Last updated 16:42, Monday, 19 May 2008

NEWLY-QUALIFIED young drivers in Cumbria are being offered at least 50 per cent discount on extra driving tuition.

The Pass Plus+ Scheme teaches how to drive on motorways, at night and in bad weather and can lead to up to 40 per cent off insurance costs.

Safer Roads for Cumbria is subsidising half of the cost of the course, leaving young drivers to find £60.

Allerdale council is going one step further and matching the county’s subsidy – so candidates in this area can do the course for free.

Kevin Tea, communications manager for Safer Roads for Cumbria, said: “We need to highlight the availability of the Pass Plus+ course to cut down on killed and serious injury collisions in this age group.”

In 2006, 14 people aged 16 to 20 died on Cumbria’s roads – almost 25 per cent of fatalities in the county.

The course involves attending a road awareness training session run by the Fire and Rescue Service.

Full details of the scheme, plus qualified driving instructors and insurance companies which provide discounts to Pass Plus+ graduates, can be found at www.saferroads4cumbria.org.uk/passplus/passplus.asp