P Drivers Project giving Victorian parents peace of mind

24 Feb 2014

A Wyndham Vale mum says a program for young drivers is giving her peace of mind.

The P Drivers Project is a program designed to help new drivers develop safe attitudes and behaviours on the roads.

Marie Willett’s son Stuart joined the P Drivers Project last year and she says he’s now making responsible decisions about his driving.

“He DJs at night, so he does a lot of late night driving, sometimes as late as 1am, after working all day,” Mrs Willett said.

“Now he’s able to make a judgment call if he’s too tired to drive home. So he’ll stay at a mate’s instead. I commend him for taking that responsibility and it gives me peace of mind.”

The P Drivers Project involves small group discussions and an in-car coaching session. There are 110 program and coaching sessions being held this month across Melbourne, Ballarat, Geelong and Bendigo.  

Mrs Willett said the P Drivers Project had encouraged Stuart to look at what road safety issues he might find difficulty with on the road, such as fatigue.

“The project gives him a chance to get information from others, instead of being harped on by us.” Mrs Willett said.

About 27,000 probationary drivers have registered for the project since October 2011, including 8411 current participants.

The P Drivers Project partners, including TAC, VicRoads and RACV, are investigating whether this type of behaviour change program will reduce the crash risk of newly-licensed drivers. If you know a P Driver who could take part, send them to www.mylivetribe.com.au.

Parents are also encouraged to support their P platers in the first six months of driving through saferpplaters.com.au, which offers handy tips on how to support your child.

Helping our children become good drivers is a key focus in the Victorian Government’s Road Safety Strategy 2013-2022. To find out more, visit roadsafety.vic.gov.au.