Collisions on the road are avoidable – that is the message to Powys motorists from a former police chief.
Keith Jones, who has retired from Dyfed-Powys Police, is now working to reduce the road death and injury toll with one of the UK’s top driver training organisations.
The TTC Group has just launched a new National Driver Alertness Course in the region with expert instructors.
“The first courses have just taken place in Aberystwyth and Llandrindod Wells and were very well received,” said Mr Jones, who retired as divisional commander six years ago after a 30 year career in the police force.
The courses are for drivers who have been involved in low level driving incidents or offences such as driving without due care and attention or if they have been involved in minor crashes. The aim is for a motorist to become a safer driver through education instead of receiving a fine or being prosecuted.
“The aim of the course is to create safer communities and to improve driver awareness to reduce the occurrence of future incidents and reduce the financial and emotional costs to the community.
“The course lasts a whole day and is divided between the classroom and on the road with a qualified driving instructor. It is hoped that they will also be offered to a wider range of offender to include mobile phone and red light violations and other traffic offences,” added Mr Jones, now a Regional Director for the TTC Group in Wales. The courses, which replace the former National Driver Improvement Scheme (NDIS) are being offered in both English and Welsh across the Dyfed-Powys police force area. The TTC Group, which already runs speed awareness courses in Dyfed Powys, has been helping to design and develop the new NDAC course now being rolled out across the UK. A pilot course run last year by TTC received positive feedback from drivers. “The new course is far more interactive and involves a day of both theory and on the road practical driver training,” said TTC’s Alan Prosser, part of the national review group. With 2,222 killed and 24,690 seriously injured on our roads in 2009, the financial cost to the community is huge and “immeasurable” to the victim and their families in terms of grief and upset, said Mr Prosser. In Dyfed Powys 40 people died, 316 were seriously injured and there were 1,923 slight injuries in 2009. The Department for Transport calculates that every death on the road costs an average of £1.9m in lost wages and taxes and costs in emergency services and hospital treatment. “There is a need for all of us not to be complacent when we get behind the wheel of our vehicles but to take care when driving. Somebody makes a mistake for a crash to occur, and that is avoidable. “Whether it’s driving too close to the car in front, not paying attention on the road, or considering how your driving affects other road users. This new course aims to change attitudes and driving behaviour to reduce road casualties,” added Mr Prosser. The TTC Group run speed awareness courses for those caught speeding a few miles over the limit and drink drive rehabilitation courses for offenders who get up to a quarter off their driving ban after successfully attending a three day course.