PFA & DriveTech team up to deliver driver awareness training to 1,500 top young footballers

12 January 2005

PFA scholars, PFA CEO Gordon Taylor and DriveTech's PFA team leader Tony Betancourt inside new VW Golf GTi (Click here or on image to download full size image)

DriveTech, the leading UK occupational road risk company, today (Wednesday, 12 th January 2005) kicks off its contract and business partnership, with The Professional Footballer's Association (PFA) to be their preferred supplier of driver awareness training.

The major new PFA initiative, providing 1,500 young professional footballers with the ‘life skills’ to become safe, pro-active and responsible car drivers, is being launched by the Professional Footballers’ Association in conjunction with DriveTech (UK), the country’s leading provider of at-work driving risk management, driver assessment and driver training solutions.

The driver awareness training, provided free of charge by the PFA to all trainees and youth team players at the 92 Premier League and Football League clubs, is designed, developed and delivered by Berkshire-based DriveTech on behalf of the PFA.

Mr Gordon Taylor, CEO of the PFA said: ‘We believe that this PFA initiative will reduce the risk of death or serious injury on the roads involving young professional footballers.’

The three-hour driver awareness programme will be delivered to the young professional footballers - the PFA scholars - at their individual clubs.

Gordon Taylor of PFA, Dennis Tueart of Man City, Chris Howell of DriveTech with PFA Scholars (Click here or on image to download full size image)

Each footballer will initially complete a driver risk assessment to determine their risk exposure rating. The assessment will then be followed by a two-hour inter-active workshop during which DriveTech’s experts will address key driving issues such as speed awareness, driver fatigue, the impact of alcohol and drugs on drivers, mobile phone usage and observation and manoeuvring while behind the wheel.

Mr Taylor said: ‘During the first half of 2005, we hope that all Premier and Football League clubs will hold courses for their young professional footballers. It will focus on the consequences of the decisions they make while behind the wheel.

‘I believe that each player’s attitude and behaviour while driving will be enhanced as well as their competency to drive. The initiative will not teach the players how to drive, but it will teach them how to drive safely.

Mr Chris Howell, Chairman of DriveTech said: ‘Not only are young drivers the most vulnerable on our roads, but young professional footballers frequently drive powerful cars. There are a number of tragic examples of footballers’ careers ending because of wrong decisions made while behind the wheel.

‘The PFA initiative will minimise the on road risk faced not only by the young players, but also their families and the communities in which they live.’

Volkswagen, DriveTech’s risk management partner, will be providing two new Golf GTIs to assist with the PFA programme.

• Photographs from the official launch of the driver awareness training initiative can be downloaded from DriveTech’s website - www.drivetech.co.uk

Statistics

Government figures reveal that young drivers between 17 and 25 years of age are more likely to be involved in a road traffic accident than any other age group. Specifically, within the first two years of passing the driving test, new drivers are more vulnerable than any other drivers:

• One in five new drivers has an accident in their first year on the road
• 17-21-year-olds represent only 7% of all driving licence holders, but they make up 13% of drivers involved in injury accidents
• Young drivers have more accidents in the evenings and early mornings than older drivers and a higher proportion of these are single-vehicle accidents
• Speed is a considerably more significant factor in young-driver accidents than it is in accidents involving older drivers
• Alcohol, fatigue and peer pressure from friends also contributes to accidents involving young drivers.

PFA Driver Awarness Initiative Football Industry Support Statements

‘Professional footballers are role models to many and we have a duty to promote projects that make the roads safer. The PFA’s driver awareness initiative is another example of our union looking after the interests of its members at all levels and with regards to specific skills that are important in every day life. The dangers of driving are apparent from the many instances that are broadcast on the news and the topics like fatigue, speed awareness and mobile phone usage covered through the training will help educate the next generation of footballers.’

Neil Mellor, Liverpool FC

‘The PFA’s driver awareness initiative is an excellent programme which will help to educate and provide young members with the necessary life skills to become to responsible road users. It is also further testimony to the PFA’s continued support of its membership, and their commitment to the professional game both on and off the pitch.’

Joe Royle, Manager, Ipswich Town.

‘Safe driving is not just an issue for footballers, but for all road-users. It is great to see however that once again the PFA is taking a pro-active approach to a publicly sensitive subject and providing basic driver training to young footballers. Young players are important role models and as such should be there to lead by example. Undertaking this fundamental training demonstrates that both the PFA and the players themselves take that responsibility very seriously.’

Phil Neal, Ex Liverpool FC and England

‘The PFA is to be congratulated on introducing a safe driving initiative for young footballers. In view of unfortunate past events, it was imperative that driver life skills became a part of the training and education process for scholars and trainees in order to highlight and address problems such as speed, fatigue, and misuse of alcohol.’

John Barnwell, Chief Executive, League Managers Association.

About the PFA

The Professional Footballer’s Association is the world’s longest established professional sportsmen’s union who directly and indirectly employ over 250 people in key areas such as education and training for post-football careers, accident and medical insurance, coaching, financial management, contract advice and pension management for its 4,000 members both here and abroad.

The PFA are also partners, together with the other bodies in football, as managing agents for the Football Scholarship Programme and the Football in the Community Programme, which has been in existence since 1986.

The PFA has also been keen to initiate and develop the drug awareness programme and anti racism campaign whilst working with other professional sports Associations in the Institute of Professional Sport and global football involvement in FIFPro - the confederation of international football players’ unions comprising over 40 countries, the President of which is Gordon Taylor, Chief Executive of the PFA.

To Contact the PFA

Head Office

Tel. 0161 236 0575
Fax. 0161 228 7229

Website. www.givemefootball.com
email info@thepfa.co.uk

-ends-

About DriveTech (UK)
DriveTech (UK) is the UK's leading provider of ‘driving at work’ risk management, driver assessment and driver training solutions.

DriveTech’s goal is to reduce both an organisation’s vehicle business costs and the personal risk for ‘at work’ drivers, by significantly improving driver ABC – attitude, behaviour and competence – therefore supporting driver safety and corporate ‘duty of care’ requirements.

DriveTech (UK) has won the Institute of Transport Management’s ‘Fleet Award for Driver Training’ in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004.

DriveTech (UK) can be contacted at enquiries@drivetech.co.uk, telephone 01344 467881 or via its website at www.drivetech.co.uk

For further information contact:

Ashley Martin (telephone 01733 390691) or Arthur Dalziel (01344 762890)

AWD Communications Ltd.