INTRODUCTION
Driving a car is an essential part of personal, family and work life for over 30 million people in the UK. Between us,we drive some 2.5 billion miles each year. It can be enjoyable and pleasant, but also stressful and dangerous.
Car drivers in the UK are involved in well over 100,000 crashes each year in which around 2,600 people are killed, 26,000 seriously injured and 250,000 slightly injured. This is the tip of an iceberg. Tens of thousands more people are taken to hospital, or treated by first aid or GPs in unreported crashes.
Of course, it is not always the driver who is at fault, but our ability to anticipate and cope with the mistakes and misbehaviour of other people is just as important as our own driving skills and attitudes.
Everyone develops their own driving style and habits over time, and we often do not realise (or do not want to accept) that we could improve our driving, even though this would make driving safer, less stressful and more enjoyable.
What is Refresher Driver Training?
The term “Refresher Driver Training” includes a wide range of different courses, including:
- Simple assessment drives
- Courses for anxious drivers or people who have not driven for a long time
- Courses on specific skills, such as towing or parking
- Courses for older drivers
- Local Authority Better Driving courses
- Driver development training (often provided by employers)
- Advanced driver training
- Remedial training, such as Driver Improvement or Speed Awareness courses.
It ranges from quick and easy training that focuses on specific issues or skills to longer courses leading to full advanced driving tests that require more commitment. Some training is provided free by voluntary groups, such as RoSPA Advanced Drivers and Riders, the Institute of Advanced Motorists or Local Authority initiatives. Other courses are run by professional driving instructors and have to be paid for. Many employers arrange driver development training for their staff who drive for work.
All are a useful way for people to update their driving knowledge and skills and to get impartial professional advice on their driving.
This Toolkit is designed to help anyone who provides or promotes driver training to:
- raise awareness about the existence of refresher driver training explain what it involves
- promote its benefits
- suggest ways to overcome deterrents to undertaking further driver training
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RoSPA is a registered charity: Registered Charity No: 207823 Patron: Her Majesty the Queen RoSPA Head Office: Edgbaston Park, 353 Bristol Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B5 7ST, UK |
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