Advanced Driving Courses Can Help All Ages

Cornwall Advanced Drivers (CAD) helps drivers across a wide range of ages to become safer drivers. The photograph shows Alan Hoskings (now in his mid-eighties) having just achieved a top score on his IAM advanced driving test, and 19-year-old Tom Osborne, who is still training to become an advanced driver, seen with CAD's Chairman John Simpson.

CAD is particularly keen to reduce the appalling road accident figures associated with drivers under 25 years of age by encouraging young drivers to consider training for and taking their IAM advanced driving test. CAD’s Chairman, John Simpson, explained: “Young driver  statistics speak for themselves–they comprise only 7% off all car drivers, but are involved in 23% of all accidents.   

   












About 20% of young drivers have a crash within a year of passing their L-test, and young male young drivers are nearly twice as likely to be involved in a serious road accident, compared to a young female driver!”

When the Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner started a major road accident reduction project, called Vision Zero South West (VZSW), Cornwall Advanced Drivers offered to train 20 under-25 year old drivers living in Cornwall and received funding that allowed the young drivers to have their advanced driver training and their IAM advanced driving test free of charge, provided they passed!

This young driver training initiative was a tremendous success. Not only did all 20 pass,  although the free initiative has finished until new funding can be found, as the news spread, it encouraged other young drivers to enrol. Tom Osborne (pictured) said: “I heard about Cornwall Advanced Driver’s from two of my friends who had been on the VZSW-funded young driver scheme who really enjoyed it and learnt a lot, so I decided to enrol with IAM for myself.”

John, who has been training Tom in preparation for his IAM test, added: “Tom has been a brilliant pupil who was already a keen and competent driver, but he needed to polish up a few aspects of his driving to meet IAM’s exacting standards and develop his skills of observation to read the road better.”

Asked how he’d benefitted from his training, Tom said: “Suddenly I’m looking and planning much further ahead and taking pride in developing my driving as a result of my training with Cornwall Advanced Drivers.”