A retired police inspector will bring home the road safety message to pupils at Ellon Academy this week.
Alan Brown spent many years in the police’s road safety unit, and is now putting his experience to use in his new role as training development manager for DAB Plus Driver Training at Maud.
The social enterprise delivers training and road safety education in the north-east, and this week will launch the DAB Plus Driving Ambition programme.
The award-winning scheme was offered to sixth year pupils at schools throughout Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen and Moray but has been sidelined since Police Scotland came into force.
Now Mr Brown – who was an inspector in Fraserburgh before retiring last year with 30 years of service under his belt – is hoping to reintroduce it locally, and will begin with sessions in Ellon on Wednesday and Thursday.
He said: “It’s very much geared towards road safety and getting the safe driving message across to young drivers. There will be a mix of people who have passed their test, some who are having lessons, and others who have not yet applied for their licence. They are all going to be the drivers of the future, so we need to do something to get that safe driving message across to them.”
At the start of the day, pupils will be shown a hard-hitting DVD highlighting the consequences of being distracted behind the wheel – from sending the text message, crashing the car, losing a friend and then ending up in court.
They will then be split into four groups, which will rotate between the various activities on offer, including emergency first aid and basic vehicle maintenance.
Pupils will also be given advice about buying a car, and be taken out by a driving instructor for either tips or, for those yet to start lessons, an insight into what it is like in the drivers’ seat.
DAB Plus will also be letting the young drivers test their reaction skills, with a brake reactor test. They will also have a set of beer googles, which will give the youngsters an insight into the hazards of drink-driving.
Mr Brown said: “I’ve attended the crashes, and had to break the news to the next of kin. I’ve seen the mess and mayhem that can follow these crashes.
“Driving is a skill for life and we need to get the message across that young drivers need to keep themselves alive and safe.”