A NEW road safety scheme encouraging youngsters to be responsible behind the wheel has put the driving of their parents under scrutiny.

The pilot course was created by Blackburn with Darwen Council’s Casualty Reduction Team to cut crashes involving young people.

It saw eight people aged from 14 to 17 learn about road safety with their parents.

Organiser Steve Johnson said parents were put in the driving seat and they were critiqued by instructors, keen to point out that bad habits can be picked up by new drivers from their parents.

He said the message on the day was that a single bad decision, such as not wearing a seat belt or speeding, could result in a serious if not fatal crash.

Mr Johnson said: “It is all about reducing risk-taking behaviour.

“We decided to really bring home the problem to the parents and say that if they can improve how they drive then it will make a difference to what their children do behind the wheel.

“It was also important to give parents ideas of what problems to look out for. Young drivers going out late at night and carrying a lot of passengers are more likely to be involved in accidents.”

The Casualty Reduction Team is trying to encourage schools to join the educational programme and is seeking funding to run the event for free with parents involved.

The pilot sessions took place at the Shadsworth Community Centre in Blackburn on Saturday.

It is hoped a similar programme will eventually become part of a graduated driving licence which is one of the key aims of the Lancashire Telegraph’s Wasted Lives campaign.

The Telegraph campaign has called for more to be done to cut the carnage on our roads caused by young, and often male, drivers.

Wasted Lives has proposed a number of legislative and educational reforms – including the introduction of graduated licenses – in a bid to stop the carnage of the under 25s who die in crashes each year.

Mr Johnson added: “The educational package is about giving youngsters the information to make choices.

“I give them information, statistics and show them the consequences of doing certain things such as not wearing a seat belt.

“The message is pay attention or pay the price. They are the passengers of today but they are the drivers of tomorrow. ”