Free opportunities for parents teaching learner drivers
Wingecarribee Shire Council is offering local parents and learner drivers two great ways to hone their skills this week.
A crucial component of the NSW Graduated Licensing Scheme (GLS) introduced in July 2000 was that all learner drivers must obtain a minimum amount of supervised driving experience.
This must be documented in a log book and must demonstrate exposure to a range of road, weather and traffic conditions, including night-time driving.
Wingecarribee Shire Council offers a workshop four times a year to provide practical advice about the role of supervising a learner driver. The workshops are complimented by a practical driving event called the Logbook Run.
Road Safety Officer, Charmaine Cooper said “The workshop and Logbook Run were developed to reduce the number of young drivers involved in motor vehicle accidents. Parents have said that they find the events boost their confidence, have helped them better plan driving sessions, informed them of licensing changes and allowed valuable sharing of experiences with other parents and supervisors.”
The next Graduated Licensing Scheme Workshop (GLS) will run on Wednesday 25 May from 6pm to 8.30pm in the Theatrette of Wingecarribee Shire Council, Donkin Avenue, Moss Vale.
A light supper will be provided. The RTA developed the GLS workshops to support and better prepare parents and supervisors for the provision of effective driving practice.
The workshop covers topics such as how to use the learner driver log book, how to plan driving sessions, how to deal with difficulties that may arise during driving practice and the importance of giving the learner constructive feedback.
It also highlights the importance of teaching ‘low risk driving’ techniques to learner drivers and the role of parents in establishing parameters and support for provisional licence holders.
The Logbook Run is a great opportunity for supervisors to put what they have learnt at the workshop into practice, and for learner drivers to cover some of the many topics included in the Learner Driver Log Book while clocking up some driving experience hours.
The next Logbook Run event will be held on Sunday 29 May 2011 in Moss Vale from 10am.
The Logbook Run starts with a short presentation followed by a drive on a set route that includes a wide range of road conditions and tasks such as random breath tests, roundabouts, traffic lights, narrow bridges and windy roads.
Bookings are essential for both events – call (02) 4868-0809 or emailcharmaine.cooper@wsc.nsw.gov.au
For further information about licensing and learning to drive visitwww.rta.nsw.gov.au or www.geared.com.au