Ford survey shows British young drivers are more likely to be distracted by attractive pedestrians.

• Car crashes are leading cause of death for young people. In Europe, young people are almost twice as likely to be killed on roads compared with the average person
• Results showed that British young drivers are the most likely in Europe to be distracted by attractive pedestrians
• Ford survey of more than 6,500 young Europeans shows 43 per cent have texted, 36 per cent have taken phone calls, 11 per cent have watched mobile videos while driving; 13 per cent have driven after drinking  
• Survey also shows that 26 per cent have had an accident, 20 per cent have been in a car stopped by police. In summer, when deaths peak, 68 per cent are more relaxed about their driving.
• Ford publishes spoof video for “Blown Ups” – inflatable grownups that are designed to prevent reckless behaviour behind the wheel. Survey reveals 41 per cent take more risks with friends in car, and up to 57 per cent drive more safely with older relatives
• Ford Driving Skills for Life offers free training for young drivers. By the end of 2016, the programme will have trained more than 20,000 drivers across 13 countries in Europe.

Research shows that worldwide, car crashes are the leading cause of death among young people, with a higher proportion dying on the roads than at any other time of year.*

These drivers in the UK are the most likely in Europe to be distracted by attractive pedestrians, and the majority of road accident fatalities involve young men. The summer period has a significantly increased risk with almost two thirds of young people saying they are more relaxed with their driving during the holiday months.

In Europe, this segment accounts for eight per cent of the total population, but fifteen per cent of all those killed in road accidents.  In the summertime, the problem gets worse as 18-24-year-olds account for 21 percent of deaths on the road in summer. **

Risky behaviour has been identified as a key factor behind the statistics, which also show that from 2004 to 2013, 62,000 young people were killed in road accidents in the European Union. ** According to the report by European Road Safety Observatory, poor reading of the road, impairment from substances or stress and distraction are among the most common factors in accidents involving young drivers.

Ford commissioned a survey of 6,500 young Europeans to better understand the risks they take. *** This shows that 57 per cent have exceeded speed limits, 43 per cent have sent a text while driving, 36 per cent have taken calls and sent instant messages, 16 per cent have driven without wearing their seatbelts, 13 per cent have driven after drinking, and up to 11 per cent have watched videos or TV shows on their devices.

Ford offers free training for young drivers with Ford Driving Skills for Life (DSFL). In Europe, by the end of 2016, the programme will have trained more than 20,000 drivers across 13 countries.

“Summer is a great time to enjoy the freedom of driving, which is as much a part of being young today as it was for previous generations. But too many young adults are dying in car crashes caused by a combination of inexperience and poor decision making,” said Jim Graham, manager, Ford DSFL.

Up to 57 per cent of young drivers also admit they drive more safely with parents or grandparents in the car, and 41 per cent said they would take more risks with friends in the car. For this reason Ford has created a new spoof video to showcase the virtues of “Blown Ups.” This fictional product is an inflatable grownup, triggered to expand when young drivers are reckless behind the wheel; and serves as a reminder of the expanding DSFL programme.  

A total of 93 per cent consider they have good driving skills – but 54 per cent admit they are not always as safe as they should be while driving.

The majority of young driver fatalities involve young men, and the Ford survey confirms they are more likely to engage in risky behaviour. Young men are three times as likely as young women to be distracted by attractive pedestrians; 25 per cent have been stopped by police compared with 16 per cent of women; and they are more likely to speed, use mobile phones while driving, and drink drive.

“It is crucial that we find the right way to reach young people with these very important messages and to ensure that as many drivers as possible have the opportunity to benefit from DSFL training,” Graham said.

The dates for the Driving Skills for Life programme in the UK will be announced later this year.

Five national winners awarded Land Rover Discovery Sport for a year to help develop their countryside careers

• Five national winners awarded Land Rover Discovery Sport for a year to help develop their  countryside careers
• Young people aged from 21 to 34 from England, Wales and Scotland to benefit from annual bursary
• Winning projects including start up microbrewery, and rare breed wool business demonstrating diverse rural careers being pursued by young people in the UK in 2016

Land Rover and The Prince’s Countryside Fund (PCF) have announced the five winners of their 2016 bursary, which offers a year’s loan of a Land Rover Discovery Sport vehicle to support young people in the development of their countryside careers.

The winning entrants, including 21-year-old Lewis Steer, who runs a rare breed wool business and 28-year-old Steven Holmes, founder of a new microbrewery in Lancaster, were selected for their entrepreneurial spirit and passion for making a difference within their rural community.

The five winners were awarded the vehicles at Loseley Park in Surrey alongside vehicle handling training from Land Rover Experience to prepare them for all terrains and weather conditions, and teach them about the vehicle’s range of on and off-road features and towing capabilities.  

Land Rover has supported The Prince's Countryside Fund since 2013, contributing to the Fund's grant giving programme in addition to the annual bursary scheme.

The Land Rover Discovery Sport is the world’s most versatile compact SUV providing beneficiaries with seven seats, towing capability of 2.2 tonnes and Land Rover’s legendary Terrain Response making it capable whatever the weather or terrain.

One winner, Ashley Stamper, 24, Contract Hill Shepherd said, “The loan of the Land Rover Discovery Sport is going to really boost my ambition to become a self-employed shepherdess. 

Coming from a family of beauticians, setting up in agriculture and generating capital has been challenging, however the more I am able to travel around and build a reputation for myself, the more successful I will be. 

I’m really excited for the year ahead and to get my trailer licence, making my work more efficient and a lot more enjoyable!”

Jeremy Hicks, Jaguar Land Rover UK Managing Director said, “We are really excited to announce the five winners of this year’s bursary with The Prince’s Countryside Fund. 

UK farming is a crucial part of our economy and the breadth of different careers our winners are carving for themselves demonstrates just how important diversification is becoming for young people to prosper in the industry. 

They are also showing other young people that farming is an exciting, multi-dimensional career choice. 

We hope that each one of them will truly benefit from the loan of the Discovery Sport, with the vehicle and the savings made on other transport costs, helping to take their projects to the next level.”

Claire Saunders, director of The Prince’s Countryside Fund said: “We’re delighted to be able to support five ambitious young people who are making huge strides in their rural careers. These entrepreneurs are great ambassadors for young people making a difference in their rural communities. 

Our partnership with Land Rover has provided a great opportunity for people who live and work in the countryside and everyone involved with The Prince’s Countryside Fund is excited to follow their journey this year and see the difference these vehicles can make.”

The 2016 Prince’s Countryside Fund Land Rover Bursary list of winners includes:

Lewis Steer, 21, Lily Warne Wool, Chudleigh, Devon: Alongside studying Rural Estate and Land Management at The Royal Agricultural University, Lewis runs his own wool business, taking sheared wool from his flock of rare breed Greyface Dartmoor sheep. 

Lewis, who does not come from a farming background, shears his flock by hand and takes his fleece to the local wool mill where it is spun into yarn before returning to the farm. Lewis’s entrepreneurial spirit and passion for agriculture has led to some exciting business opportunities. 

His Lily Warne Wool (named after his great great grandmother) is one of the only in the country to carry out the entire woollen process ‘from farm to yarn’, and focuses on reconnecting people with British Wool. 

He will use the Land Rover Discovery Sport for his day-to-day shepherding, moving the sheep between rented land and to access other farms to buy wool and skins through the co-operative he has set up, supporting other local farmers to gain more from their stock.

Steven Holmes, 28, Farm Yard Ales, Cockerham, Lancaster: Based on his family’s farm in Lancaster, Steven is doing something truly different within agriculture. He is in the early stages of creating a new microbrewery enterprise on the farm, which will be erected this summer. 

Steven is passionate about supporting other small enterprises and once trading, plans to support other independent breweries through a system known as cask swapping. 

This is a co-operative process that involves sending full casks to other breweries who then sell on your behalf, allowing each breweries product to travel further and sell on a national level. 

The casks are then returned full and the process is reciprocated, reducing the logistical costs of collecting empty casks. Steven will use the vehicle to pull a flatbed trailer to assist with deliveries and collections of the craft beer in and around Lancashire in the early stages of his start-up business, whilst conveying the British farming heritage behind Farm Yard Ales.

Ashley Stamper, 24, Contract Hill Shepherd, Northumberland: Ashley, who lives and studies Agriculture in Edinburgh, is a contract hill shepherd working in Northumberland covering 9,000 acres of land. 

Breaking away from the family beauty business, Ashley is paving her own career in sheep farming, taking on tasks including lambing, dosing, crutching, and foot trimming. Her dream is to one day be a self-employed contract shepherdess. 

Ashley will use the Land Rover Discovery Sport to transport her sheepdogs and feed down farm tracks that are inaccessible in her current car. She plans to get her trailer licence during the course of the year and use the vehicle to tow livestock for farmers within her community.

Helen Reeve, 34, Dairy Farmer from Alburgh, Harleston: Helen works full time on a dairy herd, looking after over 300 Jersey cows, which involves milking, calf rearing and cleaning. As well as this, she owns her own herd of pedigree Dexter cattle that are reared for breeding and beef production. 

In her spare time, Helen is a member of a number of clubs and societies and uses her experience to give talks and presentations to various groups about her chosen profession and life as a young female farmer and is committed to helping young people understand more about the career opportunities available in farming and agriculture. 

Helen will use the vehicle to transport feed for the cattle through tricky terrains and across dirt tracks in her area. She will also use it to transport the cattle themselves which she is currently unable to do in her current compact vehicle. 

Tomos Evans, 29, Sheep Farmer from Carmarthen, Wales: The retirement of Tomos’s parents led him to take up the family farming business and continue to lead their livestock enterprise. 

Since 2012, he has developed a successful flock of pedigree Texel sheep, pedigree Coloured Ryelands, Black Limouosins and 150 Welsh Mules. Tomos is a member of the South Wales Texel Club and currently Vice Chairman and a member of the Royal Welsh Show's Youth Forum. 

Tomos will use the Land Rover Discovery Sport to access his rented land in eight different locations and to tow the animals from field to field for grazing, as well as to shows and sales.

Jeremy Hicks, Jaguar Land Rover UK Managing Director said, “We are really excited to announce the five winners of this year’s bursary with The Prince’s Countryside Fund. 

UK farming is a crucial part of our economy and the breadth of different careers our winners are carving for themselves demonstrates just how important diversification is becoming for young people to prosper in the industry. 

They are also showing other young people that farming is an exciting, multi-dimensional career choice. We hope that each one of them will truly benefit from the loan of the Discovery Sport, with the vehicle and the savings made on other transport costs, helping to take their projects to the next level.”

Claire Saunders, director of The Prince’s Countryside Fund said: “We’re delighted to be able to support five ambitious young people who are making huge strides in their rural careers. 

These entrepreneurs are great ambassadors for young people making a difference in their rural communities. 

Our partnership with Land Rover has provided a great opportunity for people who live and work in the countryside and everyone involved with The Prince’s Countryside Fund is excited to follow their journey this year and see the difference these vehicles can make.”

Jaguar First to give 11-17 year olds the opportunity from Jaguar to have driving lesson experience, not cheap though.

• Jaguar First scheme to educate young people on safe, responsible driving
• Launches at six venues across the UK
• 11-17 year-olds to get behind the wheel of a new Jaguar XE in environments which realistically represent public roads

The all-new Jaguar XE is achieving widespread praise from its first owners following its launch earlier this year, andfrom today the Jaguar sports saloon experience is offered to the next generation of drivers with the launch of ‘Jaguar First. 

This new scheme from Jaguar offers driving lesson experience days to 11-17 year-olds to help prepare them for their driving test and for driving safely and responsibly on public roads.

Jaguar First lessons start from just £45 and are available to book at www.jaguarfirst.com. The lessons offer under 17s a fun and safe way to experience driving a car, in a realistic on-the-road environment, with a focus on the skills and attitude needed to become a responsible driver.

Youngsters will drive a 2.0-litre, 180 PS diesel XE with automatic transmission, the most advanced and efficient sports saloon car that Jaguar has ever produced. Lessons will be delivered by government approved driving instructors in Jaguar XEs featuring dual controls.

Lesson content will mirror on road lessons for those with provisional licences, but will take place on specially designed private road systems at the following venues:

• Allianz Park, London
• Bath and West Showground, Bath
• Edgbaston Cricket Ground, Birmingham
• EventCity, Manchester
• Lingfield Park Racecourse, Surrey
• Ricoh Arena, Coventry

Once they’ve mastered the basics, youngsters will be able to progress to driving in two-way traffic, dealing with junctions and roundabouts, master turning and steering through slaloms and practice bay andreverse parking. At some venues, there will also be areas where drivers can safely experience the handling of the car at higher speeds of up to 40 miles an hour.

Research has shown that learning to drive responsibly from an earlier age lowers the risk of accidents. Four hundred people are killed each year in the UK in accidents involving young drivers, and one in five newly qualified drivers will crash their car within six months of passing their test. By extending the period of learning with a qualified instructor, and by introducing the concept at an age when they’re more receptive to safety messages, this figure can drop by more than half.

Mark Cameron, Jaguar Land Rover Experiential Marketing Director, said: “Jaguar First is about introducing young people to the concept of responsible driving, helping them in turn to become safer drivers, and also raising their awareness of safety as a pedestrian or cyclist. The XE is a great car for this, as it offers the very latest in technology and innovation, and is also ideal for helping teach young people about environmentally responsible driving.

“The lessons are also great fun and an exciting yet safe way to give new drivers a sense of what it’s like to be in control of a car. We have chosen venues across the country to give as many people as possible the opportunity to try their first drive in a Jaguar. Whether our customers choose a 30, 60 or 90 minute experience, they will spend the whole time in the car, driving.”