Robbie Fowler has lent his support to a campaign encouraging road safety awareness amongst young drivers.

The former star striker has four children between the ages of 15 and 22.

Robbie met with representatives from RoadPeace, the Merseyside Road Safety Partnership (MRSP) and The Driving Academy at Liverpool FC's former training ground Melwood, which is now used by the Robbie Fowler Education and Football Academy (FEFA).

Billy Eaglestone, 18, a second-year student at the FEFA, won a competition about road safety with a prize of driving lessons from The Driving Academy, a Liverpool-based driving school.

The competition for FEFA students was run by RoadPeace, the national road crash victims charity and Engage, an initiative of MRSP to equip young drivers with the skills and knowledge they need to be safe on the roads.

Participants had to answer a series of road safety questions set by MRSP.

Over the past 26 years there have been 16,531 people killed and seriously injured on the roads of Merseyside.

In 2020, there were 15 deaths and 355 serious injuries across the region.

This year the World Health Organization reported that road traffic injury is the leading cause of death globally for children and young people between five and 29.

The RAC Report on Motoring 2020 revealed that nearly one in five drivers aged 17-24 admitted to video calling while driving.

Robbie Fowler said: "It is so important that young people are taught how to drive properly.

"It's not just a case of going through the gears, there are so many other factors like looking out for other drivers, cyclists, pedestrians. There is also the temptation to get distracted by loud music, mobile phones - whether it's receiving a call, through social media or even using them for Sat Nav if they are driving an older car."

Competition winner Billy Eaglestone will be taught by a specialist Engage driving instructor who works for The Driving Academy.

He will be writing a blog about his driving lessons so he can share his experiences with other young people.

Billy, who wants to become a PE instructor, said: "I'm so thankful for this opportunity to learn how to drive with a skilled instructor. People of my age need to know how to keep safe on the roads."

RoadPeace exists to support people whose lives have been tragically affected by road crashes, and to campaign to improve the systematic response to crashes in the UK.

RoadPeace Trustee and local North West Coordinator Pauline Fielding from Heswall said: "We are really grateful to Robbie and Jamie for getting behind such an important initiative to make young people aware about road safety.

"We hope through this competition, Billy will not only be safer on the roads, but can be an example to other young drivers about how to act responsibly when behind the wheel of a car."

Almost a year ago, Pauline was awarded an MBE - you can find out more about her campaigning and the reasons for it by clicking or tapping here.