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Pass Plus gets the thumbs up
from a young Aberdeenshire driver


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A young Aberdeenshire driver, took the Pass Plus course with financial help from the Garioch & North Marr Community Safety Group. Here is his story.


The Driver's Story

I joined the many adults and teenagers who've passed their driving test. I'll never forget that adrenaline rush, hearing from the examiner that I'd passed with only four minors. Though, I'll admit that then I thought I was a safe driver. I must've been - I'd passed the test without affecting any other drivers. So why should I take Pass Plus?

Nearly everyday you hear about a teenage driver killed on the road due to excessive speeds, drinking, drugs and general carelessness. I swore blindly to everyone and myself that I was not going to join that number of the dead, I would obey the law. Though that clearly isn't enough at times, and you find out why by taking Pass Plus.

Driving lessons mainly focus on you as a driver and your abilities. Pass Plus takes driving a step further; by teaching you to read the road your own, take into account your surrounds for oncoming vehicles, animals and pedestrians. Weather conditions, the level of traffic, the amount of pedestrians, road lay-outs. All need to be considered.

The six modules of Pass Plus are really worthwhile and effective for changing the way one thinks whilst driving, as the course focuses on your thinking rather your driving skills. The six modules are:

  1. Town Driving
  2. Dual Carriageways
  3. Motorway driving
  4. All weather driving
  5. Out of town driving (Countryside driving)
  6. Night driving

Every module has universal pieces of theory - forcing you to think "Is it safe to accelerate?", "What is around the car?", "What could be ahead?" Simple questions which could help prevent an accident.

Town Driving is something I truly won't forgot, as it was my first time driving in Aberdeen. Fortunately it was on a Sunday morning, so it wasn't nearly as busy as Aberdeen tends to be on other mornings. The module is trains you to read road signs, road markings and plan your next move. As the rhythm of town driving is a lot faster than driving in Inverurie, apprehensive waiting only frustrates other drivers, and I'm glad to have taken Pass Plus for this alone - it gave me a safe and calm way of thinking about approaching Aberdeen and driving through it.

Dual Carriageways and Motorway driving comprises of nearly the same theory principles. Read the road signs, look for your exit, watch for other road users. Even though I'd driven on the dual carriageway for my initial driving lessons, there was a lot more to it than I had previously thought. It isn't simply a case of driving at a monotonous pace for a long time. One really has to think about road junctions, round a bouts and various other things. Collisions at 70mph, well let's not think about that.

All weather driving - don't drive in really thick snow you might think? Yes, though you also have to consider the road surfaces and how far ahead you can see in order to judge what speed you can travel at. Ways of preventing your car from skidding is also of a high importance, hence why the Pass Plus course incorporates its teaching.

Out of town driving - the area where you'll find reading the road signs and markings the most useful. My Instructor directed me into parts of the Grampian I'd never driven on, so I was forced into a situation where my theory had to be put into practice. One must think about where the road goes after a bend, if any large machinery could be travelling towards you, if any animals could be nearby and where to go at a junction. This is one module I believe is the most useful, as many teenagers now a days disregard common sense on country roads, for the thrill at travelling at high speeds.

Night driving - a module which makes you ask yourself, "Are my lights functioning properly?" This module teaches you the importance of being seen in the night, and preventing your self from dazzling other drivers. For this module my instructor requested that I drove my car, in order to teach me how to use my lights (if I didn't already know how to use them).

All together, the whole course makes you consider other drivers and what may lie ahead; something which isn't really taught where you are learning to drive initially. The course was designed specifically for people who've recently passed their test, as they cause a lot more accidents than there should be.

Obviously some accidents will happen, that's inevitable. What you can do, and will do now you've completed Pass Plus, is help prevent a lot of the fatal accidents, caused by complete dis-regard for anything except number one.



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