News Archives
News posts from September 2009
Modifying driver behaviour the key to reducing crash risk
Posted on Tuesday, 1 September 2009 | Permalink
When there is an increase in fatalities, the solutions are often to increase enforcement and penalties targeted at a small section of the community, which doesn’t address the law abiding motorists’ inability to understand and correct their own driving behaviour, according to Driver Safety Services, the Tasmanian road transport industry’s own driver training organisation.
CEO of Driver Safety Services, Doug Ling said “95% of crashes are caused by driver error and making the wrong choices with drivers not reflecting on the risks they continually take.”
“Traditional driver skills training and car control courses do little to make drivers safer particularly young drivers. Research shows that car control courses create a false sense of overconfidence particularly in young drivers. However, training of drivers to develop reflective techniques to enable a driver to continually assess their own performance as a safe driver and learning to manage the risks they are exposed to has a lasting benefit.”Mr Ling said.
This approach is integral in the behavioural change model utilised in the Crash free driver education courses that Driver Safety Services(DSS) provides to major Tasmanian and national businesses and organisations, such as Aurora and Forestry Tasmania, also through a young driver program and to the general public.
The crash free program is different from other ‘advanced’ or ‘defensive’ driving programs as it is based on attitudes, knowledge and behaviour, instead of physical car handling and car control. The course provides participants with a greater understanding of potentially dangerous situations, helps in changing their attitudes, raises their awareness and helps them modify their driving behaviour.
The Crash Free Driving Program empowers people to effectively manage driving risks, can reduce chances of crashing to almost zero and helps drivers learn to change their own behaviour.
The Crash free driving course involves six hours of classroom learning, followed by a 10-day self-coaching period with a self coaching manual. Following the self coaching period, there is a two-hour review and assessment session. Information on Crash free courses is available by contacting Driver Safety Services on 1800 834 436.
Driver Safety Services further developed the behavioural change education model for the development of the national keys2drive young driver program recently launch in Tasmania. Keys2drive is an initiative of the Australian Automobile Association, funded by the Federal Government aimed to reduce the high crash risk of young drivers particularly in the first 6 months of P’s. Keys2drive involves a free lesson for a learner and supervising driver, supported by a comprehensive educational website. www.keys2drive.com.au
Launch of new multi-use B Double training vehicle
Posted on Tuesday, 1 September 2009 | Permalink
In launching Driver Safety Services' new multi-use B Double training vehicle in Devonport on 23 July 2009, the Tasmanian Minister for Infrastructure, Graeme Sturgess, said the new vehicle would provide greater access for heavy vehicle driver licence training and assessment for the Tasmanian road transport industry.
The Minister said “With the forecast doubling of the freight task in Tasmania over the next 10 years, it is important that training facilities are put in place to meet the demand for highly skilled and safe drivers for high capacity B Double trucks and other heavy vehicles.”
CEO of Driver Safety Services, Doug Ling said “The new training vehicle, developed by Driver Safety Services is unique, with inbuilt hydraulics for ease of conversion from a B Double and Heavy Combination(semi-trailer) to a Heavy Rigid configuration in the one vehicle, providing flexibility for greater access for training and licence assessment for heavy vehicles across the state.”
The availability of the B Double training vehicle opens up greater access for training and obtaining a licence for drivers seeking to gain employment without an employer having to make a B Double available for licence training and assessment which is often restrictive and costly for the employer.” said Mr Ling.
To meet the shortage of well trained heavy vehicle drivers, particularly with an ageing work force in the road transport sector, Driver Safety Services, which is the Tasmanian road transport industry’s own driver training organisation, has developed nationally recognised Certificate III training packages which provide career paths in the road transport industry from the coach and bus industry, the forest industry, to the general freight and logistics industry.
Doug Ling said, “We are working with the road transport industry to press for reduction in driving age and insurance premiums for heavy vehicle drivers for those undertaking nationally recognised training packages.” Currently the minimum age for a light rigid truck or bus licence is 19 and insurance excesses are prohibiting young drivers under 25 entering the industry.
Driver Safety Services is incorporating its leading edge Crash free driver education program in its heavy vehicle training packages.
“Unlike traditional vehicle control and advanced training courses, the Crash free education program is a behavioural change program which has a lasting benefit, as it trains drivers to develop reflective techniques to enable a driver to continually assess their own performance as a safe driver and helps them to learn to manage the risks they are exposed to.” Mr Ling said.
For further information and photographs of the new training vehicle go to: uploads/file/B%20Double%20Configurations.pdf