Workshops to help learners become better drivers

Free workshops for learner drivers will be held at three Central Coast locations during November.

The Transport for NSW workshops – Helping Learner Drivers Become Safer Drivers – support parents and other supervisors of learner drivers to be confident and effective teachers of young people.

Topics covered include licence conditions for Learner and P-plate drivers, tips for using the learner logbook and the importance of providing constructive feedback.

Council Director Infrastructure Services Boris Bolgoff said young drivers were over-represented in NSW crashes, with drivers aged under 26 accounting for almost a quarter of all fatalities on the roads, despite only representing 14 per cent of all licence holders.

“We need to decrease this alarming statistic and cultivate a new generation of safe drivers,” he said.

“These workshops are designed to offer practical advice on how learners benefit from supervised on-road driving and how to make learning to drive a safe and positive experience.

“Young drivers pose a higher risk of being involved in a crash due to their inexperience at anticipating and reacting to varied road conditions, limited driving skills and potential to be distracted by others, which all contribute to diverting their attention from the road.”

Mayor Lawrie McKinna said the workshops were an integral part of Council’s commitment to road safety across the region.

“Providing parents, guardians and supervisors with current information about the driving rules for Learner licence holders will ensure that they are confident and effective teachers, helping to foster a culture of safety and good driving practice,” he said.

The two-hour workshops will be held at: Erina Library on Tuesday, November 5, 6pm-8pm; Tuggerah Library on Thursday, November 7, 6pm-8pm; and Kariong Library on Tuesday, November 12, 6pm-8pm.

Bookings are essential; for more information and to reserve your place, go to centralcoast.nsw.gov.au and search ‘learner driver workshops’.