Young Drivers, Skid Pans And New Cars – An Insurance Nightmare!
Young drivers in brand new Clio Dynamiques careering around on a skid pan must come fairly high up the list of car insurance nightmares. And that’s exactly what PC David Lee of Northamptonshire Police found when helping to arrange this year’s CarKraft Experience, an initiative from Northamptonshire’s Casualty Reduction Partnership aimed at young drivers living in the county.
PC Lee had managed to persuade Renault to lend him thirteen brand new shiny Twingos and Clios for the young drivers to use, provided he could find insurance cover. But he hit a brick wall when he started trying to get the insurance – that is until he approached Adrian Flux Insurance Services.
“Here at Flux we specialise in arranging insurance cover for young drivers,” explains Gerry Bucke of Adrian Flux. “So we knew how to get cover for this event. We’re also interested in anything that promotes safe driving, especially for young people, so we were only too happy to help.”
The CarKraft Experience day is funded through the money raised from Northamptonshire’s safety cameras. It is aimed at 17-24 year old drivers. It’s totally free for the young drivers and introduces them to safe driving practices in an enjoyable and fun way. During the one-day course the young drivers take part in sessions on the skid pan and track at Silverstone to cover:
- Practical skid recognition and avoidance techniques
- Practical ABS braking techniques
- A hazard awareness and practical driving assessment with a highly trained Police Officer
- A classroom session covering the dangers of drink/driving and how to avoid becoming a ‘morning after’ victim
There will also be the opportunity for the participants to experience what it feels like to be in a 30 mph impact with a seat belt on and to sit in an articulated goods vehicle and experience the vehicle’s blind spots.
“Most drivers aren’t that fond of speed cameras but this is a great way of spending the money they generate,” says Bucke.
In addition to providing cover for the youngsters Flux has put together a “goody bag” which includes an insurance voucher, stickers and other freebies, for them to take home at the end of the day.
The first CarKraft Experience day of 2009 is on 10th May, followed by two more on 12th July and 4th October. More details of the courses can be found by clicking on the CarKraft link on the Northamptonshire Casualty Reduction Partnership website (www.reducingroadcasualties.com).
For details on Adrian Flux Insurance Services contact the Adrian Flux quote line on 0800 505 3000, email the company at quotes@adrianflux.co.uk or see the Flux homepage on www.adrianflux.co.uk