We've all had close encounters behind the wheel as we frantically try to go to meetings, pick up the kids and get to places on time. I spent some time earlier this week talking to one of Bishop's Stortford's best driving instructors - Lee Gosdon of Revs Driving School. He's passionate about driving and believes we should all be more receptive to learning and improving every day!

Lee went on to say...

"Being a good driver means that you should never stop learning. To improve your skills take responsibility for your actions on the road. Everyone makes mistakes, however very few actually learn from them!

If you are involved in a “near miss” or “accident” try not to blame the other driver, think what you could have done to prevent it and the next time you arrive at a similar situation you will react in a more appropriate way.

If you blame the other driver you will go away from the situation thinking you have nothing to learn from it when in most cases both drivers contribute to the situation.

We must never expect anyone to do the correct thing whilst driving this leads to surprises! How many times have you heard the saying “suddenly the car in front braked”? If the driver had been keeping a safe distance from the car in front then the word suddenly would not have been used because the driver would have enough time to react. Too many drivers do not look far enough ahead."

I was staggered when he told me that - Traffic accidents account for:

• Almost half of all accidental deaths in Britain
• Nearly a quarter of all adult deaths under 30, whether accidental or not
• The largest single cause of death and injury for young adults
• Average drivers cover about 10,000 miles a year and have a one in seven chance of an accident during that time. Some drivers are at more risk than others:
• Those travelling more miles than average per year
  • Men
  • Younger driversI
  • inexperienced drivers

We can also tell from the statistics which are the commonest types of accident:

• About a third of all accidents are rear end shunts-where one vehicle crashes into the back of another
• A quarter of all accidents are caused by one vehicle driving across another vehicle’s priority
  
• Around one sixth of all accidents involve a loss of directional control
  
• If you have had an accident in one three year period you are twice as likely to have another accident in the next three years

If you have had an accident for which you could be held partly responsible, you are four times more likely to have the same type of accident in the next year
 
These facts show that we are poor at learning from experience, to become a better driver, we have to recognise the resistance in ourselves to accepting responsibility, and take steps to overcome it.

Once we have learnt to do something routinely we are very reluctant to alter that routine, whatever the evidence that it does not work.

If you take anything from this article and as Lee says, let it be this:

Think about your driving when you are driving. Think about everything else once you arrive alive.

For more information about helping to improve your driving or if you're looking to pass your test, contact Lee Gosden of Revs Driving School on 01279 271120 Mob: 07746 807 046 or email Lee leegodrive@googlemail.com