ABOUT 400 youngsters are being prepared for the dangers of driving with the help of a simulator.

The machine, provided by the British School of Motoring, is being used in the Drive for Life safety event, which began at Durham Constabulary's headquarters, at Aykley Heads, Durham, yesterday.

With its help, 16-year-olds from County Durham and Darlington are learning what it is like to handle a car on the open road and testing their reactions to potential dangers.

They are also being given talks by paramedics and watching video footage of the horrific aftermath of a crash in which five young people died when a vehicle burst into flames.

To give them a realistic insight into being involved in an accident, the youngsters are going through the experience of being cut from a wrecked car by firefighters.

The event, organised by Durham Police and the Durham Agency Against Crime (DAAC), with support from local authorities, the fire and ambulance services, the Driver Vehicle Licence Agency (DVLA), and private companies, is aimed at young drivers before they set out on the roads.

Statistics show that while 17 to 25-year-olds comprise only ten per cent of driving licence holders, they are involved in 40 per cent of collisions.

PC Dave Nixon, Durham Police's road casualty reduction officer, said: "We are targeting those who will become the most vulnerable of road users when they get a licence to drive within a matter of months.

"The aim is to get the safety message across to them before they have had the chance to develop bad driving habits and, as a result, they won't become road casualties."