Learner drivers in the Eurobodalla Shire needing a hand with their 120 hours have received a boost after a major funding announcement for the council’s driving program on Friday.
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On June 15, the future of the Y Drive program was shored up for another 18 months with a $125,000 funding commitment from the NSW Government, allowing a further 30 young drivers to get on the roads.
The program, launched in July 2017, pairs volunteer mentors with young learner drivers to assist them in accruing their 120 hours of experience.
Y Drive coordinator, Angie McMillan, said 12 drivers had been through the program so far and three had successfully attained their provisional licence.
Bodalla’s own Wade Mongta is a Y Drive success story and recently obtained his licence after completing the program.
“They come out really safe drivers and they learn properly and complete the full 120 hours,” Ms McMillan said.
“The kids are coming out much better drivers and are getting their licence first go with the RMS.
“The RMS thinks it’s a great project and if we tell them the kids are from Y Drive, they know they’ve done all the things they’re supposed to, which your average young kid doesn’t always get to do.”
Ms McMillan said the program had particular benefits for young drivers from low socio-economic backgrounds.
“For disadvantaged young people, getting your licence is hard,” she said.
“They’ve got no car at home, no-one with a licence to take them driving, they can’t afford lessons, they can’t afford the driver course and they may not have someone who can dedicate to taking them out.
“This is why the mentors from the community are such a help. They form a really good bond with the learner and they get so much more out of it other than the driving lessons.”
Moruya mother Virginia Allen first heard about the Y Drive program in the newspaper last year and was keen to get her 18-year-old daughter Jaimee involved.
“(The program) has been invaluable,” Ms Allen said.
“There’s no way I could afford driving lessons.
“Her mentor has been taking her over to Canberra, on really long trips and night drives … she wouldn’t have got the hours up otherwise.”
Ms Allen said having a licence was crucial for Jaimee, especially with limited public transport options in the region.
“It will give her the independence, and when she gets her job, she’s going to need it,” she said.
“Living here, with the lack of public transport, you have to have a car.”
After completing her 120 hours of practical experience, Jaimee is ready to sit her Ps test and is saving to buy her first car.
Jaimee said she enjoyed taking part in the program.
“It was really good; I enjoyed it a lot,” Jaimee said.
“I met really lovely people and they helped me a lot.
“I’ll be able to drive to town and go to work when I get a job, so that will help me a lot.”
While she still hopes to nail the reverse park with a few more lessons before the big test, she had this advice for other learners: “Just keep practising”.
The program wouldn’t be possible without the help of mentors such as Jeff Halls, who has helped his mentee, Jordan, accrue 40 hours of driving experience.
The Moruya resident didn’t have any experience as a driver instructor, but was eager to help young drivers in the shire.
“I saw the program in the paper and they were advertising for mentors,” Mr Halls said.
“So, I thought, ‘I’ve got time on my hands, so I’ll give a little bit back to the community, just as the community’s given to me’.
“I’ve got a lovely young bloke who I’ve been taking out ... he’s coming along leaps and bounds and going good.”
Despite a few extra grey hairs, Mr Halls said the experience was rewarding.
“I know I’m helping the boy out – he’s got no other way of getting a licence,” Mr Halls said.
“He lives out of town and he’s got a job, so he’s got to get to work somehow.
“Then, (young people) can continue on after that. Get to TAFE, further afield and they’re not stuck in the one job all the time.”
Eurobodalla Shire Mayor Liz Innes said she was proud to be associated with Y Drive.
“Having a driver license opens up opportunities for work and study and gives young people independence,” Cr Innes said.
“The council’s youth team has done an amazing job developing Y Drive and now we can shift it up a gear with this fantastic funding from the NSW Government.”
Attorney General Speakman said he was pleased to be supporting a community-driven initiative to make NSW roads safer and reduce the cycle of disadvantage.
“If a young person doesn’t have a licence and can’t access public transport, they might take risks or break the law to get to their destination,” Mr Speakman said.
“We don’t want to see inexperienced youth driving unsupervised and ending up with a criminal record or becoming a road toll statistic.”
Recent research by the NSW Police Force showed 22 per cent of licence offences within the Eurobodalla Shire were committed by people aged 16 to 25, with young people who never held a licence accounting for around 14 per cent of the offences.
The NSW Government is providing Eurobodalla Shire Council with funding for Y Drive under the Community Safety Fund program, which will deliver $10 million in community grants over four years.