Exciting times for Warwickshire's young drivers!
Young drivers from across Warwickshire got a real shock when Motoring expert and TV personality, Quentin Willson dropped in to their awards ceremony.
During the event Quentin spent time with the young people speaking to them about their experiences of driving and telling them about some of the poor driving that he has witnessed on his show, Britain’s Worst Driver.
The ‘Driving Down the Risk’ awards ceremony took place on Saturday 31 March at the Land Rover site in Gaydon. The course was established by, Warwickshire County Council’s Fire & Rescue Service in partnership with Warwickshire Police and the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) in April 2006. The awards were for the young people (aged 18 – 24) who have passed the Institute of Advanced Motorists driving test.
As well as speaking to Quentin, the young people were also given the opportunity to try out their new driving skills and a range of driving situations including driving a 4x4 on a dirt track, driving the latest Jaguar, a fire engine and a police car. The Police and IAM driver instructors also talked to the young people about how vehicles behave at high speed.
Area Risk Manager, Dave Hewston said:
“We are really pleased that so many of the young drivers have completed the course and that we were able to surprise them with the appearance of Quentin Wilson who helped them to celebrate their achievements. Passing the IAM advanced driving test shows that these young people have the skills and the confidence required to stay safe on Warwickshire’s roads!”
Head of Training for the Institute of Advanced Motorists, Mark Edwards, said:
“We are delighted at the success rates of these young drivers and it should go some way to proving that advanced driving can be fun, cool and beneficial to drivers of all ages and backgrounds.
Neil Colledge of Warwickshire Police said:
"We are really pleased to receive the support of Quentin Willson and we are sure that his presence will help us to highlight the serious message of keeping young people safe when driving. The skills learnt on this course such as observing the road ahead and anticipating potential hazards will be key skills the young people can keep for life and use in their every day driving."