A hard-hitting programme to increase the safety of young drivers and road users and curb anti-social behaviour gets underway this month thanks to support from the county's Police and Crime Commissioner.
Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Police and Crime Commissioner Rupert Matthews provided grant funding worth £5,704 to youth organisation Young Leicestershire Ltd to support the delivery of The Road Revolution Programme.
The project aims to overhaul present road safety education to make it more impactful for young people aged 13-19. Youngsters will be engaged in a way they understand which is fun but also covers serious issues through discussion and debate and prompts them to think about their behaviour in and around vehicles.
The programme team will also research incidents that have happened in the local area to highlight those to the young audience and really hit home that these incidents do and can happen in their neighbourhoods. Additionally, the programme will address community concerns around the anti-use of motor vehicles by focusing on educating young people as drivers, road users and pedestrians.
At least 80 young people are expected to benefit from the scheme including those most likely to engage in risky behaviour such as young people not in further education or work and those in alternative education provision.
Project leaders hope to deliver at least 10 programmes over the next 12 months.
Mr Matthews said: "This is a hugely exciting project promising to explore serious issues around road safety in a way that leaves a deep impact on young people and prevents them from becoming either a victim or perpetrator of crime.
"I hope the messages and experiences these young people learn through the programme then stay with them for a very long time and influence the way they behave on foot or in a vehicle in the future.
"It's really important to talk to young people in a way they understand and can relate to, and this is one of the strengths of this scheme. I'm looking forward to hearing about its progress over the coming months."
Mark Smith, Community Safety and Youth Worker at Oadby & Wigston Borough Council, added: "I believe that the road safety scheme will enable a rounded approach to addressing our community's concerns around the anti-social use of motor vehicles by directly focusing on the education of young people both as drivers/road users, and as pedestrians.
"This approach not only incorporates the Partnership's overall desire to work holistically with young people and their support networks, but also provides additional 'Engage' and 'Equip' strategy approaches which, alongside 'Empower', sit at the heart of our 2021-24 Strategic Plan."
The aim of the project is for young people to have a more positive attitude towards their own safety and that of others within their community. It is also hoped they will better understand the laws around e-scooters and have the confidence to speak up when they feel unsafe as passengers.
