Course entrants in prizes draw

Press, 1 July 1986, Page 22

Course entrants in prizes draw

Rain, sleet, ice, fog, smog, and the long hours of darkness associated with the middle of winter combine to make July normally the most hazardous month of the year for the New Zealand driver.

To counteract this, the Defensive Driving Council has declared this month Defensive Driving Month. Every driver who enrols for a defensive driving course during July automatically enters the draw for one of a range of prizes donated by local firms.

Courses are held at Pioneer Stadium, Spreydon, on Mondays or Tuesdays, at the council's Chester Street West centre on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and at Q.E. II Stadium, Burwood, on Wednesdays. These courses are held between 7.30 and 9.30 p.m.

The council also runs courses as required for companies or groups of any kind. A minimum enrolment of 20 people is preferred for a course, and numbers are limited to a maximum of 35.

The courses are very portable and can be held in factories, church halls,

community centres — wherever there is enough interest. Recent courses conducted by the Christchurch Defensive Driving Council have been held as far afield as Hanmer, Lincoln, Diamond Harbour, Rangiora and Woodend. Many companies organise defensive driving courses for their staff, and sometimes members of the public can also attend these courses if the time and venue are convenient.

“We can cover anybody who wants a course,” said Mr Boyd Roberts, promotions officer for the council and a volunteer instructor.

Companies and organisations which have recently arranged defensive driving courses for their staff include the Department of Maori Affairs, Dalgety Crown, the Hare Krishna Temple, and Waitaki N.Z.R.

Companies and individuals are becoming increasingly aware of the many benefits of learning to drive defensively. Insurance claims drop, once drivers have been educated to a better aware-

ness, and this results in lower premiums, as noclaim bonuses are not forfeited.

By learning to handle their vehicles intelligently, drivers also learn to drive more economically, reducing wear and tear.

The $2O course fee is an investment which can more than repay itself.

Parents often send their teenage children to attend the course, and the council recommends that it is better to wait until the driver has gained six months practical experience.

“If somebody’s done a little bit of driving first, it’s easier to relate to the practical problems dealt with by the course,” Mr Roberts said. The course caters for people of any age. A recent course entrant was aged 85. Many older people do the defensive driving course in order to boost their confidence on the road.

The Defensive Driving Council, a non-profit incorporated society, is funded by grants from the Accident Compensation Corporation and the Min-

istry of Transport. General Motors provides a generous grant to cover on-going course development. The council’s head office is in Christchurch, and there are 11 area councils. Since its introduction to New Zealand in 1967, defensive driving has become a household term. The number of New Zealanders who have done the course now total 250,000.

The instructors are all volunteers, most having become so after doing a defensive driving course. They come from all walks of life, and are trained by the council’s own instruc-tor-trainers and the Ministry of Transport.

The council works closely with the Ministry of Transport, although it is not part of it.

Mr Boyd Roberts describes the course as a driver-awareness course. “If everybody drove defensively, driving would be so much more enjoyable. It’s just a pity everybody doesn’t,” he said.

"Our aim is to educate drivers in defensive driving so they can enjoy

driving and do it safely. We want to alter attitudes, so drivers are more aware and therefore safer,” Mr Roberts said.

The Defensive Driving Council also runs the Matchless Motorcycle Riding School, teaching a basic motorcycle safety course. Developed three years ago in Christchurch, this 18-hour course is now run at venues around New Zealand.

The $3O course lasts, four weeks and consists of two hours theory on Tuesday evenings and 2 l / 2 hours practical instruction at week-ends.

Basic skills, such as how to carry out a preride check and handling skills are taught. The Christchurch training ground is on Wigram Road.