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It is widely
known that the importance of ongoing driver development and training should
not be underestimated. 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.
The following
fifteen key facts about road safety are reproduced courtesy of the Parliamentary
Advisory Council for Transport Safety website and makes for sobering
reading:
- A half
of all road deaths are to car occupants (Road Accidents Great Britain
2001: The Casualty Report)
- Pedestrians
make up just under a quarter of all road deaths (RAGB: 2001)
- 35% of
all pedestrians killed or seriously injured are children under 16 years
(RAGB: 2001).
- Road
deaths account for 74% of accidental deaths for young people, aged 15-19
years (RAGB: 2001).
- Over
70% of road crashes happen on built-up (urban) roads, but over a half
of road deaths happen on non-built-up (rural) roads (RAGB: 2001).
- 42% of
deaths happen in darkness (RAGB: 2001).
- In 1998,
drivers aged 17-21 years made up 7% of all licence holders, but were
involved in 15% of injury crashes (Tomorrow’s Roads: Safer for
Everyone, 2000).
- Mile-for-mile,
company car drivers have crash rates 30-50% higher than for comparable
private drivers (Tomorrow’s Roads: Safer for Everyone, 2000).
- Excess
or inappropriate speed is a main or contributory factor in one third
of all collisions (Tomorrow’s Roads: Safer for Everyone, 2000).
- For every
1% reduction in average traffic speed, crashes reduce by an average
of 5% (Taylor et al, TRL 421, 2000). This relationship means that even
marginal reductions in average speeds can result in major road safety
gains.
- Impact
speed determines the severity of injury, e.g. at 35 mph you are twice
as likely to kill someone as you are at 30 mph (DETR 1999).
- 90% of
pedestrians hit by a car travelling at 30 mph will be seriously injured.
Nearly half of them will be killed (New Directions in Speed Management,
DETR, 2000).
- The change
from mainly survivable injuries to mainly fatal injuries takes place
at speeds of between about 30 and 40 mph, (Ashton, 1981).
- An estimated
10% of collisions are related to driver fatigue (Tomorrow’s Roads:
Safer for Everyone, 2000).
- Vehicle
defects are a contributory factor in an estimated 5% of collisions (Sabey
1980, On-the-Spot Study, TRL).
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 GP's in unreported crashes.
Driver
Development
In the UK there are a small number of specialist driver development
companies, such as Cadence
Driver Development who are renowned for their wealth of knowledge
of advanced driving techniques as well as their ability to share their
skills in a relaxed and friendly coaching style. Some of the driver training
services and courses offered include:
- Advanced
Road & Track Driving Techniques
- Refresher
Driver Training
- 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
- Courses
for young drivers
- Local
Authority Better Driving courses
- Remedial
training, such as Driver Improvement or Speed Awareness courses.
- Highly
specialised car handling techniques in a safe, controlled environment
- Defensive
Driver Training for individual and company drivers (Risk Assessment
& Training)
- DataDrive™
- Track/proving ground and road driving sessions with full analysis
of best cornering techniques and where you can improve your braking
and acceleration to make optimum safe progress.
- Advanced
Car Handling
- Skid Control
& Slalom
Driver
Risk Index™
The key predictor of risk taking behaviour and therefore road traffic
accident potential is an understanding of how individuals behave as drivers.
The Cranfield University research-based psychometric risk assessment -
the Driver
Risk Index™ (DRI) – is the only accurate comprehensive
measurement tool of behavioural risk.
The DRI identifies
high risk drivers so that more targeted training solutions to reduce accident
risk can be implemented. It is an online driving psychometric assessment
undertaken by your employees who regularly drive for work. It has been
developed by Cranfield University and is based on over 20 years academic
research into the psychology of driver behaviour.
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