SIXTY young people from across Central Bedfordshire recently took part in the MORE 16 and MORE Drive courses to improve their driving knowledge and skills.
Three workshops, covering driving skills, maintenance and safety, were run by vehicle inspectors and collision investigators from Bedfordshire Police, Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service, Three Shires Driving School and Millbrook’s proving ground and offered real-life experience from professionals at the top of their field.
The MORE 16 programme gave 16 year-olds their first taste of driving on a Millbrook track, whilst also offering guidance to parents on choosing a driving instructor and on how to help their teens when practising. Parents attending even receive a high-speed passenger ride around a track with a Millbrook pro-driver with competition history in motorsport such as rallying or racing.
MORE Drive offered 17 to 24 year-olds, who have already passed their driving test, the chance to drive on a skid pan and experience ABS braking systems. As well as practising emergency stops at speed to demonstrate the distance it takes to stop at varying speeds.
Twenty-year-old Dani Page who attended the MORE Drive course said: “It was a great way to learn about real dangers on the road and how to deal with these situations when faced by them. I now have a greater knowledge of a wide range of hazards, how to control a car in a skid and in emergencies to what to do in the event of an accident.
“This knowledge was gained from hands on experience with professional drivers and demonstrations from Police collision investigators and the Fire and Rescue Service. It has changed the way I view things and given me an insight in how easily an incident can occur and what I could do to avoid any situation that I may encounter.”
Councillor Budge Wells, Deputy Executive Member for Sustainable Communities Services, said: “The MORE programmes are a great way for our young people to learn new skills and improve their driving ability.
“I am delighted that demand for the courses has been so high. Everyone who attended took away useful new skills and a better appreciation of what it means to be a safe and responsible driver.”
“We will be running the courses again on the 3 and 4 March and it would be wonderful if as many of our young people as possible could attend.”
For more information on either the MORE 16 or MORE Drive programmes, or to attend the events in March, email roadsafety@amey.co.uk.
MORE 16 and MORE Drive are supported by Central Bedfordshire Council in partnership with their Highways Service provider Amey.