Call for Transition Year driver training
23 November 2002: An impassioned plea for driver training to be included in the secondary school system was made this week by the chairman of the Irish Motoring Writers Association, Tony Conlon.
Speaking at the Semperit Irish Car of the Year 2003 award, he said young people were being asked to go out on our roads with ‘no experience and little education’ in driving, one of the ‘basic skills’ of life.
Drawing on personal road trauma experience from his years as a fireman dealing with the results of road traffic accidents, he that motoring journalists, the Government, and the motor trade are all ‘stake-holders’ in the future safety of young people.
And he added that Ireland doesn’t have to look to Europe or the USA to see how young people can be educated in road safety and driving techniques. Ne noted that former Irish rally champion Rosemary Smith and her colleagues in her Think Awareness! Transition Year driving programme have a ‘uniquely practical framework’ for training young drivers. The proposal has been put to Government, but Mr Conlon said he feared it is just being ‘put on ice’.
"It could all be a stepping stone for the planned new Driving Permit Scheme," he said. "This hopefully will come to being and address the out-dated and abused Provisional Licence system and the Driving Test which in its current form is a mere excuse to reduce the waiting list."
He reminded listeners that some 400 people are killed on Irish roads every year and the greater majority of them are under 34 years of age. "They are our young people – 267 out of 415 died on our roads in 2000."
Mr Conlon also called for a Zero tax rating to be placed on safety items such as ABS, Isofix Child systems, and Traction Control systems in the calculation of VRT and VAT on cars. "By doing this, it would encourage more manufacturers to fit safety items," he said.
And he said much good could be done if speed cameras were located at accident black spots instead of on straight safe motorways and dual carriageways.
In a subsequent keynote speech to the audience, minister for transport Seamus Brennan (right) said he saw no reason why Transition Year could not be used for driver training and he said he had already met with Rosemary Smith a number of times to discuss it.