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Crash Courses For Learner Drivers

16:36 Mon 24th May 2010 |

Learner drivers are to be given special 'crash courses' to increase their chances of surviving accidents, the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has said.

The move follows warnings from motor insurance companies and safety experts that driving techniques need to be overhauled to cope with the UK's overcrowded roads.

Motor insurance companies and police say more and more accidents are the result of drivers panicking at the wheel, reports a leading newspaper.

The DSA is studying methods used by the police, such as brake drills, effective skidding and the awareness of stress on driving performance as it reviews training methods.

The DSA announcement coincides with a major new study that concludes that many accidents are caused by drivers who have not received adequate training in how to overcome their anxiety when they lose control of a vehicle.

Research by motor insurance companies and safety experts has shown that drivers who are involved in a crash become fixated on road signs, trees and pedestrians. Instead of concentrating on manoeuvring to safety, they hit other objects, slam on the brakes and lose control of the vehicle.
Drivers who have been taught how to pump brakes and avoid wheel lock have an apparently 70 per cent higher survival rate.

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