YOUNG people under the age of 25 account for 25 per cent of all driver casualties on Dorset's roads and sixth formers are now to be offered the chance to help cut this figure.

Dorset County Council is offering youngsters at selected schools the chance to take part in a pilot driving project for free to help reduce the number of young people injured in road crashes.

The practical driving sessions, for sixth-formers with a full driving licence, take place on a number of high risk routes with qualified driving instructors and are available until the end of March.

In 2006, 20 drivers under 25 in Dorset were killed or seriously injured in road traffic collisions and a further 243 were slightly injured.

The Dorset figures mirror the national picture - around 3,000 car drivers under 25 are killed or seriously injured on Britain's roads each year.

One in five youngsters will have a crash in their first year of driving, while an 18 year old driver is more than three times as likely to be involved in a crash as a 48 year old driver.

Kirsty Jackson, 21, from Piddletrenthide, who has recently completed a driver refresher course, said: "I felt very nervous about the drive but once we were on our way I began to relax and enjoy the experience.

"It was amazing, finding out bits of my drive that needed improvement, only slight things such as using my brakes to slow for a roundabout or junction instead of changing gear.

"I am more aware of certain aspects on the road such as road positioning and trying to determine what other vehicle uses on the road will be doing or might do.

"This was a very enjoyable experience and I would definitely recommend it to anyone even if they are very nervous they will become more confident on the road.

"It will help me in the future to avoid car crashes and avoid any dangers on the road as much as possible such as ice, water and other hidden dangers."

County council cabinet member for transport and strategic planning Col Geoffrey Brierley said: "This is just one of many initiatives by the council's road safety team."

"We also run a host of other theory-based and practical driver refresher courses that local people can take to reduce their risk of becoming involved in a road traffic accident."

The pilot is for sixth formers attending schools near to high risk routes -if successful the scheme will be rolled out to sixth formers at other schools in high risk areas.

The pilot project involves a 90-minute driving session and is free of charge on a first come, first served basis to sixth form students attending selected schools who already hold a full licence. The offer runs out at the end of March.

Anyone interested can get more information by calling 01305 224558 or emailing roadsafety@dorsetcc.gov.uk.