Rugby driving instructors needed for police campaign to reduce number of young people killed on county roads

Four young people aged between 17 and 25 were killed and 66 were seriously injured on Warwickshire’s roads in the year 2018.

An additional 267 of the county's 17 to 25-year-old's suffered slight injuries in road-related incidents.

Instructors are being invited to become ‘Honest Truth’ driving instructors funded by the Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner.

Warwickshire Police Inspector Jem Mountford said: "Our younger drivers are over represented in our road casualty statistics and it is important we support innovative schemes like The Honest Truth to help reduce these numbers.

"We want to work with Approved Driving Instructors as they are in the unique position of reaching young drivers when they are in the learning state of mind.

"We know from statistical evidence that the majority of those KSIs (killed and seriously injured) involving new and young drivers, aren’t as a result of poor driving skill.

"In other words, the mirror-signal-manoeuvre technical skills taught by driving instructors and required to pass a driving test aren’t so much of an issue as the lack of decision-making skills and understanding of the dangers faced by new drivers.

"The Honest Truth project helps to make young drivers aware of the risks when they start to drive alone.

"Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Seccombe added: “Working with approved driving instructors provides a unique opportunity to reach new drivers in Warwickshire at a key point in their driving career, when they are still learning and receptive to new information.

“Approved instructors can use The Honest Truth to provide a targeted road safety initiative to learner drivers during their lessons to help people stay safer on Warwickshire’s roads.”

As well as teaching a young person to drive, instructors can use The Honest Truth to also teach the essential life skills that new drivers need when first driving on their own, enabling new drivers to make the right decisions when it matters.

By learning about The Honest Truth, new drivers are given the confidence to challenge inappropriate behaviour by passengers and make the small changes necessary to stay safe.

Although instructors are under pressure from learners to get them through their tests as quickly and as cheaply as possible, The Honest Truth works in collaboration with them so that vital road safety education can be conveyed effectively, within just a few minutes per lesson.

In return the instructors receive one year’s membership subscription to The Honest Truth including access to The Honest Truth online training and a range of materials and videos.

They are added to a list of on The Honest Truth website, can use the logo helping promote their business and receive a member sticker for their car.

The start of an outdoor campaign from road safety project The Honest Truth focusing on risky driving behaviours.

Billboards are starting to appear around the county using striking animal head imagery to highlight the consequences of drink driving.

Annette Lloyd, head of The Honest Truth, said: "We are delighted to have been awarded funding to deliver our road safety project to young drivers and are now asking driving instructors across Warwickshire to get involved in the project.

"The road safety guidance we provide is simple to use and easy to deliver to their students.

"But, it could have an incredible impact long term on the safety of those young drivers.”

Those who are interested in becoming an Honest Truth approved driving instructor in Warwickshire can email [email protected]