Approved Driving Instructors across Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire have the chance to sign up to a funded subscription of ‘The Honest Truth’ – an established road safety education campaign which aims to keep young drivers safe on the roads through bitesize information delivered during driving lessons.
Making the roads safer is a priority for the force, and young drivers and passengers remain a key focus of our ongoing road safety education programme. Making the roads safer is also a priority for West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion, as part of his Safer West Mercia Plan. During 2023, nine young people aged 17-25 were killed and 104 were seriously injured in road traffic collisions across Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire. An additional 297 suffered slight injuries.
The Honest Truth is a national road safety campaign delivered through collaboration with the emergency services, road safety organisations and driving instructors across the UK. It aims to deliver no-nonsense, straight-talking road safety education around ten key issues (“truths”) including mobile phones, speeding, seatbelts, tiredness, drink, drugs and showing off.
West Mercia Police Road Safety Team are funding 35 Approved Driving Instructors per county (105 in total) to subscribe to The Honest Truth until Feb 2025. ADIs who sign up get access to a bespoke app that enables them to deliver ten road safety truths to their pupils as part of a course of driving lessons. These truths are delivered via short videos presented by young people and are used as a discussion base for that particular topic within the lesson. ADIs will also receive additional resources to share with their students and a free listing on the ‘Find an Instructor’ page on The Honest Truth website which is searchable by town or postcode. Behaviour change theory is at the heart of all the resources provided, supported by robust methodology and ongoing evaluation.
Superintendent Steph Brighton, West Mercia Police said “New and young drivers continue to be over-represented in road casualty statistics both locally and nationally, and we remain committed to trying to change this and reducing the number of young people killed and injured on our roads.
“As well as 24/7 enforcement activity, we support and deliver well-established road safety education workshops within schools and colleges including our own Green Light programme and partner agency led programmes such as Your Impact.
“To support this further, we’re keen to work with local driving instructors and provide them with The Honest Truth resources as they are in the unique position of engaging with young drivers when they are at a crucial point in their driving career. On top of the essential driving skills that young people are learning during their lessons, The Honest Truth campaign aims to make them aware of the risks they face when they start to drive alone and the positive choices they can make to keep themselves and others around them safe.”
Funded places are limited and will be available on a first-come-first-served basis. If you’re an ADI delivering lessons in Herefordshire, Shropshire or Worcestershire and would like to take advantage of a funded subscription, register your details at: https://www.thehonesttruth.co.uk/join
Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said: “It’s a sad fact that too many people are seriously injured or killed on our roads. Road safety is at the heart of my Safer West Mercia Plan, so I fully support this new and innovative initiative between West Mercia Police and The Honest Trust.
“To ensure there’s long-lasting change, it’s important we are honest to new and young drivers and ensure they are equipped with all the knowledge they need to play their part in making West Mercia’s roads safer.”
Olly Taylor QPM, Co-Founder of The Honest Truth, said: “It’s an absolute privilege to be able to head up The Honest Truth on behalf of FirstCar and we’re delighted to be working with West Mercia Police who have very generously provided funding for ADIs in their area to be able to receive this campaign for free. By delivering high-quality road safety to those most at risk on the roads, ADIs are ensuring that the young people they are teaching to drive have the skills and knowledge to stay safe and keep their licences long after they pass their test.”