17 April 2013

Waikato drivers get skill refresher courses

Four ‘driver upskill’ courses saw older drivers from across the district come together last week to refresh their knowledge of the road rules and driver safety.

The courses were facilitated by driving instructors Wayne Holden and Lynette Hines, who helped drivers brush up on a number of key points for keeping safe on the road.

These included recognising hazards and making the crucial decisions needed to negotiate busy roads. A review of give way rules, a reminder on the need to indicate correctly and tips for negotiating roundabouts all proved popular with the participants.

“Communicating correctly with other motorists your intentions at roundabouts and other intersections as well as being in the correct lane minimises confusion and congestion, and lessens the risk of a crash,” Mr Holden said.

The two hour course was well received with one participant commenting that the refresher courses should be open to all ages, and simply discussing safety was very helpful.

Waikato District Council Road Safety Co-ordinator Megan Jolly, who organised the courses, was pleased with the level of interest and commented that if there is enough demand then additional courses can be arranged. Ms Jolly can be reached through the council on 0800 492 452.

Ms Jolly said that the give way rules, in conjunction with hazard awareness were key components of the courses. Over the last five years there have been 12 deaths and 62 serious injury crashes at intersections in the Waikato district alone.

Attached are photos from the Tuakau, Ngaruawahia and Raglan courses. For higher resolution versions of these photos please email Megan Jolly.

ENDS

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