Why take advanced driver training?.
I’m an experienced driver, so why should I take further training?
Statistics show that experience behind the wheel is no guarantee of safety. Skills are normally limited to those gained in everyday motoring: having encountered most commonplace traffic situations in the first few years after passing their test, the majority of drivers learn very little thereafter. Unchallenged, they believe themselves capable motorists until an emergency exposes their ignorance.
In effect, a driver of many years might have no more useful experience of unusual or challenging situations than that of a relatively newly qualified driver. He might possess a more mature attitude,but he might also be more dangerous having acquired a few bad habits while forgetting crucial parts of The Highway Code.
So what are the advantages of taking further training? Let’s put it this way: there are no disadvantages.
The first step is to accept that you are nowhere near as good as you think you are. Everyone has room for improvement, from newly qualified learners to advanced driving instructors. The next step is to recognize that taking a course will make a difference.
What essentials might you learn? The list is long but includes: better hazard perception; improved observation and planning; more accurate reading of road situations; safer and more efficient overtaking techniques; how to create and use safe space; greater powers of concentration; correct attitudes; the art of self restraint; consideration for other road users.
Driving is probably the most dangerous thing you do routinely. If extending your knowledge helps to save even one casualty or serious injury, it will be worth every penny.
