YOUNG motorists were offered a hard-hitting lesson on the consequences of poor driving at a special session in Dorchester.

More than 300 young drivers and those who are planning to get behind the wheel took part in the roadshow being piloted at Dorchester's Thomas Hardye School as part of the Safe Drive Stay Alive scheme.

The event, organised by Dorset Fire and Rescue Service, is designed to prevent accidents caused by careless driving among young people and has been successfully running in Wiltshire for some time.

Linzi Holt, children and young people co-ordinator for Dorset Fire and Rescue Service, said the presentation is aimed at students aged 16 to 18 and seeks to target young people who have applied for or are applying for a driving licence and may own or borrow their own transport.

She said: "Dorset Fire and Rescue Service are very keen to promote and support the imitative and this is just one of the things the service is doing in order to reach its strategic aim of improving community safety by risk reduction, in particular the target of reducing the number of deaths and serious injuries in road traffic collisions.

"The benefit of this presentation to schools lies within its direct link to citizenship within the national curriculum.

"It supports young people with knowledge, understanding and skills to play an active part in society and have influence within their own communities."

She said that the success of the roadshow was down to the other organisations including the police and ambulance who explain how they deal with collisions.