Road safety program targets young drivers

Ged Bulmer26/05/2023

A free Ford Australia road safety initiative aims to give young drivers the skills to drive safely at night.

Participant in Ford Australia driver safety program.

Young drivers are dangerously overrepresented in night-time road accidents, prompting Ford Australia to target the issue with a hands-on driver training program designed to help P-platers drive safely at night.

The free Ford driving skills program will visit regional and metro locations across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria from June–September 2023, with the aim of equipping P-plate drivers with the skills to avoid becoming a night-time traffic accident statistic.

Young people are already overrepresented in the nation’s road toll, but P-plate drivers are seven times more likely to be killed or injured when driving in the dark compared with fully licensed drivers, according to recent data from the Victorian Government and Transport Accident Commission.

Having your child driving alone on the road at night is a terrifying prospect for many parents, said James Stewart, Director at Driving Solutions, which has partnered with Ford to deliver the program.

“What I see is kids who often have had very minimal night driving experience and when you have difficult conditions – in the dark, when it’s raining, perhaps with friends in the car – and you combine that with less experience, it can make for a very dangerous situation,” Mr Stewart said.

Ford Australia driver safety program.

“The Ford Driving Skills for Life (DSFL) program is tailored to new and young drivers, and involves practical training with expert instructors to help participants become more skilled and safer drivers.”

The program covers techniques that are not typically covered in L-plate driver instruction and is particularly focused this year on the risks of driving at night on Australian roads, incorporating emergency braking, steering and vision, cornering, parking and a ‘fatigue suit’ designed to demonstrate the dangers of driving when sleep deprived.

Each year about 1,200 people are killed on roads across Australia, with the 2022 road toll in Queensland the worst in more than a decade.

Tragically, the statistics include 58 young people aged between 16–24 who were killed on the State’s roads between January and October 2022.

RACQ’s Head of Public Policy, Dr Michael Kane said the organisation’s research showed poor driver behaviour often started at a young age, adding that many young people needed to re-set their attitude towards driving.

“Last year, 297 people lost their lives on Queensland roads and the Fatal 5 contributed to the overwhelming majority of those deaths – that’s speeding, driving fatigued, drink and drug driving, distracted driving and not wearing a seatbelt,” Dr Kane said.

Transport and Main Roads data showed fatigue played a role in almost 11% of the State’s fatalities in 2022, while distraction and inattention were a factor in almost 10% of fatalities.

Ford Driving Skills for Life is a free program that teaches newly licensed, teen and learner drivers the skills needed to be safe drivers, beyond what they learn in standard driver education programs.

The program offers hands-on driver training clinics, pairing learner and newly licensed drivers with professional instructors.

Participants focus on some of the main issues and obstacles young drivers face that cause crashes, including hazard recognition, vehicle handling, speed management, space management and distracted and impaired driving.

The program is open to drivers aged 16–24 who hold a valid learner’s permit or driver’s licence.

Registrations are now open at FordDSFL.com.au.

Road safety program targets young drivers

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