A supercar dealer has announced that it will start offering driving lessons to footballers to cut down the number of players who end up crashing their new cars.
H.R. Owen, a dealership network which specialises in cars from the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini and Aston Martin, says it will provide lessons to young footballers who’ve just bought their first supercar.
Several famous footie players have been involved in high-profile crashes in the past few years, with both Cristiano Ronaldo and Louis Saha smashing their Ferraris on the same Manchester road.
Likewise, ex-Arsenal centre forward Nicklas Bendtner crashed his Aston Martin in St Albans, and West Ham player Diafra Sakho recently ploughed his Lamborghini into a front garden.
A H.R. Owen statement said: “Many young players celebrate their professional club signing with the purchase of a new car, for some this will be their first experience of a powerful car.
'First experience of a powerful car'
“For a large majority it may well be their first car purchased since passing their test, or the first car they will drive in the UK after a transfer from overseas.”
The lessons will be available to players nationwide and will teach them how to cope with the high power outputs of their cars, and how to drive them on public roads at legal speeds.
Following that, the footballers will also be taken to a private test track to learn how their car responds at speed, how to react in an emergency and proper braking and cornering techniques.
Sharon Wright, H.R. Owen’s Special Projects Director, said: “As a leading provider of the fastest cars available, we noticed that many young sports professionals are in a position to buy some of the most powerful cars on sale today.
“We felt we had a duty of care to ensure these buyers were trained to the highest level before taking delivery of their vehicles, in the hope that we will see fewer incidents occurring on the roads as a result.”