Keep teen drivers safe: Okehampton instructor’s course goes national

The Moorlander previously reported on Okehampton instructor Kate Monk, who designed a first-of-its-kind course to help parents prepare their children for safe driving beyond the practical test.

That project, My Learner Driver, is now officially launching next weekend at the driving instructor conference in Solihull, and is being rolled out nationally. 

The course uses West Devon’s rural roads and real-life driving situations to teach parents how they can best support their children during the high-risk first years of driving.

READ NEXT: Tavistock traffic chaos grows as gas pipe dig halted for archaeologists

Kate, who has worked as an instructor for more than a decade, said she was inspired after seeing too many young people involved in serious accidents soon after passing their test.

Statistics from road safety charity Brake show that one in five new drivers crashes within a year of qualifying.

“My Learner Driver is about shifting the focus onto the whole family,” Kate explained. 

“Parents have much more influence on their child’s driving than they realise. If we can harness that influence, we can help keep young people safe.”

Learners such as Kate Dugard (pictured above) have been heavily involved with the filming of My Learner Driver and Ms Monk has been working with parents such as mum Rose (pictured above) to guide their private practice and promote safe driving beyond the test both as a driver and for Kate as a passenger with friends. 

Ms Monk has also been invited to speak alongside road safety experts Dr Elizabeth Box, Sharon Huddleston, Owen Messenger and Alastair Casemore. 

She described the invitation as “humbling” and said it reflected the importance of tackling road safety at a national level.

To mark the launch, a free online event is being held on Wednesday, October 1, from 6pm to 7pm. The session is aimed at newly qualified drivers and their parents or carers. 

Some of the topics this event covers include:

• Parent Power - The Hidden Influence Behind the wheel
• How to implement a graduated driving license in your home
• The law and consequences for a new driver, those within two years of passing their driving test