Peugeot Sponsorship Means a Chance To Win A New Car in The 2009 Young Driver of the Year Competition

COVENTRY, UNITED KINGDOM – May 19, 2009: The Coventry and Warwickshire Young Driver of the Year Competition, sponsored by Peugeot, returns for a third year with the search for the region’s best young driver today, and with the chance to win a brand new and insured, Peugeot 107, so the competition is again expected to be hotly contested.

Organisers are searching for exceptional young people to enter the competition; drivers aged 17-21 who can demonstrate a responsible attitude, an ability and desire to improve their driving skills, a willingness to listen to feedback and to learn quickly from the experts. To have a chance of winning they’ll need to exhibit an assured and confident driving manner, the capability to handle a vehicle under pressure and in challenging environments, and demonstrate consistently high standards in a range of driving situations.

The competition is run by Warwickshire County and Coventry City Council’s Road Safety Teams with the support of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, MIRA, and sponsored by Peugeot – all keen to encourage safe driving practices amongst young people and reduce casualty numbers within this group. In 2008, some 25% of car occupants killed on UK roads were aged 17-21.

Young drivers aged 17-21 can enter by completing and returning an entry form available by filling in a form online at www.coventry.gov.uk/youngdrivercompetition. The entry form contains three multiple choice questions and a tiebreaker in which the entrants will need to convince the judges that they deserve to be one of the entrants to the 2009 Coventry and Warwickshire Young Driver of the Year. The closing date for entries is 21st September 2009.

Brian Pierce, Warwickshire County Council’s Driver Education Services Manager, said: “We are delighted to be supporting this competition again. It is an initiative now in its third year that is giving the participating young drivers knowledge and skills that will help them stay safe throughout their driving careers.”

Councillor Kevin Foster, from Coventry City Council became a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists when he was 19, and said: “This is an excellent example of a major company working with local groups to crucially improve road safety. This will help get young drivers focused on road safety and hopefully encourage more to look at going on to improve their driving skills by becoming advanced motorists.”

Peugeot’s Managing Director Pierre Louis Colin said: “Peugeot has strong appeal with the young-at-heart, by being stylish, affordable, compact and with low operating costs, and if this initiative prevents one accident or serious injury it will be worth the investment we place in this young driver competition.”

Mick Lacey, Coventry & District Group of the Institute of Advanced Motorists said “This initiative is aimed squarely at younger drivers, who are most at risk when they first get behind the wheel. We congratulate the organisers and are pleased to be a part of the commendable initiative.”

MIRA’s CEO Dr George Gillespie remarked: “Once again we’re proud to host this event and aim to make a real difference to the driving behaviour of the contestants by providing indelible memories for all those involved, not just the lucky winner. The activities on our Proving Ground provide a visceral demonstration of the powerful forces at play in a moving vehicle … something that often surprises young drivers. As an engineering company we design safer cars to mitigate the effects of poor driving decisions. This event tackles those driving decisions head on, that’s why I urge young drivers to take up this challenge.”

The previous competitions in 2007 and 2008 attracted hundreds of entries and resulted in 21 year olds Sean Oliver and Karl Fowler winning the title of Young Driver of the Year along with a brand new, fully insured, Peugeot car.

2007 winner, Sean said: “I was so pleased I entered the competition. I won a fabulous brand new Peugeot car, had a lot of fun on the driving days and got some really useful advice and feedback on my driving – there’s always something to learn.”

Karl Fowler, the second Coventry and Warwickshire Young Driver of the Year Competition winner said: “It’s been a great experience. I’d encourage other young drivers to enter this competition next year and I’d also recommend getting some extra driver training. As I’ve discovered, professional driver training can help you to become a much better driver.”

TV motoring correspondent, Quentin Willson, who has supported this initiative since 2007, said: “Safe driving begins with education and I believe that young drivers are poorly served. Accident statistics prove that novice drivers need much more early training behind the wheel. Peugeot's Young Driver of the Year competition teaches and celebrates those critical life-saving skills. It’s an honour to be involved”.

The competition: This is the third year the competition has been held with Warwickshire County Council, Coventry City Council, Peugeot and the Institute of Advanced Motorists working together to try and improve driver attitudes and driving skills in the 17 to 21 age category.

Young drivers will have until 21st September to get their entries in. From here 50 drivers will be short listed and attend a driving day on October 4th where various skills will be tested, from parking to controlling a car on the skid pan. The day will also include a drive on public roads assessed by the Institute of Advanced Motorists and a driving theory test. Following this day, 12 drivers will be short listed for a final day of challenges on October 18th. The winner will be announced at a ceremony on 22nd October 2009.