Twyford woman helps launch radical new learner driver course

7 July 2008

Twyford-based driving expert Hannah Toakley will be one of the first driving instructors in the UK to deliver what is believed will become a blueprint for the learner driver course of the future.

Hannah will be one of the very first franchisees for the revolutionary DriveTech Advantage system of learning to drive, which uses some of the best qualified instructors in the UK to deliver a course which goes way beyond that possible through conventional hourly paid driving lessons.

“I’m so excited to be one of the pilot group of instructors being asked to train new drivers this way” says Hannah. “We’re not only going to achieve a better than average pass rate but we’re also going to make a huge difference to young drivers’ behaviour after they’ve got their licence. The way things are now, far too many of them are getting killed and injured. We’re going to give them a vital edge that will help them be a cut above the average driver.”

Up to now Hannah has been one of DriveTech’s consultant trainers, coaching experienced business drivers in advanced driving techniques to help make them safer, whilst also looking after the needs of her own learner driver customers. One of the unique aspects of DriveTech Advantage is the adoption of advanced driver training techniques from the outset. “We’re going to try to give them a crystal ball,” says Hannah. “If we can get them to think like an experienced driver, and anticipate danger before it appears, we can make a dramatic difference to their chances of being involved in a crash later on.”

DriveTech Advantage is totally different from the conventional learner driving course, in that it

• uses the most qualified, advanced driving instructors
• provides interactive group workshop sessions to bridge the experience gap
• involves post qualification training on motorways, night driving and dealing with bad weather
• involves parents or guardians formally, to aid the learning process
• is a fixed price, fully rounded course that cannot be taken in parts
• provides a graduation multi activity driving event to celebrate success
• attracts a genuinely discounted insurance offer on completion
• is also a City & Guilds qualification in driving, recognised by employers

Those interested in learning with DriveTech Advantage in the Twyford/Henley/Reading/Maidenhead area should email advantage@drivetech.co.uk or call 0800 840 5105. Additional information about the product can be found on DriveTech’s new website by clicking on the Advantage icon at www.drivetech.co.uk

DriveTech is happy to receive enquiries from prospective learner drivers outside these areas too, as recruitment of DriveTech Advantage trainers is ongoing and the growth of regional coverage is expected to be rapid.

For further information, members of the media should contact
Steve Johnson on direct line +44 (0)1789 414700, mobile +44 (0)7894 621134 or on steve.johnson@drivetech.co.uk

Editor's Notes (topic specific)

• Drivers aged 17-21 comprise 7% of driving population but 13% are responsible for collisions (DfT 2005 Annual Report)
• One in three drivers who die in a collision is under 25 (DfT/Brake/Roadsafe Nov 2006)
• 27% of 17-19 year old males are involved in a road collision in their first year of driving (DfT/ABI)
• 18% of all new drivers are involved in at least one crash within one year of passing their test (TRL Cohort Studies 1992, 1995, 1997)
• Young drivers are 12 times more likely to be at fault in fatal collisions than those in the 35-65 year old bracket (DfT 2007, Govt. Road Safety Strategy Second Review)
• 38,800 serious incidents per annum involved drivers with less than two years experience. Of these 5,000 are KSI (DfT 2002, ‘A more structured approach to learning to drive’)
• 20% of 17-22 year olds killed were driving cars more than 13 years old (DfT 2007, Govt. Road Safety Strategy Second Review)
• In 2005 192 drivers aged between 17-20 were killed on UK roads. This represents 19.2 per 100,000 licences issued (DfT Fatality Rates 1992-2005)
• There is a 42.5% reduction in collision liability in the second year of a person’s driving career just as a result of experience alone (TRL Cohort II data, 2007)
• A minimum 12 month learning period for new drivers could prevent between 800 and 1,000 deaths per annum and some 6,000-7,000 casualties in all (DfT 2002, ‘A more structured approach to learning to drive’)
• Only 13% of all new drivers complete the Pass Plus scheme (DfT/DSA 2005/2006)
• Young drivers account for 45% of all road fatalities between 23.00 and 06.00 (‘**The Report, Norwich Union evidence)
• Young drivers are 10 times more likely to have a crash at night than an experienced driver (**‘The Report’, Norwich Union evidence)
• Young drivers are 56% more likely suffer a crash-related injury between 01.00 and 05.00 (**‘The Report, Norwich Union evidence)
• Young male drivers are now the biggest killer of young women in the UK (**‘The Report’, Evidence reference 72)
• 32% of novice drivers make insurance claims, compared to 16% of the total driving population (ABI Report on Young Drivers 2006)
• The average insurance premium for a novice male driver is £1,311 (ABI Report on Young Drivers 2006)
• Between June 2005 and May 2006 there were 14,988 driving licence revocations. 77% were males under 25 (DVLA 2007)
• Road crashes are the biggest killer of 15-24 year olds (DfT/Roadsafe 2006)
• 25% of convictions for death by dangerous driving are against under 21 year olds (DfT/Roadsafe 2006)

Other relevant facts

Editor's Notes (about DriveTech)

DriveTech (UK) plc is one of the UK’s leading providers of road risk management, driver assessment and education. We work both with organisations whose employees ‘drive for work’ and with members of the public, who are offered education as an alternative to prosecution by the police.

DriveTech’s vision is ‘working together to eliminate road death and serious injuries’ by providing the most effective and innovative solutions, using education and technology, to minimise risk for all road users.

DriveTech (UK) has won the Institute of Transport Management’s (ITM) ‘Fleet Award for Driver Training’ in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 and the ‘European Driver Safety Specialist’ award in 2005. In September 2007, it was named the ITM’s ‘UK Driver Training Solutions Specialist’ for making ‘the most significant impact upon the Driver Training and Safety sector over the past decade’

In 2007, DriveTech (UK) won the South England and South Wales regional award of the Bank of Scotland Corporate ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ of up to £5m, interest-free funding and was runner-up in the national Grand Finale. In addition, the company was named runner-up in the 2007 Thames Valley ‘Business of the Year’ award.