The Norfolk Police and Norfolk County Council have joined together for a promotion titled ‘Tread Says’ which is a new initiative aimed at preventing and reducing the amount of serious and fatal road accidents that occur when teens are behind the wheel.
Over the past three years the amount of crashes on the roads in Norfolk has decreased, but out of the collisions that do occur, over 35% of them involve a teen driver according to figures compiled from the Casualty Reduction Partnership. The news led officials to meet in the area to discuss how the scheme can help keep youngsters safe.
A course has been created at Tibenham Airfield close to Diss to help educate youngsters about the hidden dangers of driving and features a ski avoidance exercise that takes place in a Ford Focus that has been adapted to drive as if the road is icy.
The exercise will hopefully help teach teenagers about over-steering and under-steering and help make them more aware of what to do when the roads are bad and they slip in their cars. The practicum session is followed by six additional workshops for those who participate that focus on car modifications, winter driving, changing tyres, and additional safety tips.
Chairman of the Casualty Reduction Partnership and county councilor Alex Byrne stated that the scheme is designed for 17 to 25 year old driers and is hopefully a better way than an accident to learn the proper ways to stay on the road.
He explained that with 300 crashes over the last three years that resulted in serious injuries or deaths it is important to educate young drivers on the safest way to approach the roads. However, Byrne added that most teens do not want to hear another lecture which is why the interactive workshop setting is a better choice.
