Safety lessons for new teen drivers

Jun 6 2008 by Jenny Wood

GIGGLES and beer goggles were used to get a serious road safety message across to Perth and Kinross’s young, aspiring drivers this week.

Driving home the message of responsibility behind the wheel is an interactive roadshow – aimed at teenagers about to embark on driving lessons. Driving Ambition kicked off at Perth Academy on Tuesday.

Pupils from fifth and sixth year at the school flocked to see the displays put on by 10 local groups.

Teenagers got to wear ‘field impairment glasses’ – which simulate the blurry vision brought on by alcohol – and then attempt to negotiate their way round a small obstacle course.

Other interactive tasks included the chance to get behind the wheel of a driving simulator, try out the driving exam’s theory test, see life through the lens of a speed camera and try changing a tyre.

Rachel Ewins, road safety officer for Tayside Police, said: “There is so much more to learning to drive than getting in a car and starting the engine.

“The aim of Driving Ambition is to encourage safe driver and passenger behaviour by letting young people speak directly to those professionals who can give them all the information they need to start this new and exciting stage in their lives.”

Helping get the roadshow off the ground and get Perthshire’s teenagers on the right track to road safety are Tayside Police, Tayside Fire and Rescue Service, Perth and Kinross Council, the Driving Standards Agency, Tayside Safety Camera Partnership, Perth and District Motorschools’ Association, the Institute of Advanced Motorists, Norwich Union and Macrae and Dick.

The Driving Ambition roadshow will be travelling around seven secondary schools in the county, finishing with Perth High on Thursday, June 12.