British Develop Video Training for New Drivers

As any experienced driver knows, it's important to look around for danger before it becomes obvious. In fact, the AAA Foundation's driver-ZED program was created specifically to teach teen drivers how to scan for danger. Now Britain's Department of Transport, in cooperation with the Driving Standards Agency, has created a series of videos that require new drivers to search for possible hazards in the environment. This "hazard perception test" shows the test-taker a series of film clips of real road scenes. Viewers will be scored on how soon they spot the dangers in 14 scenes chosen at random from a library of 200 clips.

The videos were developed as an attempt to reduce new driver risks, since in Britain one new driver in five has an accident in the 12 months following their driving test. (It's also one in five for 16-year-old drivers in the United States.) Alistair Darling, Britain's Transport Secretary, said, "Too many accidents involve new drivers and it is therefore essential that they are aware of road hazards from the very start. By concentrating on these danger awareness skills as soon as people start to drive, they are given a valuable lesson for life - making the road safer for them and all road users."

Peter Kissinger, President of the AAA Foundation, notes that it is significant that the British government has mandated this ZED-like test for new drivers. “This is the first such action worldwide and certainly underscores the continued value of driver-ZED,” Kissinger said. To that end, the AAA Foundation recently issued a press release reminding the public that ZED is a wonderful holiday present for a novice driver.

Here are some traffic safety video clips of road scenes in Britain:

http://www.dsa.gov.uk/hpt/roadsense-video.htm

Planning to drive in Britain? The rules of the road can be very different overseas. Check your British driving knowledge with these two sample road tests:

http://www.theory-tests.co.uk/starttest.asp?testno=63&orgid=1

http://www.theory-tests.co.uk/starttest.asp?testno=64&orgid=1

For other information on driving in the UK, check the Driving Standards Agency of Great Britain at

http://www.dsa.gov.uk