Attitudes stop accidents
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DRIVERS' attitudes need to be changed if accidents in Britain are to be reduced, according to British Safety Council lecturer Alan Cousins. TIM COBB reports.
Mr Cousins chaired a two hour, abridged version of the one-day defensive driver training course run by the BSC throughout the country. The course shows that the basic elements needed for good driving are skill, knowledge and, above all, the right attitude. "Unless all three requirements are used together, the training is useless„' commented Mr Cousins.
The results of the one-day courses are convincing. After checking with the firms to which it lectured, BSC found the number of accidents was reduced by between 50 and 75 per cent.
The two-hour presentation in corporates two short films on accidents and easy ways in which they can be avoided. Mr Cousins touched on such concepts as the "stale green", whereby if a traffic light is green as the driver approaches it, the closer he gets, the more likely it is to change. Another age-old, yet still applicable guideline, is the two-second rule — the minimum gap which should be kept between two vehicles.
BSC reports that insurance companies are showing great interest in defensive driving, and some are talking about reductions in premiums of 25 per cent or more for companies adopting the training course as part of their policy. This interest is not surprising when the total bill in a year for road accidents exceeds £2,000m.
Defensive driver training was first started in America, and it was introduced later in Australia and other countries throughout the world.
BSC is offering the scheme to anyone in Britain, although the initial response has been from fleet managers of major transport companies.
The price for the training course is £65 for an individual, and £300 for a group of about 25, and further information is available from the Traffic Department, Road Safety Council, Chancellor's Road, London W6 9RS.