The national rollout of keys2drive - an innovative driver education program which will provide up to 200,000 free driving lessons to learner drivers and their parents - has begun.

I made the announcement today during a visit to Newstead College in Launceston - appropriate given the roll out will start in Tasmania before moving to the other states and territories from September.

keys2drive will:

• Provide learner drivers and a parent or mentor with a free professional driving lesson from an accredited instructor;


• Support parents and mentors with instructional material and practical guidance on how to provide effective supervision and training to a learner driver;


• Have an interactive website offering short instructional videos, educational games and the location of their nearest accredited driving instructor; and


• Deliver the country's first ever national accreditation scheme for driving instructors.

A young person is at greater risk of being involved in a fatal car accident than drivers from any other age group, with nearly a third of people killed on Australian roads aged 16 to 25.

In fact, young people go from being one of the safest drivers when on their L's to being the most likely to have a crash the moment they get their P plates.

We must and are doing more to prevent these tragedies

keys2drive is an important new road safety initiative. It will provide extra incentive for novice drivers to get more on-the-road experience as well as assist those supervising them become better informed and more confident.

The program is a practical way of equipping young people with the skills they need for a lifetime of safer driving.

keys2drive has been developed by the Australian Automobile Association (AAA), the Royal Automobile Club of Tasmania and other motoring clubs around Australia, with funding from the Federal Government and support from the driver training industry.

For more information about the program: www.keys2drive.com.au.