Steering Young Drivers to Safety

The Garage Project

Promoter: Pro Social Ireland.

Project Title: The Garage Project.

LEADER Theme: Social Inclusion / Rural Youth.

Participants: 130.

Grant: €91,821.00 @ 100% funding.

Items Procured: Supply of youth worker and essential skills tutor / Workspace and mechanics tutor / Materials / Technology / Dry Cleaning.

The Garage Project, which educated over 130 young and future drivers in Co. Donegal about road safety, took place over 18 months with €88,000 of funding from LEADER. It is over now, although groups in other counties might like to run something similar.

The programme trained boys and girls aged 14 and above, providing them with hands-on experience working on real cars, learning mechanical and bodywork skills, and the importance of road safety.

Each five-week session of the programme had ten young participants. Under the expert guidance of instructors Denis Ferry, Leslie O’Donnell, and members of the Donegal Youth Service, these budding mechanics learned about cars in a fully functional garage in Letterkenny. Young people queued up to do the course.

Denis Ferry, trainer on The Garage Project, said, “The Garage Project harnessed the passion young people have for cars. It educated them about safety before they hit the road, reducing the potential risks and ensuring they do not jeopardise lives. The course is designed to instil respect for cars, an understanding of how they function, self-respect, and respect for all road users.”

PART OF A BIGGER PROGRAMME

The Garage Project is one component of the Pro Social Ireland Driving programme, which was established in Donegal in 2012 at the request of Judge Paul Kelly, Inspector Michael Harrison and Tim Coughlan from the probation services. They had seen too many tragedies, many involving young people, on the county’s roads. This publication reported on the programme’s progress in 2015 and 2016, since which time it has gone from strength to strength.

The goal of the Pro Social Driving programme is to educate young people by challenging their existing thought patterns and attitudes toward driving. It aims to get them thinking about their behaviour while behind the wheel.

KNOWING THE DANGERS

Mick Quinlivan, chairperson of Pro Social Ireland said, “A major concern is that young people modify cars, cut springs, and lower them, which is extremely dangerous. This programme educates them as to why this practice is wrong and unsafe.” He said the Garage Project channelled the interest young people have in cars in the right direction, educating them before they go driving.

LEADER FUNDING

Aisling McGee, LEADER project officer with DLDC said, “The joy of this project was that all the young people would show up at the drop of a hat. They were really interested.”

“Those behind this course used to be boy-racers themselves and they wanted to see this project run successfully. But now it’s over. While we would rarely propose LEADER funding for the same project twice, we might argue for an exception here and recommend it to the Local Community Development Committee.”

In the meantime, she wished to publicise the project’s success as it could be run in other counties.

Aisling’s colleague, rural development manager, Sinead McLaughlin, said, “The Garage Project was a great example of how LEADER funding can (pardon the pun) drive positive change in our communities. It empowers our youth with invaluable skills and instils a strong commitment to road safety. We are proud to support initiatives like this that make a difference in the lives of young people in Donegal. If this project can save just one young life on our roads, it will have been worth it.”

The Garage Project received support through LEADER, the Department of Rural and Community Development, Donegal Local Community Development Committee, Donegal Local Development Company, and Donegal County Council.

More info: https://dldc.org/

Also: https://www.prosocialireland.ie/