UP TO 30 Eastern Football League under-17s from a myriad of clubs were put through their paces at a young driver awareness program on Wednesday night at METEC Driver Training Centre in Bayswater North.
METEC is a non-profit community organisation offering learner and advanced driving courses, and is committed to reducing the road toll, particularly amongst young drivers, through on and off road training and education.
The facility is built on 25 acres comprising five kilometres of private closed roads including traffic features like intersections, traffic lights and roundabouts to provide an ideal learner training facility.
Proudly sponsored by Carsales.com.au, the driver training event is run annually with the aim of educating junior EFL footballers, male and female on safe driving, offering both theory and practical hands-on experience as they approach licence age.
Guided by METEC’s Atilio Kermac, the students underwent a young driver awareness safety program in the classroom, featuring interactive and educational modules on best practice on the roads.
With the theoretical crash-course on road safety complete, the upcoming drivers took to the unique roads at METEC under the guidance of a number of the driving school’s instructors to best test their knowledge.
In what is a crucial stage of learning and development for the EFL’s learner drivers, Transport Accident Commission statistics show more than 300 young drivers aged 18 – 25 have lost their lives in Victoria in the last 10 years.
In 2018 alone, 14% of drivers who lost their lives were aged between 18 and 25 years, with this age group representing around 10% of Victorian licence holders.
For more information on METEC’s programs, head to METEC.com.au.
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