DAB Plus Driver Training, a Social Enterprise company based in Maud, Aberdeenshire with a strong ethos of driver safety and training, delivered the DAB Plus Driving Ambition road safety project to the 6th year students at Peterhead Academy this week.
DAB Plus Driver Training, a Social Enterprise company based in Maud, Aberdeenshire with a strong ethos of driver safety and training, delivered the DAB Plus Driving Ambition road safety project to the 6th year students at Peterhead Academy this week.
The young people took part in various sessions to reinforce the need for safety and common sense when driving.
The students attended different sessions during the day, all targeting information or skills which will stand them in good stead to be safe drivers into the future.
Each group spent time learning about the dangers of drink and drug driving and were reminded of how far it really takes to stop a car at various speeds.
Using the DAB Plus Brake Reaction Timer, each student had the chance to react to a simulated vehicle stopping in front of them.
The groups also underwent some basic emergency First Aid training, learning, or in some cases, refreshing skills which may help keep victims of road crashes alive until the emergency services arrive.
Identifying that the students, as new or relatively new drivers would at some point in time be buying and owning a car; each group were given a basic run through of things to consider when buying a car and also learned about basic checks which will keep their cars safe and roadworthy.
Finally, each student had a short run with a local Approved Driving Instructor, encouraging those with full driving licences to keep their skills up, those with provisional licences to ensure they got good quality, professional training to learn to drive safely and those with no driving licence at present were encouraged by learning the basic initial skills taught to every new learner.
DAB Plus Manager Alan Brown said: ‘This project has been very well received by everyone. All the students are aware that driving is a skill for life, and only by learning and driving safely, can that life be a long, enjoyable one. I wish to thank Peterhead Academy for allowing DAB Plus Driver Training to run this event for them, as well as our external colleagues who were as usual amazingly supportive throughout.
A huge big thank you must also go to Shell who provided financial support. Without this the Driving Ambition event would not have been possible.”
Alan said: ‘We have sadly seen an increase in fatalities on the North-east roads over the last year. Figures recently released by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTs) and Direct Line Car Insurance in late 2015, showed that Banff and Buchan, has the highest casualty rate in the UK, giving local people a 111 per cent higher chance than the national average of being killed or seriously injured on the areas roads”.
Unfortunately two other Aberdeenshire Areas are ranked second and third in this study; West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, with rates being 82 per cent above the national average, and Gordon at 70 per cent above the national average.
Alan went on to say:
“This is something which must be tackled, but it is not the responsibility of any one individual or group. Everyone has a part to play”.
He continued, "One of the target audiences nationally for road safety advice is the 17 to 25 year old age group. They have featured highly in collisions across the country. This is why we have been working with local schools in Aberdeenshire to get the message of Road Safety across.”
Concluding, Alan said, "DAB Plus Driving Ambition has been well received by a number of Aberdeenshire Schools. Regrettably, we recently lost funding which had been secured to provide this potentially lifesaving input in two local schools. This was unfortunately due to delays and vacillation within those establishments and was totally outwith our control. That said, we are continuing to speak with those schools, alongside an increasing number of others and are very hopeful that we will see this worthwhile project becoming more widely delivered. Let’s all work to keep our young motorists safe."
Young driver education is only one part of what DAB Plus Driver Training can offer, their work is geared to making drivers safer on the roads. They offer Road Safety ‘lunch n learn’ presentations, practical driver training to new drivers and to experienced drivers seeking refresher or confidence boosting assistance, alongside many others. For more information on DAB Plus, please give them a call on 01771 619191 or visit their website www.dabplus.org.uk.