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Is there any point?, after all you have been driving for years without dying or killing anyone!! (Possibly more by luck than by judgment).
Mr/Mrs Average
The fact is unless you have enjoyed advanced driver training (yes it is enjoyable) you are just another average driver aiming a heap of lethal potential scrap metal along the road, another bunch of flowers to be tied to a lamp post in memory of a victim of `good driving`. One in five new male drivers between the age of 17 and 25 will write their car off in the first twelve months of driving. Most average drivers think they are both safer and more skilful than the other average driver, yet human error is the cause of 95% of crashes, mainly unsafe driving practices and the attitude "it's not me it's the other driver".
Should We Trust Other Drivers?
Ask the Red Arrows if they would fly in formation with a bunch of strangers, they wouldn't even take off!! Yet we drive around in formation with a bunch of strangers every day, the fact that the driver next to us could be another average driver who could be drunk, drugged or simply daft never crosses the average drivers mind, they trust them to do the right thing at the right time.
Enjoying Cheaper Driving
Whether you have family responsibilities or not, you should consider taking advanced/defensive driver training for all sorts of solid reasons, not just to save money on vehicle insurance. Improved driving skills will not only make you safer, but you'll also find you get a lot more enjoyment out of your car and reduce running costs such as fuel, brake pads and tyres.
Research
Research indicates that drivers trained in advanced/defensive driving techniques are 20% less likely to be involved in a crash. Apart from being safer on the road, you could also gain from
● lowering your insurance premiums
● reduced levels of driving stress
● improved fuel consumption
● less wear and tear on your vehicle
Contributor: Carl A Allday DSA ADI (fleet) (6) Dip ADI. January 2008
Carl lives in Worcestershire, and has been a driving instructor for the last 13 years, the last 8 of which he has carried out Fleet and Advanced Driver Training on behalf of Driver Skills. Carl also runs his own driving schol overseeing 8 handpicked professional instructors.
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