| Where are Defensive Driving Courses Held? The courses are held at the Driver Training Centre on Sutton Road near Queanbeyan. Sutton Road is about six kilometres from the circle at the airport heading towards Queanbeyan. The venue is a purpose built training facility, which includes manoeuvring, skidpan and circuit areas. How Long is the Course? The course is conducted over a full day from 8:30am - 4:00pm. There are morning and afternoon tea breaks as well as a lunch break usually lasting about 45 minutes. The lunch is provided by professional caterers. What Vehicle Do I Use? Rick wants you to make the most of the Defensive Driving Course. You will do this by using the car you drive on a day-to-day basis. By practising on the course with this car you will fully utilise the opportunities to learn more skills and be able to put them into practise instantly. Gift Vouchers Gift vouchers are available and are indeed popular gifts for Christmas, birthdays, Mother's and Father's Day. All vouchers are valid for twelve months and are not transferrable. Cost and Payment The cost of the Defensive Driving Course is $220.00 inc GST. This includes morning and afternoon tea breaks as well as a catered lunch. All participants will receive a certificate on the completion of the course. Our preferred methods of payment are cash, cheque or money order. Course Structure Classroom Based Discussion: The discussion concentrates on developing a reasonable, defensive attitude in drivers. This will help participants develop low risk driving behaviours. As noted above in our experience we find that drivers with the correct attitude detect and avoid potentially dangerous situations before they reach the stage where an accident is possible. Seating Position: Most people tend to sit in their vehicle as though they are watching television in the lounge room. Participants will be shown the correct seating position and understand that sitting correctly in the vehicle is vital to control and balance. The driver must be seated (with comfort) as close as possible to the controls of the vehicle to ensure maximum control of that vehicle. Areas covered include correct seat belt fit, correct bend in the arms and legs, correct hand position on the steering wheel and correct feet position while breaking and cornering. These factors also have a direct bearing on comfort and fatigue. Stopping Distances: Instructors demonstrate stopping at speeds of 60 to 80 km/h. This session creates a high impact, thought provoking response from the course participants, as few drivers realise the distance it takes to stop while travelling at relatively low speeds. Following Distances: How far do you follow behind the vehicle ahead? The instructors demonstrate safe following distances. Again, this session usually surprises most participants, as nine out of ten drivers are guilty of tailgating and do not understand the consequences of leaving an insufficient distance between you and the vehicle ahead. Emergency Breaking: This is a most important skill to master. Everyone knows how to make a vehicle travel faster, but nine out of ten drivers don't know how to safely make a vehicle stop in the shortest possible distance. Drivers usually realise that they lack this skill when confronted with an emergency braking situation. In an emergency panic sets in, brakes lock up and the vehicle takes longer to stop. It may have been possible to steer around the obstacle, but when your wheels are locked you have no steering ability whatsoever. The emergency braking segment of the course allows participants to practise the braking exercises under various road conditions and speeds, until they feel comfortable with the control they have over their vehicle. The participant will be taught how to brake correctly and how to avoid an obstacle at the same time. Lane Change: An emergency procedure used when the distance you have to stop in, is not enough. This exercise teaches another option to avoid an accident. It shows the driver how quickly the vehicle will respond to their reactions and, just as importantly, how the vehicle will respond to driver over-reaction. Circuit/Open Road: Selecting the correct line through a corner minimises wear and tear on the vehicle, in particular the tyres, and improves fuel economy as well as passenger comfort. Correct approach, entry and exit while cornering on the open road is taught. Exercises such as braking in a straight line and selecting the right gear before entering the corner are taught, along with selecting the correct entry speed and how to accelerate gently through a corner. How do I get onto a Defensive Driving Course Look at the dates offered above and choose which date will suit you best. Ring or email to reserve a place. Then print the enrolment form below. Please complete the form and forward it together with a cheque or money order to the address on the form. Confirm your dates on the form. We ring to confirm your place about a month before the course is due to be run and follow that up with a confirmation letter the week leading up to the course. Please click here to print a Defensive Driving enrolment form. |
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| Both these vehicles are displaying the skidpan component of the course. |
| Bates Advanced Driving focus’ our Defensive Driving Course on developing a reasonable and defensive attitude. Our experience is that drivers with the correct attitude detect and avoid potentially dangerous situations before they reach the stage where an accident is possible. Bates Advanced Driving has a long involvement in driving courses and has been conducting Defensive Driving Courses in Canberra at the Sutton Road Driver Training Centre for ten years. Who attends Defensive Driving Courses? A variety of people attend Defensive Driving courses for many different reasons. People wanting to update their skills, people who may have developed some bad driving habits, people adapting to a new car, young people, young people's parents, senior citizens, new parents, employees, people who have been involved in car accidents or people who would just like raise their awareness levels. It doesn't matter how old you are, our driving skills always need revising. It seems we just don't realise how inexperienced even the most experienced drivers are until they are put in a position to be tested! All participants must be licensed. When Are Defensive Driving Courses Held? The Defensive Driving courses are held most months, see the proposed dates for 2010 below. Courses are generally held on a Sunday, however, occasionally courses will be held on a Saturday. Several times during the year courses will be held on a week day. We can also accommodate organisations by conducting Defensive Driving Courses during the week. The course is held regardless of weather conditions. |
| 2010 WEEKDAY Courses |
| 2010 Weekend Courses: |
Saturday 13th February Sunday 6th March Sunday 30th May Sunday 20th June Sunday 18th July |
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| Dates on application .... |