Teenagers from Harrow High School Academy are taking driving more seriously thanks to a national road safety initiative.
A group of year 10 students were put in the driving seat by leading tyre manufacturer Goodyear as they became the first across Harrow to be educated on the importance of road safety in a new scheme known as the Driving Academy.
The launch of Goodyear’s Driving Academy sees teenagers learn elements of The Highway Code before putting their knowledge to the test in an interactive driving experience. They then get the chance to go behind the wheel as part of Goodyear’s ongoing support of Young Driver, a road safety programme that teaches youngsters how to drive before they reach the age of 17.
“We welcome any initiative that promotes road safety amongst our students,” said Mr. Gamble, the head teacher at Harrow High School Academy. “This scheme introduced by Goodyear is certainly a step in the right direction as it aims to help reduce the number of road accidents involving young people.”
Kate Rock, a spokesperson for Goodyear, said: “We listened to what teenagers wanted and the message was loud and clear. They no longer want to be burdened by high insurance costs and the reputation of being unruly drivers.
“The initiatives we introduced today in Harrow will hopefully achieve just that, but more importantly make newly qualified young drivers better prepared to drive safely and responsibly having passed their driving test.
“We hope that the Government takes note of the steps that we are are taking to educate young drivers and looks to teach such initiatives as part of the National Curriculum.”