Future in Safe Hands

Young drivers learn all aspects of road safety at latest Academy workshop.

The latest workshop of the FIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy has focused on one of the most important aspects of the programme: road safety.
For the last five days the drivers have been learning about all aspects of road safety, with each of them expected to become safety ambassadors for this cause during their careers.
To help with this, the Academy has been making use of the resources and coaching available at Test & Training International's Road Safety Training Centre in Teesdorf, Austria. Here the drivers have been educated in all areas of safety from learning the right mental approach to understanding the engineering advances such as anti-lock braking and stability control.
They then took to the track to further increase their knowledge with tests on variable road surfaces to demonstrate how to deal with driving hazards. The emphasis throughout has been on behaviour-orientated training for the drivers so they can convey passive and active road safety information in both a practical and theoretical form.
FIA Institute experts were also on hand to provide further education. FIA Institute Medical Advisor Dr Paul Trafford gave a presentation on all areas of motor sport medicine, including driver preparation, accident response and vehicle extraction. FIA Institute Sustainability Advisor Even Wiger gave a presentation on environmental developments in motor sport, a subject that will become increasingly relevant for the young drivers.
Equipping them with this knowledge will not just help them on a personal level but also give them the ability to deal with sensitive questions about safety and sustainability in motor sport.
The drivers themselves have embraced this education, with some of them already actively participating in road safety campaigns in their own countries. Rally driver Craig Breen, for instance, is an ambassador for Motor Sport Ireland's Road Safety Initiative. Race driver Gabby Chavez has been leading a campaign in his home state of Florida to encourage people to stop texting whilst driving.
Chavez said: "After I was selected for the Academy, the Florida Highway Patrol heard about it and invited me to help out with their drivers' ed programme in high schools. They then thought I would be an ideal person to front a campaign to encourage teenagers to stop texting whilst driving.
"The Academy opened that door and gives me credibility to do this. It has helped me to be a better teacher and this will benefit me in the future."
Australian rally driver Brendan Reeves added: "The road safety training will help in our careers not just in terms of being safe, but also in that we can pass on this education in our countries and participate in important campaigns. This may have the extra benefit of giving us exposure to potential new sponsors.
"After this workshop I will certainly be more encouraged to get involved with safety campaigns at home because I think there is a lot I can teach people and there is a potential benefit on both sides."