A DRIVER from Pendle has steered his way to the national final of a contest to find Britain's safest motorist.

Ashley Holt, of Foulridge, beat off competition from 2,500 other drivers across the country to join the final 31 hopefuls bidding for the top prize of a Mitsubishi Carisma GDI car.

Mr Holt, 46, who has been driving for nearly 30 years, will be at Millbrook test track near Milton Keynes tomorrow competing for the title in the Daily Telegraph/Mitsubishi Motors Driver of the Year competition.

He started his bid for the national accolade by completing a questionnaire on various aspects of driving before moving on to be assessed by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.

Then he had to prove his expertise behind the wheel on skid control, ABS manoeuvres, slalom and precision driving.

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