ROADSAFE, TAC and Gippsland Power are asking learner drivers and their parents to spare 90 minutes to begin the process of becoming a better driver.
Learner driver program Keys Please is a positive and proactive program for learners and their parents which introduces the different driving skills a learner needs to ger their licence. It also includes the importance of forming a positive partnership with their parent or supervising driver.
According to Regional Road and Safety coordinator Greg Ryan, learner drivers hardly ever have crashes, yet young P Plate drivers are three times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in their first year of driving than at any other time.
Mr. Ryan said learning to drive was one of the most complex skills a person would ever have to master.
It is based on mutual trust and communication so as well as knowing how to drive, a supervising driver needs to know how to be a patient and effective teacher, he said. "Equally important is ensuring the learner drivers have obtained extensive driving experience before they go for their licence.
According to Mr. Ryan, research suggests that to minimize the high number of fatalities and serious accidents involving P plate drivers, a learner should clock up at least 120 hours covering all conditions including wet, dry, day, night, country and city driving.
120 hours may seem daunting but it's really only one hour per week over a two year period. That's a round trip to footy training, plus a trip to the game each week.
Regional Manager of Gippsland Power Peter Francis said supervising a learner driver filled most people with a mixture of fear and frustration "especially when it is their own child".
Keys Please provides learners and their parents or supervisors with practical strategies to form a positive partnership so that when a learner says "Keys Please" their parents hand over the keys and not the excuses.
Keys Please has been developed by VicRoads, in conjunction with Victoria Police, Transport Accident Commission Commission, Department of Education and Training and Community Road and Safety Councils.
All sessions are run by trained facilitators and attendance is free of charge. For details on the next Keys Please session contact RoadSafe 5172 2640.
Last Modified on 21/05/2008 17:33