the wirral whilst learning and under test conditions never give you an oppurtunity to drive in excess of 40mph

so in reality you, as said previously, are learning to pass an exam not drive a vehicle under normal road conditions

Maybe a similar idea to what they have in Australia / NZ is a good idea - you must display "P" plates for a certain time after your test, you cant drive at night, and you are limited to the number of passengers you can carry.

Recently Ive heard of a few young first time drivers apply for insurance, and the cost is astronomical - just shows that the risk is there.

I think the passenger idea is a good one, I would imagine most crashes happen when youngsters are showing off.

I passed my test first time at 25. I had an excellent instructor who took you above the standard required, I had 26 lessons plus practice driving our car. My daughter is 22 & she's taking lessons now,there is more to the test now than when I took it.

young lads do seem to show off when they have got passengers and their mates in another car as witnessed when i went to pick my daughter up from the jobcentre i just let them go before me and thought nobheads