Bromborough Police event will teach Wirral's young drivers how to stay safe on the roads

Mar 17 2011 By Lorna Hughes

WIRRAL'S young drivers are invited to Bromborough Police Station on Saturday to learn how to stay safe on the roads.

Officers from Merseyside Police's Roads Policing Department is holding a special event to promote better road safety and awareness among young people.

Almost 2,400 young people aged under 25 have been injured on the roads of Merseyside in the last three years.

Of those, 12 youngsters have lost their lives following collisions since 2009.

There will be opportunities to experience car simulators to test hazard perception, check out a range of police vehicles and go for a spin with police driving instructors in top of the range cars from Audi, Nissan and Skoda.

They will also have chance to win a series of prizes including free driving lessons, a pass plus course, break down kits and a session on the skid pan at Smithdown Lane police station where police drivers learn to handle skids.

Experts will be available for questions and advice and police vehicle examiners will be on hand to check cars to ensure they are safe and roadworthy.

Sergeant Paul Mountford said: "Young people are among the highest risk groups on the roads. By nature they are inexperienced but also tend to be over-confident, which can be a disasterous combination.

"Young drivers, especially men, are more likely to take risks - driving too fast, too close to the car infront and dangerous overtaking.

"Young drivers are also more unaware of hazards and take longer than experienced motorists to identify and react to hazardous situtations.

"We hope that as many young people as possible come to this event and take advantage of the expertise and experiences that are on offer so that together we can make a difference to their safety on the roads.

"As a dad of a 20-year-old I would also ask other parents to encourage their children to come to this event.

"Road collisions wreck lives. One death on the roads of Merseyside is too many and not only does it needlessly cut young lives short but ruins the lives of their friends and loved ones."

The event is free and runs from 10am to 4pm.

For further information about road safety visit www.merseysidepolice.uk for advice on Merseyside Police's website.