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"setting driving
standards"
Web Changes
This is where we'll announce the most recent
additions to our web site. If you've visited us before and want to know what's
changed, take a look here first.
The Automotive Dictionary has
been completed. Last updated 15/12/2001
- Defensive Driving School
establishes Internet Presence
Defensive Driving
School will be setting up a SKID PAN
where vehicle skid control can be learned and practised. 13/03/2002
The Civil Protection
Department has started their initial assessments drives and theory tests before
the Blue Light Users' Course commences. 30/03/2002
TV
We also took part in a popular local Television comedy
" Simpatici " and were also requested to produce a weekly spot on
driver education on a local Tv station. The photos below remember some of these
moments.
 
PRESS
Think you know how to drive?
Think Again!
Friday 9th June, 2000 - The Times of Malta
If
you think you know how to drive just because you have passed your driving
test, you had better think again. Ian Pace, who has just set up as Advanced
and Defensive Driving School in Paola, believes that many more skills are
needed to turn a person from a novice into an accomplished driver.
Mr
Pace himself obtained a diploma in Advanced driving from the U.K. after a
two-year theoretical and practical course, which was concluded with four
examinations testing his ability as a driver and driving instructor.
The training he received, which is now planning to pass on to Maltese
drivers, includes methods of anticipating and avoiding traffic accidents,
observing and reading road activity, using a vehicle’s safety features to
the utmost, maximising concentration and safe driving.
He
became interested in taking the course when the mother company of the
courier organisation he was working for at the time sent one of its
full-time instructors to teach couriers in Malta.
The idea of defensive driving was launched by a group of British
policemen who wanted to reduce the rate of traffic accidents.
When
Mr Pace completed his course, his instructor Mark S. Kendrick said he had
impressed him with his safe driving practises at all speeds.
“He is very patient and knows how to pass on his knowledge very
effectively.” “The thing that impressed me most was his desire to
improve road safety in Malta for the sake of everyone.”
Courses being offered by Ian’s school include advanced and
defensive driving practise lessons for those who already possess a license
but are afraid or reluctant to drive.
The
are also courses for corporate drivers, blue light users, security drivers,
chauffeurs, and driving instructors. Driving theory lessons are also given.
A certificate is issued at the end of each course.
People
successfully completing the course benefit from a 20 per cent increase in
the non claim bonus discount given by Untours Insurance Agency on
presentation of their certificate.
They will also enjoy lower fuel consumption, safe and progressive
driving, fewer road accidents, better care and performance and a better
resale value of their car.
Mr Pace’s only disappointment is that there is no entity yet to
recognise advanced drivers. To teach advanced driving, he said, he had to
obtain a license for a normal driving school.
Even when he asked the police to assess his training, he was told
that nothing could be done before the Transport Authority was set up.
For More Information Contact:
Defensive Driving School
113, Dockyard Street, Paola -
PLA04 - MALTA
Tel: 79693511
email: safedriving@hotmail.com
Driving http://www.klikka.net/
Catherine
Leuz
Published on the 27 June 2002
With Around 12,000 Accidents a Year,
Maybe We Could All Benefit From More Training
When you consider there are 90,000
vehicles on the road every day and around 12,000
traffic accidents each year in Malta, (and that
doesn't include near misses and little shunts that aren't reported) taking a
course in Defensive Driving could be best thing you've ever spent your
hard-earned cash on. It could help reduce your insurance premiums but more
importantly, it could save your life and that of your loved ones!
I think we would all agree that driving in Malta has becoming
a nightmare. What with parking, the ubiquitous 'ticket
happy' wardens and the daily skirmishes, to say
nothing of the combat action by four-wheel drive bullies, it is definitely
less stressful to go by bus. For 15c, you can reach your destination, get a
vibra-massage, and walk away without having to park the 'Yellow
Peril'!
We tend to think of ladies as the gentler sex, but that certainly doesn't apply when these
gentle creatures get behind the wheel. Then they are definitely deadlier
than the male! From my experience, particularly in the San Giljan/Swieqi
area, most of the real aggro comes from women who are hell-bent on getting
into a parking space. It doesn't seem to matter which side of the road the
space is on, or who got there first. It is warfare! Come on ladies, own up;
it can't always be down to our hormones! But don't think I'm letting men off
the hook. Some of the 'macho'
cowboys seem to get great pleasure from their intimidating techniques. You
know the kind of behaviour; trying to get their front number plate up your
rear end, in the middle of the Regional Road tunnel, at close on 70!
When I'm pursued by one of these idiots, I'm tempted to touch
the brakes and turn their underpants a shade of brown….but that would be
equally dangerous. So I don't retaliate; not because I'm a helpless female,
but because bullies are not worth getting upset about, and antics on the
road can result in a journey to the morgue. It's the same with lane
jumpers…remember the saying "undertakers
like overtakers"!
When I lived and drove in central London , I enrolled on an
Institute of Advanced Motorists' Driving Course. It taught defensive driving
techniques for all kinds of situations and weather conditions. Part of skill
assessment for the course took place at the Metropolitan Police Training
Centre. It was rather scary being supervised by traffic cops so many years
after passing my driving test. They were quick to point out lazy habits -
like forgetting to check the rear view mirror every 10 seconds and MSM (Mirror
Signal Manoeuvre) before any manoeuvre in traffic.
Unfortunately, I left England before I completed the course. Passing the
test would have allowed me to become a member of the prestigious Institute
of Advanced Motorists and display the coveted IAM badge on the car.
"Research shows that drivers trained in Defensive
Driving techniques are 75% less likely to be involved in an accident"
Defensive Driving – What Does It Mean?
It was devised by a group of UK policemen after they studied
a number of road accidents and looked for ways to improve road safety.
Training focuses on 'reading the road',
being aware of what's going on around you, reacting quickly and learning to
drive without putting yourself or others at risk.
Ian Pace runs a Defensive Driving School in Paola. He was
trained in the UK and he offers tailor-made courses to match the
individual's skills.
Does Advanced Driving mean Fast Driving?
NO. It isn't about speed, it's about SKILL.
As Ian says "If it feels fast….it's bad
driving" Anyone can become an advanced driver
with sufficient instruction and practice. One of the most important points
in driving is giving your passengers a smooth ride with no jerky movements
or sudden braking. I remember my IAM instructor repeating time and time
again "Drive as though you were driving with a
dozen eggs on the bonnet." That was actually
one of the tests…being able to stop - without scrambling the eggs!
Could I do it now? I very much doubt it…..What
about you?
Defensive Driving School is at 113 Dockyard Road Paola,
Tel: 21 693511 or 7969 3511, Webpage: www.safedriving.tripod.com, e-mail:
safedriving@hotmail.com
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