Car driving accidents don't just happen

As a learner driver taking professional driving lessons with an instructor, it is very unlikely that you will be involved in a car accident, and if you do (I've had three so far in my ADI career, and in all cases have been hit from behind), it is most probably going to be the 3rd party driver's fault, however the day will come when you pass the driving test and you will be in charge of a car un-supervised, making decisions by yourself and if you don't make the right ones, then you could be involved in a car accident which could also be your fault.

By definition an accident is 'a specific, identifiable, unexpected, unusual and unintended external action which occurs in a particular time and place, without apparent or deliberate cause but with marked effects. It implies a generally negative probabilistic outcome which may have been avoided or prevented had circumstances leading up to the accident been recognized, and acted upon, prior to its occurrence.' Wikipedia.
For this very reason almost all road traffic collisions in the UK are not driving accidents as they could have been prevented.



For the benefit of provisional licence holders, here are some of the top reasons for vehicles being involved in driving accidents.

1. Inappropriate speed for the conditions.
2. Driving too close to the car in front of you.
3. Lack of or poor observations at junctions.
4. Poorly maintained vehicles (brakes, tyres, lights, suspension, etc).
5. Driver impairment via alcohol, drugs, fatigue.
6. Inexperience on the road or motorways.

As a learner driver you might be saying that I will always be safe once I get my full british licence, but the truth is once you have passed the test, bought your own car have driven it for a couple of months, you start to feel very confident, and start to take risks (going faster than is necesssary for example because you are in a hurry to get somewhere or late), and if you get away with it the first time, you are sure to do it again.

Any driver you ask out on the road will say they are safe, until they are involved in a car collision.

Can you do anything about other road user's mistakes? Yes you can, it is called defensive driving. When driving late at night for example, I always assume someone might run a red light as I approach a junction when my lights have just turned green.
If i'm being tailgated on the motorway or dual carriageway, I give the car in fron of me extra space so I can brake more slowly to avoid being hit from behind.

I would rather appear stupid in the sight of another 'expert' driver, avoid an incident, than have to go through the process of claiming on my car insurance policy even if the other party is at fault, wasting my time, causing a lot of inconvinience and hassle.

Sometimes your car is never the same after being involved in a car accident, or it might even be you or someone close to you that is scared by the incident. At the end of the day, the cost of trying to save a few minutes is not worth it, nor is being too proud to allow another foolish driver to get in front of you. Be safe, vehicle accidents are caused by human error!

If you require high quality driving lessons from a very helpful, patient and full qualified instructor, then why not call or send me a text message on 07956233032

Thinking about becoming an instructor? Don't just make a decision based on the red driving school TV advertisement, do the proper research and know all the ADI training options available to you.

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