** Toyota helps four Australians learn to drive**
** Process documented in a three-part video series Find Your Drive **
** Project aims to inspire other challenged drivers to overcome their fears and anxieties **
Toyota has assisted four Australians to obtain their driving license in order to raise awareness of the challenges that some people face when attempting to pass their driving test.
For many people, things such as language barriers, disability, severe anxiety, financial hardship or other life factors make getting their driver’s licence a challenge often seeming too difficult to overcome.
This in turn, can lead to greater isolation, particularly in regional areas, or difficulties in gaining or retaining employment, and connecting with family and friends.
To highlight the issue, Toyota Australia supported four individuals over the age of 30 who worked with expert driving instructors, counsellors and a VR driving school, and documented the process in a three-part video series entitled Find Your Drive.
Toyota Australia Chief Marketing Officer Vin Naidoo said the series was designed to inspire others who may not have a licence to see how any barriers or challenges to getting their driver’s licence can be overcome.
“Many of us take having our driver’s licence for granted and pass easily in our late teens and early 20s, but for some, there are personal, mental or physical challenges that mean they struggle to obtain a licence or the confidence to do so.
“Toyota aims to provide mobility for all and this is one way we can inspire others who want the freedom and convenience of a driver’s licence to enable them to live the life they want,” he said.
Psychologist Merryn Snare said for some people, not being able to legally drive can have a significant impact on their life in terms of employment opportunities, social connection and importantly self-esteem.
“I think self-worth is a really big factor in this and it’s a really big factor in how we think. Sometimes people have a very high expectation of themselves, thinking ‘if I don’t reach that expectation, I’m no good’, and that can spiral them down in terms of their confidence and their perceived ability to do this, Ms Snare said.
The video series follows Zac, 30, partially deaf in both ears and vision impaired; Suzzanna, 48, who has failed her learner’s test six times; Harley, 32, who suffers from ADHD and Maddy, 35, a single mother with diabetes as they learn to drive, overcome their anxieties, and successfully pass their driving tests.
Find Your Drive can be viewed at www.toyota.com.au/mobility/find-your-drive
