TY Driving Course

On Monday and Tuesday, the 23 and 24 April, TY's participated in a day-long Road Safety and Driving Course at Whiteriver Park Circuit, Co. Louth.

Throughout the day, we were given a presentation on road safety and a demonstration about the effects of alcohol on driver awareness. In the workshop, we learned some key facts about cars and road use, which will come in handy for those that are thinking about taking their Theory Test this summer. We were shown how to change the tyre of a car, and how to open the bonnet of a car to inspect the oil and water levels, etc. We also got the chance to compete to see who had the fastest reaction time when it came to braking the car - in the end, Hannah Mannion and Seona Darling won, with Seona having a record-breaking time of 0.32 seconds! (The average for road users is 0.47 seconds.)

The most exciting part of the day was of course, getting to drive a car around the track, because for most of us, it was our first time behind the wheel. We took turns driving dual-control cars under the supervision of a driving instructor. While we were all very slow at the beginning, in fear of crashing our cars and making an absolute fool out of ourselves in front of our friends, who were passengers in the backseats, we eventually got the hang of it, and after half an hour or so, all of the cars were flying around the track no problem! Which also learned how to reverse park, which was quite tricky. Overall, it was a really fun day, and I think we'll all be a lot more prepared for what to expect when we do go for our first driving lessons. The day also reinforced what we learned throughout the year about road safety, and hopefully now, after experiencing what it's actually like to be a car driver, we'll better understand the importance of the rules of the road.