Pass Plus
Pass Plus is a government scheme which was developed to redress the overrepresentation of young drivers involved in road accidents. A pilot project launched by the Scottish Executive in February 2007 was aimed at encouraging more new drivers aged 17 to 25 in Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray, in addition to support already provided by the councils in those areas. RSS helped promote the initiative by providing pull-up banners (pictured on the left) for use in the Grampian area. The level of involvement varies among authorities, eleven of which currently support the scheme in Scotland, although in Fife, the scheme is supported by the police. Some examples of support are as follows.
Argyll and Bute Council was the first Scottish Local Authority to offer a grant to new drivers on completion of Pass Plus training. This form of encouragement commenced in 1997 and continues to the present day. The Council is currently offering to refund £75 on receipt of a copy of the Pass Plus certificate. Applications must be submitted from an Argyll and Bute address and received within six months of completing the course. In return, the council asks that recipients complete four short questionnaires over the following year which can be issued as hard copy or by e-mail. For more information e-mail Jennifer MacNab or phone 01546 604 162.
Fife Constabulary Road Safety Unit launched Pass Plus in February 1999 and since then has put over 2,100 new drivers through the scheme. The Road Safety Manager, Jane Greer, carried out research that was published in October 2003, which proved that Pass Plus is effective and is indeed a project worth supporting. Fife RSU received a Prince Michael Road Safety Award and a Certificate of Merit from the DSA for their work carried out in relation to Pass Plus.
In Fife, new drivers who wish to take part in the scheme are required to register with the RSU and follow a set of guidelines. One of the agreement points is that they must go to a 'New Drivers Evening', which occur every two weeks. At the 90-minute session, they learn about the dangers they face when out on the roads and the responsibility that comes with driving. They are shown real crash scenarios and discussion takes place around them.
After attending the evening, each person receives a reference number. They can then contact an ADI (Advanced Driving Instructor) who is listed with Fife RSU and make arrangements to take Pass Plus. The pupil pays the ADI £35 and the ADI then claims £85 at the end of the course from the RSU's sponsorship fund. This equates to a 75% reduction in the cost of the course. The ADI’s who take part must be registered with DSA to carry out Pass Plus and must have agreed to contribute one hour of the tuition for free.
Since 2004, West Lothian Council has been paying 50% subsidies for new drivers undertaking Pass Plus. Over a two year period, more than 200 new drivers benefitted from this. The Council looked at ways to try and increase uptake of the scheme and found that by recruiting more DSA driving instructors, uptake increased significantly. Also, in a collaborative effort between the Council, Lothian & Borders Police RSU, the Community Safety Partnership and the Driving Instructors Association of West Lothian, an initiative was launched called Westdrive Pass Plus. The aim of the scheme is to promote Pass Plus within the West Lothian area and is available to all new drivers within their first year of driving. The partnership pays £55 towards a Pass Plus course taken with a pass plus instructor, registered with the RSU. For more information, e-mail fdiv.road.safety@lbp.pnn.police.uk.
Orkney Islands Council part-funded five Pass Plus students in 2005-06 together with the Road Safety Forum. The Council then received further funding from their Road Safety Promotion Group for a further fifteen students over a three year period. The local School Travel Plan Co-ordinator, Yvonne Scott, managed to secure some local press coverage to raise awareness of the scheme.
Angus Council subsidises and administers the scheme through their Roads Division. The Council contributes a grant of £60 to young drivers in Angus who wish to participate. For more details of the scheme in Angus click here.
Perth & Kinross Council subsidise 50% of the cost of the training and even raised this to 75% for a limited time. The Council operate a similar scheme for motorcyclists called Bike Plus. This is a post-test rider development programme for which the 50% subsidy is also available. For more information about Pass Plus and Bike Plus in the Perth & Kinross area click here.
West Dunbartonshire Council have been supporting the scheme since April 2007 by providing a grant of £100 to participants in the scheme. For more information about the scheme in West Dunbartonshire click here.
Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary, supported by D&G Council, run a scheme known as Safer Wheels. The project, which has run since 2000, aims to train drivers between the ages of 17 and 25 to a Pass Plus standard. Four hours of free instruction from a Pass Plus accredited instructor are provided to participants. If they wish, they can then discuss with the instructor the possibility of this training going towards completion of the Pass Plus scheme. So far, 200 new drivers have taken advantage of this initiative.
In conjunction with the Community Safety Partnership and Strathclyde Fire and Rescue, South Lanarkshire Council are encouraging newly qualified drivers to take part in Pass Plus by providing a £75 grant towards the cost. To find out more, click here.