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Young drivers

Young drivers aged between 17 and 24 are at a much higher risk of crashing than older drivers, with one in four being involved in a collision within two years of passing their driving test. 

The high level of risk associated with young drivers is due to a combination of youth and inexperience. This means they have less ability to spot hazards and are more likely to take dangerous driving risks such as speeding, racing and overtaking. 

Each year, we arrange for over 2000 sixth year pupils from all schools in Edinburgh to attend our Young Drivers event which includes presentations and exhibitions from The City of Edinburgh Council, Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, NHS Lothian and various other organisations including Spinal Injuries Scotland, Lothian Buses, Trams, Spokes and Digby Brown. 

We ran a virtual Young Driver event using TEAMS during Covid-19 restrictions in  2020/21 and we had limited access to schools the year after.    Unfortunately our 2023 event was cancelled due to strike action but we are hopeful of a return this year to our live event at the O2 Academy (formerly the Corn Exchange) at Chesser.   The event will address the risks and responsibilities of becoming a new driver and in addition we also cover topics such as cycling safely, scooters and travelling by public transport.

Invites have already gone out to all schools in the city and we are looking forward to our tenth staging of this event.

The feedback from schools has been amazing - here are some of the comments on our follow up with schools after the event.

'this event is so engaging and really gets the message across about being responsible on the roads'  Head Teacher

'so impressed by the emergency services - and everyone at the event for producing such a professional and well informed input for our sixth year pupils'  Teacher (Guidance)

There are useful resources for young drivers on the Road Safety Scotland Website

 

 

Contact Us

Should you have any further queries on the projects above, please contact us at the following email.