IN excess of 170 young farmers have taken part in Driver Awareness Sessions at fire stations the length and breadth of the county over the past year.

Aimed specifically at those aged 16 plus, the sessions were developed in conjunction with Cumbria Fire and Rescue and Cumbria Police to inform and give Cumbria’s young farmers the opportunity to access information and to ask questions to help them stay safe on the county’s roads.

Young farmers attending the sessions have learnt about the risks and challenges facing new drivers through watching a variety of informational and experiential videos, car cutting exercises, group discussions and through using Virtual Reality headsets to experience the effects of a collision.

Watch Manager, Dean Readman said "Having a joint delivery model with Cumbria Police allows us to work towards our goal of Vision Zero which aims to half the number of persons killed and seriously injured on Cumbrian roads by 2030 and reduce the number of people killed on our roads to Zero by 2040.”

The Sessions have taken place at Penrith, Kendal, Workington and Carlisle East Fire Stations. Volunteers from the Farming Community Network (FCN) have also been at all the sessions to offer their support to the project.