What really drives safety, skill or effort? Let's start with a couple of questions. Is it possible to drive a new car dangerously? Yes. Is it possible to drive a really old car cautiously. Yes. So what's the difference? The answer is effort. You don't need extra knowledge or car control skills to drive more cautiously, just the will to put in the extra effort.
It's easy to think that drivers who attend a regular advanced or defensive driving course will be safer because of the knowledge and driving skills acquired on the course. This isn't true. Did you know that some types of driver training cause produce more crashes, not less?
The main reason ordinary driver training doesn't reliably produce safer drivers, is because it doesn't address the main factors that increase intrinsic safety motivation; it doesn't impact positively on a driver's willingness to put in extra effort to avoid crashes when necessary. It's critical that drivers leave a program knowing how to, and want to, drive more cautiously.
Would you like to know how our one-day Low Risk Driving Course positively influences a driver's safety motivation? Reach out, obligation free. Cheers Jeremy Williams. info@drivertrainingaustralia.com.au
First Published on LinkedIn July 2025