West Midlands motorists who regularly "break the rules of the
road" may be eligible for a new driving course to improve their
driving skills and reduce road crashes.
A pilot scheme has been launched by police in the West Midlands
with the help of the TTC Group, a specialist driver trainers from
Shropshire, which is the UK's leading organisation for re-educating
motorists.
Drivers stopped by police for minor traffic infringements could
be recommended for the 2¼ hour course with a driving
instructor instead of receiving a fine or points on their
licence.
"It is aimed at people who come to the attention of police when
their driving falls below what is normally expected of a competent
driver," said Alan Prosser, Manager of the National Driver Offender
Retraining Schemes for the TTC Group, of Hadley Park, Telford.
Police believe motorists will benefit from the short on road
practical driving session when their driving errors can be
corrected.
"They will be able to talk about the incident with a trainer who
can help them to improve their driving," said Mr Prosser.
"It is aimed at minor offences for people who have
unintentionally broken the rules of the road and not had a
collision. Everyone makes mistakes through lack of concentration or
some people have simply forgotten parts of the Highway Code. This
course is aimed at improving driving skills which will help reduce
the terrible human and financial costs caused by a death or serious
injury on our roads."
The TTC Group also run National Driver Alertness Courses, speed
awareness courses and drink drive rehabilitation courses. TTC
Automotive, part of the TTC Group, runs courses for the corporate
sector as well as individual drivers to educate motorists before
they commit a traffic offence.
For more information about courses for business or private
individuals contact TTC Automotive on 0333 8000 222. For
information about the national Driver Offender Retraining Schemes
call TTC on 0845 270 4363.
More than 222,000 people were injured in UK roads crashes in
2009 and 2,222 were killed. A total of 24 people were killed or
seriously injured every day on roads in the West Midlands last
year.