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.