Connor McAteer, a young learner driver from Cumbernauld, was chosen from thousands of entrants to win a brand new Volkswagen Polo with Good Egg Drivers young drivers’ competition as part of the in-school workshop.
Connor was presented with the brand new Volkswagen Polo by the Good Egg team in front of his teachers, mum and fellow students at Greenfaulds High School.
Connor, who is preparing to take his driving test in February 2016, said about his win;
‘I can’t describe the feeling of winning this, people only dream of getting such an amazing prize that I thought it was a wind up! The workshop was great – not just because I won a car – but because I learnt things I didn’t know about. None of us knew about the different qualifications for driving instructors or that we are in such a high risk age group. I’d recommend Good Egg Drivers to any of my mates who are serious about learning to drive well.’
The Good Egg team handing over the car, donated by Arnold Clark, included Christie Doran, programme ambassador and Scottish motor racing driver and Rookie Racer for The Scottish Sun.
Christie commented; ‘It was a real buzz to be able to give away the car to Connor, especially after seeing him attend one of our popular workshops in his school.’
Working together
Campaign chief Jan James added; ‘We are delighted that Connor has won this. His school has been especially supportive of this programme and his teachers really impressed us with the emphasis they put on student pastoral care alongside good academic performance, both are equally important.
‘We had over 5,000 entries from young people this year and thanks to the generosity of our partners Arnold Clark, we now have another new car to be won next year, which is one of the many great incentives we offer for young people to engage in this potentially life-saving programme.’
Also attending the car handover was Paddy Alder PT Pupil Support and Work Experience, who said; ‘Having carefully evaluated the Good Egg Drivers programme with our S6 students, they have told us that it has really helped raise their awareness of safe driving practices. A lot of the students felt it gave them the confidence to tell a driver to slow down if they felt they were driving too fast and be able to explain why they felt that way, which is really very encouraging to hear.’
Good Egg Drivers Guide
The workshop the pupils at Greenfaulds High School, and many other schools, took part in was developed by Good Egg Drivers to deliver key safety messages to students in a face-to-face environment. The Good Egg Drivers Guide and subsequent workshops were developed to help reduce the high number of young driver/passenger casualties, after research showed that they represent a small percentage of licence holders but account for approximately a quarter of all fatalities and remain the most vulnerable road users in the UK and throughout the world.
The impact of the workshops has exceeded all expectations from Good Egg Drivers and as a result they have committed to reach as many young drivers as possible through the education network nationally.
Jan James said; ‘Rigorous Independent evaluation has underlined the effectiveness and importance of this programme in helping tackle the unacceptable high number of young driver and passenger casualties on UK roads.’
The car was provided by the Arnold Clark Group, we have been working with the Good Egg Drivers initiative for some time to help new drivers make safer choices on the roads. As a responsible dealer Arnold Clark has a stock of the Good Egg Drivers Guides on hand to accompany any purchase made by new drivers, or those looking to begin driving.
Eddie Hawthorne, Group Managing Director at Arnold Clark said:
‘Arnold Clark is very proud to help young drivers stay safe on the road through our support of the Good Egg Drivers Initiative. It is important that new drivers understand the risks and dangers that the roads present, and ensure that they protect their licence through safe and considerate driving at all times. We would like to offer our congratulations to Connor and wish him all the best for sitting his test in the coming months.’