By Liz Fowler

YOUNG MOTORISTS are to be given discounts of up to 90% off advanced driving lessons in a bid to make north-east roads safer, Scottish Transport Minister Tavish Scott announced yesterday.

The extra encouragement for young people in the Grampian force area to attend the courses was welcomed by road safety officers who have been becoming increasingly frustrated their messages on more responsible driving are not being heeded.

However, other road users reckoned many of the worst young offenders could be hard to persuade to undertake the extra tuition and argued it should be compulsory.

Pass plus training offers new drivers advanced tuition in aspects of safe driving and potential dangers not covered in the standard driving test.

Driving in town, driving in all weathers, driving at night, and driving on rural roads, dual carriageways and motorways are all included.

Initially, Scottish Executive funding will be available for a six-month period.

Grampian Police area, which covers Moray, Aberdeen city and Aberdeenshire, was chosen for the scheme to be piloted because it has the highest fatal accident rate in Scotland involving car drivers aged 17 to 25.

Of the 62 deaths on the region’s roads last year, 25 were young drivers or passengers.

In these areas, the Executive will work alongside the three councils that currently offer Pass Plus discounts.

The further funding will mean young people there can enrol on the £150 course for as little as £15.

“Sadly it has been all too evident over recent weeks that road safety messages, particularly among our young drivers, still need to be heard,” said the transport minister.

“Experts will tell you that there is no substitute for experience.

“Whether it be driving at night, driving in difficult weather conditions or driving on motorways, new drivers can often find themselves in hazardous situations they don’t know how to cope with.

“Pass plus ensures they have that added experience.

“Young drivers in the north-east can now get lifesaving additional training at a fraction of the cost.

“It can not only save lives, but can also reduce the amount they will have to pay in insurance premiums...”

Leslie Harrold, Grampian Police road safety manager, said, “Pass Plus is an excellent scheme for newly qualified drivers.

“It offers them the opportunity to develop their driving skills further and drive in situations that they most likely did not face during their normal driving lessons.”

Several older drivers who spoke to The Courier in the Mearns yesterday, however, argued the advanced tuition should be compulsory before any newly qualified driver could gain access to the motorways.

A Mearns father of three drivers, whose ages put them in the danger category, also proposed proposed limiting the engine size of vehicles driven by newly qualified drivers, to around 1000cc, and harsher penalties with an automatic six-month ban if caught 20mph above the speed limit.