Driving for Success……..in the mind; under the bonnet; behind the wheel

First Gear is a project-based vehicle education programme which aims to encourage young people aged between 14 and 17 to develop positive attitudes towards the responsibilities inherent in the safe use of motor vehicles.  The programme has been developed by UK Youth with assistance from a range of organisations with expertise within the fields of road safety, driver and rider education, traffic management and the motor vehicle industry.

Young Cumbria currently deliver this quality youth work programme in all areas of the county.  The project has been developed due to the number of high road incidents involving young drivers in county.  Many young people are rurally isolated which increases their aspiration to learn to drive as soon as they are old enough to do so.   There is therefore a clear need to provide a stepping stone between becoming old enough to drive and taking your driving lessons.  By learning the skills involved in driving and all other aspects of safe vehicle us, it enables young people to make a choice about their attitude to driving.

The project complements each section of the ‘Every Child Matters’ agenda; stay safe, enjoy and achieve, be healthy, make a positive contribution and to achieve economic well being.  It also focus’s on key priority recommendations highlighted in a range of national road safety reports including ‘Tomorrows Roads – Safer for Everyone (reviewed Feb 2007)’, ‘The Way Forward (2006)’ and ‘Young Driver Attitudes (2006)’, as well as contributing locally to the current Cumbria Road Safety Strategy.


In November 2007, at the Royal Automobile Club in London, Young Cumbria was presented with the Prince Michael Award to the First Gear Organiser of the Year by HRH Prince Michael of Kent GCVO.  The award, a hand-made, gold plated 1/32 scale replica of the 20/25 Rolls Royce ‘Rosinante’, was presented in recognition of Young Cumbria’s effective promotion and delivery of the First Gear programme across Cumbria, as well as development work undertaken to meet the specific needs of the county.