Football club steward Dominic Carter from Shepton Mallet was among the prize winners in a competition to find Somerset's Champion Young Driver.

Dominic, 20, was one of 10 young drivers, from among the hundreds who entered the Max Control competition, to win a place in the final.

He finished as a runner up – and won a car kit including a number of accessories.

The Max Control competition was devised by the Somerset Road Safety Partnership as part of its ongoing campaign to reduce the number of young people being killed and injured on local roads.

Drivers, under the age of 25, gained credits for taking part in a number of driving challenges, including driving on a skid pan, go-karting, off-roading, and advanced driving assessments by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), all designed to improve their knowledge and skills.

The 10 drivers gaining most credits went through to the final to battle for the title in a series of practical and theory tests.

Dick Bowen, manager of the Somerset Road Safety Partnership, said: "I congratulate Dominic. Reaching the final of this competition, which was entered by hundreds of young drivers, was a considerable achievement.

"While there can only be a few prize winners, everyone who took part in this competition will have improved their driving skills and road craft and that could prove invaluable one day. It could save their life."

The Max Control competition was launched because of concern about the high number of road deaths and injuries among young people. Almost a third of all car casualties on local roads are in the 17-24 age group.

The Somerset Road Safety Partnership is urging all young people to take further training after passing their driving test.

The Max Control competition was funded entirely by a grant from the Speed Choice educational programme, which provides money for local road safety initiatives, and there was no cost to council taxpayers.