On the BIG TOM 5 Day Intensive Driving Course pupils are invited to make their driving experiences personal to them. They have the opportunity to drive on journeys that are meaningful to their life, adding an element of context to the process of learning to drive.
The reason why this is provided for pupils is because it enables them to develop the important skills of planning for journeys, considering risks that are associated with routes and how their own strengths and weaknesses affect the decision making process before they even set off on the journey.
Being able to drive opens up a range of new opportunities and experiences that go far beyond the goal of “being able to drive”. If a pupil is not afforded the opportunity to start considering these new options then this can have far reaching consequences once they obtain their driving licence.
It is not uncommon to hear of qualified drivers taking routes that are very high risk due to their inability to assess risk. Some people will continue to drive particular routes due to not having confidence in planning and assessing alternative routes. The same can be said for over reliance on sat navs. I have heard of drivers who have no concept at all about their direction of travel they are taking, and it is only when they eventually realise that they have put an incorrect location into the sat nav that they see they have gone many miles out of their way. The planning required to deal with lane selection and safe navigation around accidents or road closures are vital when a sat nav is not aware of these incidents.
To practise considering the options regarding mode of transport, route selection, timing and where and when to rest are vital. Sometimes in the work place you might be called upon to drive vehicles of different size, power, visibility and in-car technology; factors that can affect your safety (and others) when you come to drive the journey.
Drivers have a responsibility to ensure they are doing all they can to maximise road safety for everyone prior to a journey. Planning a journey and considering the time to start so that driving conditions (weather, class of road, type of vehicle) are taken into account is a vital skill to develop and this is why you are encouraged to consider these factors on the BIG TOM intensive driving course.
BIG TOM Driving School Enquiries: Admin@BIGTOM.org.uk Sales: 07756 071 464
