In a meeting with Road Safety Minister Stephen Hammond, the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs (NFYFC) has asked that rural roads be included in the national driving test.
Milly Wastie, Chairman of the NFYFC campaign, called upon Stephen Hammond to support the Federations new rural road safety campaign, which was launch in November 2012, called Drive it Home. The Drive It Home campaigns main intention is to help ensure better road safety for all new drivers and particularly those who live in a rural setting. Rural roads present a number of different challenges to urban roads including narrow lanes, no street lighting, farm vehicles, no footpaths, horses and sharp bends to name but a few. The Drive It Home campaign hopes to raise awareness of the differences between rural an urban roads, and help ensure that all new drivers are equally proficient with handling the different challenges that may arise.
Road Safety Minister Stephen Hammond MP said: “Improving the safety and ability of young drivers is a key priority for the government so I am pleased to support the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs new campaign. We are looking at several ways to make the roads safer for young drivers, including making the driving test more realistic and considering how to improve training for drivers after they pass their test. We are also working with young people, the insurance industry, and other key partners to identify what more can be done to ensure that newly qualified drivers are properly prepared and drive safely”
