Wise Drive 2012

Wise Drive is a scheme aimed at young people within reach of their first driving licence and is designed to prepare them for safe and sensible driving. The scheme, held each year in late September, has been running now for 12 years and has proved to be an important factor in the improvement of road safety and the reduction of road casualties.

As a "corporate" member of the Durham Agency Against Crime (DAAC) we mustered a number of volunteers from our Club and the other two Clubs in Durham (Durham Bede and Durham Elvet - Rotary Works!) to help with the administration of this event held at Police Headquarters, Aykley Heads, Durham, organized by the DAAC and actively supported by Durham Constabulary, the Fire Brigade, the Ambulance Service and other agencies, including, this year, the Pass'n'Go Driving School.

Each day, over a period of 12 days, up to six groups of up to 15 youngsters from schools around the county take part in an intensive action-packed programme designed to help them establish good, positive attitudes and behaviour prior to them obtaining their licence. The aim is to send them away buzzing and excited, but above all better informed about safer driving, armed with the information they need to keep them from becoming just another road accident statistic.  Simple arithmetic therefore tells us that over 1,000 youngsters are now better prepared for their experiences as new drivers - and passengers.  (The scheme has been running since 2000 so well over 12,000 people have benefited from it.)

Our duties were not onerous - helping with the registration of all the students in each school group as they arrived.  This significantly lightened the load on Norma from the DAAC, especially if two or three groups arrived together.

A personal footnote:
As a trustee of the DAAC I would like to thank all the volunteers from each of the Clubs for the help they so willingly provided - sometimes in extremely inclement weather.  I can confirm that it was certainly appreciated by Norma Cowen!
Eric Colling