By NATALIE GALLENTI
IF IT were not for the help of volunteers like Martin Merry, many young Melton motorists would not be behind the wheel today.
Martin is just one dedicated driving mentor offering young drivers across the municipality the opportunity to acquire their 120 hours of experience in a safe and secure environment as part of the L2P program.
The initiative, sponsored by Melton City Council and Moorabool Shire Council in partnership with VicRoads, was first launched in Melton in 2009 and allows young adults aged between 16 and 20 years to gain access to a driving mentor in order in attain the necessary hours needed before successfully getting their licence.
Co-ordinator of the Melton and Moorabool program Kim Leech said 50 licences had already been obtained, thanks to the mentoring initiative and motorists that would not have had access to a car were now able to travel to work or school.
Martin told Star he decided to become a mentor when his 16-year-old daughter began driving on her learner’s permit and he thought it would be a good way to improve his driving skills. Three years on, and he continues to mentor youngsters.
“It’s really very good fun and an enlightening experience,” he said.
“The youngsters talk about what is important to them and I suppose I live in my own little bubble and they pop the pin and even teach me a thing or two.
“I find it is a bit of stress relief after a hard day’s work and you get to meet some good people.”
Martin said it was a proud moment when a driver he had been mentoring obtains their licence after many hours of practice.
But he does admit there are some nerves the first time he takes a driver out onto the road.
“There’s been some close calls … we’ve ended up on the wrong side of a median strip and gone straight when we should have made a u-turn … all I can do is yell out stop.”
His greatest tip for parents teaching their teenagers to drive is to read the learner kit from VicRoads which offers some helpful hints.
And he also has some advice for other drivers on the road, who might sometimes lose their cool with learner drivers.
“We need to keep our sense of humour and remember we were all there once. We all made mistakes. You have to ask yourself, are you perfect?”
