Teenage motorists are being urged to learn driving skills that could potentially save their lives.

It involves taking a car onto a skid pan so they can experience what can happen when a vehicle is out of control.

And a £100,000 simulator, developed from a Mini, demonstrates the effects of drink, speeding and using mobile phones.

It can also measure a driver's thinking and braking responses to hazards.

Places on the courses at Lincolnshire Road Safety Partnership's Life Skills Academy at North Kyme cost £10 a head.

Four 17-to-21-year-olds were killed on the county's roads last year, compared to 16 in 2007.

Despite the reduction, the young driver fatal tally for 2011 represents 8.5 per cent of fatalities last year.

The road safety group says this is still too many and is now inviting new drivers to attend the courses.

Sarah Chant, head of sixth form at Kesteven and Sleaford High School Selective Academy, has already taken some pupils along.

"A couple of years ago one of our students, Hollie Sturgeon, was killed in a crash," she said.

"Going to a student's funeral was one of the worst experiences of my life.

"It was really awful. Hollie was such a bright girl with a great future ahead of her.

"If students can come here it might help prevent further tragedy."

Student Olivia Marston, 18, experienced how distractions can affect driving ability.

"I was driving the skid car and I was given a phone and told to talk into it ," she said.

"I soon found out how difficult it is to steer a car with one hand on the wheel.

"I think the course was really helpful and it has made me more conscious of what I should be doing when I drive."

Fellow pupil Jennifer Gavin, 18, said it was really good experience.

"I now know how to control a car in snow and ice which I didn't know before," she said.

"On the course we got told loads of stats, like a vehicle travelling at 45mph needs twice the distance to stop than one going at 30mph and that's really stuck with me."

The partnership aims to build upon the 2fast2soon programme which uses theatre to take the road safety message to young people.

2fast2soon has reached more than 5,000 drivers aged 17 to 24 in Lincolnshire since 2008, helping to achieve a 50 per cent cut road deaths in this age group.

Russell Morgan, senior training officer, said: "Young drivers are still a high risk group for us.

"This driver training will give them more confidence."