Safe Speed Forums

Post-Test driver training - All the road safety bodies agree that it is necessary to improve road safety. So at present, we have:

Pass Plus: A paid course of lessons with an ADI after your test, to take in motorways, night driving, etc etc

IAM: A fantastic organisation, but, I'm afraid, slightly old-fashioned. I recently attended a meeting of a local group and was the youngest person there by at least 20 years. And It pains me to say that, unfortunately, there was a lot of "holier-than-thou" prattle about speed limits etc, which is a big turn off for many.

RoSPA: A smaller, but similarily excellent organisation, but unfortunately very poorly publicised. Has a similar group system but I found them alot more welcoming than my local IAM group.

Now, at the risk of offending alot of ADIs, we have to ask ourselves the question..... How many people really take PassPlus to drive better? Experience would seem to indicate that girls do it because they want to feel more confident. But, more importantly, how many 17/18 year old males(Statistically the most dangerous groups of road users) would take the course if it wasn't for the insurance discount?

Many are put off simply because they don't want to spend any more money.

What is needed is an initiative that is FREE for the participants, provides the same benefits of Pass Plus, but which is far more accessible to young drivers. Simple logic dictates that anything that is free will always be popular.

Whilst I appreciate that ADIs must make a living, how much of a price can you put on getting more people to take post-test training, and how much of an ADIs income really comes from Pass Plus Courses?

GearedUp(Or some similar name!) - A post-test training course that is(hopefully) supported by the local council, the DSA, and more enticingly, by major insurers.

How it works(in theory! )

Having passed their test, drivers can apply to the local council to take the course, which runs over 2 weekends in a month, based at a small hall/community centre. A small presentation on defensive driving principles is given by(hopefully) a neighbourhood police officer/casualty reduction officer.

Drivers then take a drive of around 2 hours with a IAM/RoSPA observer who volunteers their time, similar to a normal observed run but taking in a wide variety of roads. The style of the training needs to be very relaxed, without any "preaching".

Having completed the course over 2 weekends, they are issued with a certificate similar to that for pass plus - which they can then redeem for cheaper insurance.

Discuss.....

I like it, like all good ideas it is sensible. However once apon a time local Councils had Road Safety Sections, usually part of the Highways Dept. Many years ago the local council which I was working for at the time put on one such course delivered by a police driving instructor from Hendon. Learnt a lot over those few evenings.

Alas Road Safety Sections are no more. The problem being MONEY. Camera Partnerships rake it in you can afford to employ Speed Reduction Officers whose job it is to lower speed limits all paid for by the penalty income and then generate even more. Also lots of government boxes ticked. Even if a charge was made for these courses it would be unlikely to cover the cost and if too high would result in low attendance.

Great idea but alas not one for this mad modern world.

Taking this logic a bit further back, what about making pre-test driving lessons free? This could allow young people with modest resources to have sufficient training to actually pass a more stringent test instead of dropping out early and just driving anyway with no insurance etc.

Is it cost that restricts training or is it motivation?

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

Any driver training course will mention speed limits.

But on my IAM course, I was taught to always use an appropriate speed. And for the test, to make sure I observed and adhered to every one.

Having just successfully passed my IAM bike test I can vouch that my local IAM group are not "slightly old-fashioned". It was following one of their riders, watching how smooth & fast he was round country lanes that made me want to be able to ride like him. And if you know your bikes, you'll see my avatar is of my bike, which is one of the fastest road bikes you can buy. I cannot recommend the IAM enough, to anyone who is considering taking further training.

Can you try a different group in your area?

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Pecunia Prius Equitas et Salus