Young people get on their bikes for Road Safety Week
Young people aged 15 – 17 have been learning how to ride motorbikes safely during national Road Safety Week (6 –12 November).
The driving course is just one of the aspects of this exciting new initiative – Flare, which is being carried out by Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service in partnership with Connexions.
The morning session covered theoretical aspects of driving and the key aspects to ensuring that you are safe on the roads. During the afternoon the young people had the opportunity to ride a scooter and develop the skills and confidence required to be a safe driver by manoeuvring in and out of cones, moving off and stopping safely and using the correct use of speed.
Youth Development Officer, Moreno Francioso said:
“The driving course was run in partnership with Warwickshire Police, to make students aware of the requirements needed towards safe motorcycling. During the session the students were given an exercise (using national bike magazines and local papers) of choosing a bike suitable for their age, looking and pricing up equipment, ie helmet, gloves, boots, jackets etc, getting an insurance quote, and also looking at the their legal requirements needed to have a bike on the road (MOT, Insurance and Tax).
“It was good to see that a number of students were shocked at the total package price and now see how important it is to drive safely and understand the importance of having the right safety equipment and insurance.”
As well as learning how to ride safely the students also learnt about different road conditions and how to plan ahead in order to reduce the risk of being involved in a road traffic collision. The learning out comes were then supported by the team carrying out a Q & A unit session from the AQA Award Scheme on Motor Vehicle Studies on Safe Motorcycling.
Students completing the Flare course will be accredited for their work on various life skills.