WIREDGOV

Half-term chance to think about Arriving Alive

DRIVING STANDARDS AGENCY News Release (DSA 11/09) issued by COI News Distribution Service. 13 February 2009

* Driving Standards Agency road safety presentation for would-be drivers

* More than 260 16-19 year olds drivers and passengers killed in 2007

* Arrive Alive is free, easy to book and could be a real life saver

With the first half-term holiday of 2009 here, schools and colleges are being urged to think about booking a road safety presentation aimed at preparing would-be drivers for the learning to drive process.

In 2007, 136 drivers aged 16-19 died in crashes. Another 130 were fatally injured in crashes involving vehicles in which they were passengers.

The Driving Standards Agency - the Government Agency tasked with promoting and improving road standards - wants to put their Arrive Alive Road Safety Programme at the forefront of people's mind this half-term. Arrive Alive involves an experienced driving examiner giving a free 50-minute presentation to young people in the 16-19 age group.

Topics include learning to drive safely, information on the theory and practical driving tests and adopting the right attitudes towards the responsibilities of a driver after passing the test.

The presentation can be given at a range of locations such as youth clubs and Armed Forces centres, and is most popular in schools and colleges. Teachers can set up an Arrive Alive session by booking directly with DSA.

Rosemary Thew said: "It is a sad fact that one in five deaths on British roads involve newly-qualified drivers. They are certainly one of the most vulnerable groups out on the roads today.

"We want to tackle this problem by promoting road safety to young people not only when they are learning to drive or have just passed their test, but even before they have gone out on the road for the first time.

"That's why we are calling on all parents, teachers and guardians to take the time over half-term to think about booking one of DSA's Arrive Alive sessions. The presentation is free of charge, easy to arrange and could be a real life-saver."

For further information on Arrive Alive or to book a session, please visit; http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/RoadSafety/DG_4022427

For further information, please contact Michael Watkinson at DSA Press Office on 0115 936 6136, michael.watkinson@dsa.gsi.gov.uk website http://www.dsa.gov.uk

Notes to Editors:

1. The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) is an executive agency * of the Department for Transport.

2. The DSA's vision is "Safe Driving for Life" with an overall mission to contribute towards a Government target of achieving a 40% reduction in riders and drivers killed or seriously injured in road accidents, in the age group up to 24 years, by 2010.

3. Current information on road casualties is available from the Department for Transport website: http://www.dft.gov.uk

4. The Agency's aim is to promote road safety through setting standards for drivers, riders and trainers, testing drivers and riders fairly and efficiently, maintaining the registers of Approved Driving Instructors; Large Goods Vehicle Instructors; Fleet Trainers; Driving Instructor Trainers and Post Test Motorcycle Trainers; supervising Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) for learner motorcyclists; and driver education and the provision of learning resources.

5. DSA is a trading fund * with an expected turnover of around £199 million for the year 2008/9, fully funded by fee income and revenue from its activities.

6. DSA employs over 2,700 staff, of which some 2,000 are driving examiners based at over 400 test centres across mainland Great Britain. In 2007/2008 the Agency conducted 1.8 million practical tests for car drivers, over 95,000 vocational tests and 94,000 motorcycle rider tests. A total of 1.7 million theory tests were carried out at 158 centres. At the end of the year there were around 43,600 people on the Register of Approved Driving Instructors.

7. DSA was one of the first Government Agencies to introduce an online booking service. Candidates can book and manage their theory and practical test appointments on line at http://www.direct.gov.uk/drivingtest

* Executive agency:
An executive agency is semi-detached from its parent department and manages its own budget with freedom from ad hoc, day to day intervention and much of central, government-wide regulation. They are run under the organisation and direction of a Chief Executive recruited through open competition. An executive agency has accountability for the performance of specific operational tasks as a corporate unit, including focused performance targets set by the parent department and personal accountability of the chief executive for performance.

* Trading Fund:
A trading fund is a means of financing trading activities
undertaken by Government that would previously have been financed
by annual appropriation from Parliament. A trading fund permits the establishment of a self-accounting unit that remains under the control and management of Ministers and accountable to Parliament through Ministers, but has greater freedom to manage its financial affairs. Effectively that means the trading fund body can use its income to settle its liabilities and retain year-end cash balances.
Establishing the trading fund does not alter the Agency's constitutional position and it remains part of the Department for Transport.