FORD will pump another £2.1 million towards free driver training for 7,000 young drivers aged 18-24 across Europe this year.

It means the car giant has now committed a total of £7.1m on training through its Ford Driving Skills for Life programme in Europe since 2013.

And this year the company plans to offer the free driver training for the first time in Finland and Poland, and continue its work in the UK, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Spain and Turkey.

Car crashes are the leading cause of death for Europeans aged 18 to 24-year-olds and Ford has already trained 13,500 novice drivers in Europe.

It provides free, hands-on classes covering hazard recognition, vehicle handling, and speed and space management as well as highlighting the risks posed by social media distractions such as texting and taking selfies at the wheel.

That's in addition to the dangers of drinking and driving, or driving after taking drugs.

Ford DSFL manager Jim Graham said: "Too many young adults are dying in car crashes caused by a combination of inexperience and poor decision making.

"With this new £2.1m investment in young driver training for 2016, we can provide a further 7,000 young people with the skills and knowledge that could help save their lives."

Ford was the first car manufacturer to introduce free hands-on driver training for newly licensed drivers and in the 11 years since it was launched in the US, Ford DSFL has provided training to more than 650,000 people globally.

The brand has also teamed up with leading safety organisations across Europe, partnering in the UK with the AA Driving School, Brake and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents.