Learning to drive in South Australia
People need a drivers license for many reasons. For many young people around Australia, access to formal driving lessons to become well trained drivers is cost prohibitive. Coupling the lack of formal driving instruction with less than satisfactory / inadequate driving role models places young drivers and other motorists at risk. In a regional Australia context, the driving environment/conditions are relatively high risk and skilled driving to suit these conditions is required.
For young people, access to a private vehicle is paramount to their overall wellbeing and development. For those wishing to be employed in one of the many trades, a license is viewed as a necessity by the majority of employers. Young people without a license are therefore highly disadvantaged when looking for employment locally or out of the region due to the lack of a license.
Another area of cencern is where young people without access to a family car, struggle to gain a license with the compulsory hours of driver practise required by each state or territory as part of the Learner requirements.. The following programs attempt to ease these challenges.
All of the above programs rely on mentors prepared to give approxiumately 2 hours of their time each week assisting Learner clients.
Mentors are given professional Driver Training
and are required to hold a National Police Clearances and a good driving record.