The CarKraft driver improvement scheme is now in its 17th successful year and is aimed at young drivers aged 15 to 30 years old. Renault joins Northamptonshire Highways, Northamptonshire Police and Adrian Flux Insurance, in lending support to this popular free programme at Rockingham Motor Speedway and the Porsche Experience Centre at Silverstone.
The scheme runs three courses each year, which are free of charge and offers drivers a dynamic mix of workshops allowing young people to experience driving on simulated, challenging conditions, in a range of Renault cars, including Twingo, Clio, New Captur and Mégane. It also explores the main causes of car crashes – failing to look/judge, excess and inappropriate speed, excess alcohol/drug driving and seat belt safety.
CarKraft event calendar:
Sunday 24th June – Silverstone
Saturday 1st September – Silverstone
Saturday 13th October – Rockingham
Drivers aged over 17 will be able to experience skidding to explore car control under extreme road conditions. They will also get an assessed drive on public carriageways with a police driver, who will give tips on advanced driving techniques.
Tutors running the events are all highly qualified motoring professionals with years of experience in both motor racing and advanced driving techniques.
Keith Millard, a Senior Behavioural Change Officer with Northamptonshire Highways, said: “CarKraft epitomises our behavioural change strategy, which is achieved through partnership collaboration with a range of stakeholders including Renault UK. Thanks to the resource and funding support of our partners our courses are provided free of charge to participants. We are very pleased to be able to continue working with Renault UK and their continued support with our award-winning event has helped in a continuing fall in young driver casualty numbers in Northamptonshire.”
Matthew Bendall, Head of Press and PR, Groupe Renault UK, said: “Renault’s support of CarKraft is now in its ninth year and it’s encouraging to see the correlation between the safety initiative and a reduction in serious injuries in Northamptonshire. The best part of this scheme is that it is free for anyone to attend as the events enable young drivers to understand the rules of the road better and how best to handle their car with plentiful tips from experienced tutors.”
In 2012, CarKraft expanded to include non-drivers between the ages of 15 and 25. During 2017, a pilot amendment to the scheme changed the age range for licence holders from 17 – 30yrs from anywhere in the UK in order to provide refresher training for those who have held a full licence for over a decade. The schemes have been hugely popular, regularly over-subscribed and have attracted numerous best practice visits by other local authorities.
CarKraft was awarded a Prince Michael International Road Safety Award in 2006 and was shortlisted for the FirstCar Young Driver Road Safety Awards 2015 ‘Young Driver Campaign of the Year’. Since its inception, more than 10,000 people have benefited from the unique experience, which has helped reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured in Northamptonshire to an all-time low in 2016. The figures continue to go down and since 2001; there has been an encouraging 67 per cent reduction in young driver casualties.
