Back in February I commented on a publicity stunt by a school which had found a very unique selling point for its driving lessons. Quentin Willson – a self-styled driving expert and pistonhead (and ex-presenter of Top Gear) – was championing it.
Well, it looks like someone over in Oz has got hold of it and is similarly passing it off as a great idea with heaps of fuzzy logic and contradictory information.
Australia has its own problems with maniac young drivers frequently wrapping themselves round Eucalyptus trees and unsuspecting kangaroos. In spite of this, the insane idea that the problems can be solved by encouraging kids – and I mean young children – to drool over cars and give them access to the keys has still surfaced.
The Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) is behind the initiative and keen for the program to be funded by government and used in all secondary schools across Australia.
The pilot, being run in Adelaide, will try to teach 12 to 18-year-olds good driving habits before they can pick up any bad habits from their parents or friends.
Sue Evans is a four-times Australian Rally champion with partner Simon and is taking part in a trial of the program at Heathfield High School in the Adelaide hills.
I like the word “oxymoron”. Having a motor sport group style itself as road safety advocate is a good example of one. Having a rally driver championing it is another:
With a teenage son learning to drive, she says the family is passionate about educating the young on good driving.
“As a rally car co-driver, I take road safety very seriously,” she said.
Just because someone has kids and drives a car – and quite a few people do, though this simple fact seems to escape many – doesn’t necessarily make them experts on road safety. And being a rally driver certainly doesn’t. I can think of at least two examples of racing drivers from the recent past who didn’t actually hold driving licences, so all their “skill” was on the track.
Children should be kept away from cars proper until they’re old enough to drive legally. And parents of children who can’t wait should be dealt with as unfit in many cases.
Giving lessons to 12-year olds is not the way to deal with underage driving. Either over here or anywhere else. It’s just the way the weak-minded get round dealing with the real problem.