Born in 1946 and brought up in Cupar, Fife, I was educated at the local school - 
Young drivers across Scotland are to be targeted using the latest technology in a new drive to improve road safety.For the first time, road safety messages are to be sent directly to the mobile phones of thousands of young people in cinemas throughout Scotland using the latest 'Bluetooth' technology, Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson announced today.
The technology works by beaming a film clip onto the young person's phone as they arrive in cinema foyers.
Latest research shows that young people are now much less likely to engage with traditional media channels such as television and are now almost 60% more likely to instead respond to mediums such as the mobile phone and the internet.
The mobile film clip is being released in conjunction with a new cinema advert by Road Safety Scotland highlighting the danger of momentary distractions as a contributory factor in road accidents.
Mr Stevenson said:
"The latest statistics show a decrease in road accidents in Scotland in 2007, but we cannot and will not be complacent.
"Too many people are still dying on Scotland's roads and sadly, young drivers continue to be over-represented in these deaths.
"As a Government, we are constantly looking at new ways to reach this age group and I am determined that we look beyond the traditional and towards the innovative in our efforts to save lives.
"This campaign is new, it is innovative and it can make a real difference.
"97% of young people between the ages of 18-24 now own a mobile phone. That is a huge audience we can potentially reach with this campaign and it has my full backing.
"As we move towards the publication of our new 10 year road safety strategy for Scotland we will continue to look at what more we can all do to improve road safety across the country."
The technology works by beaming an advert onto a young person's phone.
Once accepted, the clip showing young people travelling in a car is interrupted as a text message is received. After checking the message, the clip resumes to show what happens when drivers are distracted. The message "one distraction is all it takes" then appears.
The latest road accident figures for Scotland were published on 30th June 2008 in "Key 2007 Road Accident Statistics". They showed that 282 people died on Scotland's roads in 2007 (a 10% decrease from 2006), with 2,316 people seriously injured (12% fewer than 2006).
Latest statistics from TGI media research (2008) shows that 97% of young people between the ages of 18-24 now own a mobile phone. They are 59% more likely to respond to mediums such as the mobile phone and the internet. 17-25 males are 174% more likely than the national average to use their Bluetooth technology.
The Transport Minister has brought together an expert group on road safety from across Scotland. It is made up of some of the leading thinkers in road safety from across the country, including the police, road safety experts, a driver behaviour psychologist, and others. The group's remit is to give their views on how to improve road safety in Scotland. Their views will help inform a new 10-year road safety strategy for Scotland.
