Facility will benefit Road Safety - Boylan
Published: 22 August, 2008
Sinn Féin Road Safety spokesperson, Cathal Boylan, has welcomed the innovative Leaner Driving facility which has recently opened in Maynooth, Co. Kildare.
Aspiring motorists as young as 14, as well as older, nervous learners can now learn to drive in a safe and secure setting.
The Leinster Driving Campus, has over two kilometres of roads on a private five acre site.
'This circuit allows a driver with little or no experience behind the wheel to encounter typical traffic handling features in a controlled environment, away from other motorists, and able to get used to steering, gears and clutch control.
As well as working traffic lights, roundabouts, zebra crossings, a yellow box junction, all the different turn lanes and a hill start section, the facility also boasts a skid pan to teach students how to detect skids earlier and control the vehicle under slippery or adverse conditions,' said the Newry and Armagh MLA.
'As far as I am aware, a significant number of enquiries have come from older learner drivers who have lost their confidence. For many adults and young people the idea of venturing onto the public roads for the first time, even with a qualified driving instructor, is a nerve-wracking prospect. As the facility is private, those as young as 14 without a learner permit can learn the basics. Sinn Féin has consistently stated that there must be new, innovative ways to improve Road Safety. This facility falls within that category. I will be asking the Environment Minister to consider replicating a similar model in the North, the more we can do to ensure all drivers, young and old are given proper training then it follows that we can do more to reduce the continuing carnage on our roads.'
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