Defensive Driver Training Ltd

Driver CPC Training

We have a range of 3.5 hour modules that allow you to construct a programme that suits your training needs. Topics include

Defensive Driving Theory

"Roadcraft" Advanced Driving

Highway Code & Speed Awareness

Safe Loading

Reversing & Manoeuvring

Safe at Work

Fitness & Health

Drivers Hours and Digital Tachographs

The Professional Driver  

Collisions & Incidents

Motorways

Bridges & Heights 

Vehicle Security

Practical In Vehicle Training  

Driving a Passenger Carrying Vehicle - Theory 

First Aid for the Professional Driver delivered by St John Ambulance

Courses can take place on your premises at any location in the UK with no extra charge for weekend training. 

Call us now on 01384 442233 for further details or visit us at www.ddtgroup.com 

One Day Part Theory - Part Practical Defensive Driving Course 

This is the most popular one day driver training format which most of our clients choose and works well for individual drivers up to groups of around 12 drivers per day.   Most courses start at 9:00 am and finish at approximately 4:00 p.m. but start and finish times are flexible to suit your operational requirements.

The theory session consists of an introduction to the principles of defensive driving.  Journey planning, personal fitness to drive and fatigue and vehicle checks are discussed.  Delegates are encouraged to debate the problems that they face on the road. We then examine the most common accident situations, what causes them and look at how they can be avoided. In particular we will go through some of the drivers' recent incidents to see if there are lessons to be learnt. The delegates are then introduced to the "system of car control" from the Police Driving manual "Roadcraft" which is the bible of the advanced motorist.  The difference between speed and making progress is demonstrated both in the classroom and on the road.  

The In Vehicle Driver Training starts with a vehicle and eyesight check followed by an assessment drive from the delegates so that we can establish an idea of the driver's ability. Our Instructor will then give a demonstration drive with a commentary to show just how far ahead it is possible to plan. The principles of a "Systematic" approach based on the police driving manual "Roadcraft" are demonstrated in this drive. The delegates are then invited to take a second turn behind the wheel and receive helpful tuition and advice. 

In Vehicle Training Ratios In the one day format the ideal ratio is two delegates to one instructor. Some companies do train on a 3:1 ratio which is a lower cost per head,  but it does reduce the time that each driver has under tuition. 

Driver Reports

After the course each driver will receive a Certificate of Attendance and a full written report which will highlight any areas that can be improved. If we identify any drivers who we feel would benefit from further training and help, their report is fast tracked and we will discuss any further training needs with you and the driver.  Niormally a further 1:1 in vehicle session is suficient to get the driver to a safe standard.   

You will also receive feedback on other items such as vehicle condition, eyesight checks and any other driver or vehicle safety related suggestions that may help.

Course Fees
The course can be delivered at any UK location. All we need is a meeting room and an insured vehicle for the practical session. The fee is £360 plus VAT for the trainer for the day at any UK location.  Therefore a one day course for two drivers would be £360 plus VAT on a 2:1 in vehicle ratio, a course for four drivers would be £720 plus VAT.

Call us now on 01384 442233 for further details 

This part theory - part practical advanced driving course is designed to reduce fuel consumption. The course raises drivers' awarness of advanced/defensive driving techniques that can be easily incorporated into everyday driving styles. A progamme of training for 700 London based van drivers for a major energy company, showed fuel savings of 11% following the course. Defensive driving techniques are fundamental to fuel efficient driving.  Drivers and fleet operators will also benefit from reduced claims costs and improved safety. 

The theory session consists of an introduction to the principles of defensive and fuel efficient driving.

simple techniques and checks that contribute to fuel efficient driving are discussed including

regular vehicle POWDER checks including tyre condition, tracking and inflation

removal of unnecessary loads

anticipation and planning to keep the the wheels moving - vision-decision

the fuel saving derived from knowing the difference between speeding and making good safe progress

advanced driving techniques inlcuding unnecessary gear changes, brakes to slow - gear to go

journey planning and routes 


The In Vehicle Training  starts with a thorough vehicle check to identify any fuel wasting issues e.g. incorrect tyre pressures, unnecessary heavy items in the boot. Each delegate has an assessment drive with the number of gear changes noted. Our Instructor will then give a demonstration drive with a commentary to show just how far ahead it is possible to plan. The principles of a "Systematic" approach based on the police advanced driving manual "Roadcraft" will be demonstrated in this drive.  The emphasis is on observation, anticipation and planning,  and gear changing techniques.

Each driver takes a second turn behind the wheel and receives helpful tuition and advice. A before and after comparision is completed on gear changes and fuel consumption ( subject to the vehicle having an on board meter or computer).

The course finishes around 4:00 p.m. with a review of the day and questions.

The ideal in vehicle training ratio is two delegates to one instructor. Some clients do train on a 3:1 ratio in cars which is a lower cost per head. But it does reduce the time that each driver has under tuition.

Course Fees
The course can be delivered at any UK location. All we need is a meeting room and an insured vehicle for the practical session. The fee is £360 plus VAT for the trainer for the day at any UK location.  Therefore a one day course for two drivers would be £360 plus VAT on a 2:1 in vehicle ratio, a course for four drivers would be £720 plus VAT.

Driver Reports
After the course each driver will receive a Certificate of Attendance and a full written report which will highlight any areas that can be improved by adopting advanced driving techniques that will improve safety and fuel consumption.

You will also receive feedback on other items such as vehicle condition, eyesight checks and any other safety related suggestions that may help.

If you have any questions or require further information please call us on 01384 442233

This half-day course will instruct delegates in the best practice techniques used in reversing manoeuvres.

We come to your site and ideally run the course on the yard or area where the traffic manoeuvres take place.  

We normally train around eight to ten people per day in two sessions.     One session in the  morning and one in the afternoon.  

We can be flexible on times but we normally start session  one at 9:00 a.m. and session two at around 12:30 or 1:00 p.m. 

For the training we will need a meeting room for about 45 minutes  to run the theory session - we can provide all of the audiovisual equipment. 

We then go out onto the yard for practical training so we will need a vehicle and one of the delegates to drive or a volunteer driver to practise with.  Ideally this should be something with visibility problems such as a van so that the driver has to use his door mirrors to reverse under direction from the banksman. 

We also ask that the delegates are provided with hi-viz jackets or bibs or gloves for the exercises.

After the  course each delegate will receive a Certificate of Attendance. 

We also issue each attendee with an aide memoire (attached) which they can use to remind themselves of the correct procedures. 

Clients include Dreams, London Boroughs of Lewisham, Barnet, Enfield, Greenwich, Runnymede BC,  Tameside MBC, Dudley MBC, Salford MBC, Bury MBC, Oldham MBC, MVV Energie, West Midlands Police, Birmingham Rep Theatre, Severn Trent Water, and dozens of other smaller companies.

Fees & Dates

Our fee is £385  plus VAT per instructor per day for any UK location for up to eight delegates.  Lead times tend to be about a week to ten days ahead. 

Call us now on 01384 442233 for further details. 

UK Familiarisation Part Theory - Part Practical Defensive Driving Course

This one day driver training course is designed to ensure that delegates with little or limited experience of driving in the UK have the knowledge and basic driving skills to cope with UK conditions.  One instructor can train up to a maximum of two people per day. 
We will require a suitable vehicle for the training insured for delegates and instructors to drive.  We can provide and insure a vehicle if required. Please call us for details.

The classroom session covers

The Highway Code,  road signs and road markings
Driving on the left
Roundabouts & pedestrian crossings
Motorway driving
Traffic Law - Documents. licence requirements, UK 12 month L test requirements (if applicable) accident procedures etc

The practical driver training session covers

Safety Checks
eyesight, vehicle checklist, vehicle set up, seats, mirrors, headrest etc
Manoeuvring
Familiarity with driving RHD vehicle, parking and reversing
Demonstration drive by trainer, with commentary - variety of road types
Initial drive by each delegate
Feedback/debrief in initial drives
Alternate drives by each delegate on variety of road types with feedback from trainer.
Focus will be on any apparent weakness/risk shown by individuals who will have the  opportunity to explore any issues/ questions they have.

Debrief on individual drives

Driver Reports
 
After the course each driver will receive a Certificate of Attendance and a full written report which will highlight any areas that can be improved. If we identify any drivers who we feel would benefit from further help, their report is fast tracked and we will discreetly contact you and arrange a further 1:1 in vehicle session.  In extreme cases where we feel the driver lacks the basic skills, we may recommend that the driver takes a few standard L lessons with a local driving school in a dual controlled car 

Driver Assessor Training

In house Assessors can be used to check colleagues' driving standards or for pre-employment selection.  For large companies, particularly LGV operators with a branch network, having a group of trained Assessors is a cost effective means of ensuring driving standards are maintained and further training needs identified. If the role of Assessor is advertised internally, we can provide an Instructor to assess candidates' driving skills and suitability for the role as part of the selection process.

The Driver Assessor's Course is a three day part theory part practical course with an ideal training ratio of two delegates to one instructor. 

Day One is spent on introducing the Assessors to the Police Driving Manual Roadcraft and getting their own driving standards up to scratch. There is an in depth analysis of the "Roadcraft System".  This is essential as the benchmark for assessing a driver is his or her ability to apply a consistent and "systematic" approach to hazards.  The etiquette of conducting an assessment and communication skills are taught.  We then move on to the normal practical session - eyesight and vehicle check, assessment drive, demonstration drive from the instructor and a final correctional drive with help and advice.  
 
Day Two covers driver assessment techniques. If there are two delegates per instructor  each will take a turn at assessing their colleague.  The process continues throughout the day on a variety of roads and situations with regular feedback and tuition. 
 

Day Three consists of a morning session with the Assessor being evaluated while assessing a driver in a realistic situation with the added pressure of their performance also being monitored.  Feedback will focus on any aspects needing more polish. 
 
On the afternoon of day three we carry out a "mock" Advanced Driving Test for each Assessor to gauge how they would fare in the proper test at that stage of their training.  We can then arrange for the real test to take place at a later date. 
We recommend that at a later date the Assessors take the RoSPA Advanced Test.  This gives them an independent qualification, which is an important part of the psychology of colleagues accepting their  right to assess a fellow driver. 
 
 At the end of the course each Assessor receives a report on their driving and Certification.

We recommend that the Assessors attend a one day Assessor refresher check course annually to ensure that they are maintaining their standards.

From September 2016 this course will also qualify for 21 hours of JAUPT approved CPC Periodic Training

Speed Awareness Driver Training Course

This one day course is designed for drivers who may give cause for concern with their attitude to speed or who are accumulating penalty points over a short period and are in danger of receiving a compulsory driving ban.  Maximum delegate to Instructor ratio is 2:1.

The theory session consists of

A discussion on the need for speed limits to protect vulnerable road users, including drivers. The appropriateness of current limits and why they catch out experienced drivers.

A  brief overview of the casualty figures for Britain and a look at the contribution made by speed. 
A look at the mathematical reality of speed 
Reaction times - distance travelled and time available
Physical effects of speed on drivers. 
The implications of speed and fatigue.
Planning for speed -how the System of vehicle control can be applied to prepare a safe driving plan and making progress without speed.
Vehicle Dynamics - Maintaining the stability of the vehicle at given speeds, positioning for optimum vision, road holding and safety.

In Vehicle Training

A practical driver training session to apply the techniques discussed in a variety of road situations.

Summary

Review of the main issues covered and opportunity to raise questions. Another opportunity to complete the speed questionnaire to identify any shift in attitude towards speed.

Driver Reports
 
After the course each driver will receive a Certificate of Attendance and a full written report which will highlight any areas that can be improved. If we identify any drivers who we feel would benefit from further help, their report is fast tracked and we will discuss the best course of action with you and the driver.  In most cases a further 1:1 in vehicle session is enough to get the driver up to safe standard. 
 

Call us now on 01384 442233 for further details. 

Driving Training Seminars

All drivers can benefit from learning about Defensive and Advanced driving techniques regardless of whether they drive a company vehicle. The daily commute can be as dangerous as a business related journey. 

This is recognised by many of our clients who run periodic seminars for all office based staff with selective in vehicle driver training e.g. for people who may occasionally drive a pool car or may occasionally travel on business.  

One instructor can run up to two seminars per day and the only limitation on numbers is the size of the meeting room.

This is a very cost effective method of imparting high quality road safety information to a large number of people at a very low cost per head

Topic specific seminars include

An Introduction to Defensive Driving
The Roadcraft System of Vehicle Control 
Summer Driving
Winter Driving
Driving for the Environment
Motorway Driving 
Driving in Bad Weather & The Theory of Skid Control 
Drinking Drugs and Coping with Fatigue
First Aid and Emergency Action

Seminars typically last two to three hours but can be tailored to suit the time available.

Bespoke seminars can be produced to deal with specific training needs.  

Call us now on 01384 442233 for further details.