The Vikings have been extremely fortunate to secure a wide range of partners from a number of different industries for the 2011 season. 

Next to be unveiled is Insight 2 Drive, a company with a strong presence in the Widnes, Runcorn and wider areas, who began trading under the aforementioned name in 2007 and have since gone from strength to strength, with 10 fully qualified male and female instructors on their books, who are all licensed and have had full criminal records bureaux checks. 

Kathy Higgins who founded Insight 2 Drive is not only a grade 6 ORDIT trainer, but also the current Secretary of the Institute of Master Tutors of Driving and one of the most respected and qualified driver trainers in the North West. 

After attending a recent Widnes Vikings Business Club seminar at the Stobart Stadium Halton, Kathy explains further how the opportunity to work alongside the Vikings came about and why it was too good to refuse; “We’ve had a connection with the club for a number of years though our Widnes instructors and we have always been rugby fans so it seemed like a natural progression. 

“As fans, we are keen to do our bit and back the clubs’ bid for a hopeful return into the Super League competition and by joining forces with them, it gives us a great opportunity to help the players, the academy and the fans either pass their Driving Test or to become more advanced, skilled and considerate drivers. 

“As the saying goes, if you enjoy something you will do it better, and I offer you my personal guarantee that you will enjoy your training with us.   

"I simply want people to not only enjoy driving but enjoy driving safely for life. 

“Whether you need to pass quickly, or if you are a nervous learner driver, we can help you achieve your goals. We are also offering a 5% discount to all Vikings fans.” 

Pictured is Vikings’ first team squad member Tom Gilmore, who is currently receiving driving lessons from Insight 2 Drive, alongside his instructor Gill Taylor, Runcorn-based instructor  (and avid Widnes fan) Simon Brown and Kathy Higgins. 

How old are children when they start learning to drive?  17?  You might think it is 17; unfortunately it is as early as 2!  Children learn more and learn it quicker and better in the first 5 years of life than at any other time. 

From they age of 2 they start to absorb, what they see as acceptable attitude and behaviour behind the wheel from any adult that drives them around.  We know this because by the time they get to 5 the know all the hand signals, and we are not talking about the ‘official’ ones in the Highway Code, we are talking the ‘my way code’. 

So by the time they get to 17 they have had 15 years driver training, coaching and education from the people that care for them.  But when they come to us they will do as we say, because they have a test to pass! 

But what do you think happens once they pass the test and they are out on their own with nobody watching and in your car? 

Yes they revert to type and keep the behaviour they have seen in the 15 years, not the 15 weeks we may have had them for, 1 in 5 in car deaths are someone under 24! 

So whenever you have children in the car coach them properly, show them a responsible attitude behind the wheel, because 

TODAY’S CHILDREN ARE TOMORROW’S DRIVERS. 

I received my insurance renewal on Monday. It was a whooping £740 pounds. Needless to say I phoned around and the cheapest       quote was from Adrian Flux for £588. I called Waveney (my currant insurers) and they magically matched the price. Although I spent a couple of hours phoning and filling forms in and waiting for reply's from different companies, it was worth it in the end. 

They all asked some new questions that you might not be aware of and might bring your insurance down even further. 

1. Are you a grade 5 or 6?  

2. Are you a member of R.A.C.? (or similar)

3. Have you completed any Advanced tests? (Diamond, Rospa etc) 

4. What is you estimated mileage for the coming year?

I would recommend Adrian Flux to anyone. Not only did they give the cheapest quote but they were professional, polite, quick to reply, their web site was easy to navigate. 

Remember it pays to shop around. 

Barbara Porter DSA ADI 

On 12th March, ten prisoners and four staff at Altcourse prison, Liverpool, took part in a 20m Triathlon to raise money for RoadPeace, the national charity for road crash victims. 

As well as some of the inmates, Phil Nolan, the assistant prison director, Martin Earl, the chaplain, (who lost his brother in a car crash) and staff member Colin Smith, also took part. Martin ended up doing an extra three and a half miles because he thought his bike was set to kilometres and it was actually miles! He was still smiling in the afternoon. Robbi Biddulph, a driving instructor at Insight 2 Drive, who is also the fitness instructor at the prison, organised the event (and was up until midnight the night before printing and ironing T-shirts). 

The lads split between the various machines in the gym; running, cycling and rowing and their times were logged to see who was fastest. A huge ghetto blaster was pumping out some deafening, heavy bass, dance music to psych them up and keep them going. They put themselves through a lot of physical effort and pain having already endured a long period of training. All of this despite several of them still suffering serious injuries from their collisions. 

David Midmer of RoadPeace witnessed the event and had the opportunity to talk individually to some of the guys.  He said “It's great to meet people who are so intense about what they are doing and determined to work hard for a good cause. It’s also very interesting to discover the backgrounds to their stories.” The original idea sprang from inmate Robert who lost a family member in a road crash. He wanted to raise some money for a charity as part of his redemption. He got talking with Daniel who is suffering terrible remorse after killing someone very close to him in a collision. They decided it should be a charity associated with road crash victims. 

David, sole proprietor of GOLD STAR professional driving instruction and co founder of Wirral’s newly formed ATLAS driving group works with Kathy Higgins, the founder of Insight 2 Drive, Merseyside. Both are involved in running speed awareness courses for Merseyside police. David said “Kathy knew that my twenty-two year old son, Nathan, had been run over and killed at Christmas 2000 and that I worked as a volunteer with RoadPeace, the national charity for road crash victims.”. Kathy introduced David to Robbi and on 25th February, David visited the prison to talk to the inmates about the work of RoadPeace. This was followed by a very frank interactive session of questions and answers. 

RoadPeace was founded in 1992 and receives no statutory or government support. This means it can remain independent when advising on matters of road safety. RoadPeace, therefore, relies totally on the generosity of, mainly, the very people who have suffered road trauma to support its work, so any opportunity such as this is of immense value. 

Although RoadPeace welcomes the money (around £1,500 so far (but don't let that stop you donating!), for David the most important things are; firstly, the way these men are putting something positive back into society by their actions but secondly and, overwhelmingly, they are sending out a powerful message to the general public to see what are the consequences of their actions and not to emulate them. 

“When someone dies in a road traffic crash everybody loses. The victims obviously, who lose their lives and what was ahead of them, or are seriously injured so that their lives will never be as full and happy as they should be. The victims' families who suffer as they lose a loved one, and the financial burdens which restrict what they can do, emotional problems and so on. Some families have to cope with caring for relatives with terrible physical or brain injuries. Then, of course, the prisoners and their families also miss out on what they should be doing.” 

David is looking forward to going back into the prison to meet the lads again and to present them with certificates in recognition of their achievements. RoadPeace wish to thank everyone involved greatly for their dedication, effort and pain. Robbi has worked tirelessly to organise, train, motivate and inspire everyone concerned. Robert has some very intelligent and creative ideas to put out these messages and Daniel desperately wants to tell his story to stop others making the same mistakes. David will do his best to help them achieve their vision. 

To everyone who has already made donations, RoadPeace are extremely grateful for your generosity. To those who are about to do so, an equally big thank you. If you’re not sure why you should support RoadPeace, bear in mind that we all have a 1 in 75 chance of losing someone close to us in a road collision. If you experience that tragedy, RoadPeace will be here to support you emotionally and practically. Remember, RoadPeace receives no statutory government funding. Please help if you are able and pass this information to as many people, firms and companies, etc, as you can. We are always looking for sponsorship. 

 To make your pledge go towww.justgiving.com/RoadPeace-Altcourse-Triathlon  Please remember, if you are a UK tax payer use gift aid. This turns every £10 you give into nearly £12 for RoadPeace.If you prefer to pay by cheque please make it payable to RoadPeace, mark it on the back “for Altcourse Triathlon” and send it to RoadPeace, Shakespeare Business Centre, 245a Cold Harbour Lane, Brixton, London, SW9 8RR, United Kingdom Or telephone   020 7733 1603 for other payment options.Please check out the new RoadPeace website www.roadpeace.org   and find out more.  

We have now delivered the first two ‘Practical Coaching Skills for Driving Instructors’ workshops.  

Those that attended said they thoroughly enjoyed it and learnt a lot.  They have since been keeping us informed with their progress and have been successfully applying their new skills.  Most importantly, their pupils have felt the benefit too!  Here’s a few of the comments we have received: 

“A very enjoyable day albeit a long one for me driving from Uxbridge in west London.   I have started using some of the coaching techniques we all explored. I don’t know who is more pleased with the results, me or the pupil!!” 

Bob – Uxbridge 

“I really enjoyed your coaching workshop and have seen great results in pupil progress using these methods.  I am looking forward to enhancing my coaching skills through more practice & workshops with yourselves.” 

Carl – Derby 

“I went not really knowing what to expect, but I thought there are some parts of this I'm already doing.  How wrong was I?  The course made me see how easy my job would be if I followed a few simple steps, how enjoyable the lesson could be and how much the pupil would learn.  I tried these techniques the next day with 2 pupils, and wow! There were big differences in the way they understood more quickly.  I didn’t tell them I had been on a course.  But at the end of each lesson, they both said they couldn’t believe how easy it was and how much they got done.  I'm glad I went, it was money well spent!” 

Barbara - Liverpool 

We have had a lot of enquiries for further workshop dates and we are pleased to confirm two more dates: 

Thursday 20th May – Liverpool 

Thursday 10th June - Oldham 

You can find out more about the workshop by visiting www.adicoaching.co.uk and a downloadable booking form is available by clicking on the link underneath the course dates. If you wish to attend, your place will be reserved as soon as we receive your completed booking form.  Places are limited and may fill quickly. 

Hello Everyone, 

Just one day to go before the prisoners at Altcourse burst their guts out doing the Triathlon in support of RoadPeace, the national charity for road crash victims. We’ve had lots of generous donations, so many thanks to all those who’ve contributed. Some of you promised to donate but haven’t coughed up yet, so please try to find the time and will to do so. We need your help. 

I’ll be going in to the prison during the day to see how the athletes are coping and encourage them to really go for it. 

You can make your pledge by going to 

www.justgiving.com/RoadPeace-Altcourse-Triathlon 

Please remember, if you are a UK tax payer use gift aid. This turns every £10 you give into nearly £12 for RoadPeace. 

If you prefer to pay by cheque please make it payable to RoadPeace, write  Altcourse on the back or within an accompanying letter and send it to 

RoadPeace, Shakespeare Business Centre, 245a Cold Harbour Lane, Brixton, London, SW9 8RR, United Kingdom 

Or telephone 020 7733 1603 for other payment options. 

To find out more about RoadPeace go to our website 

www.roadpeace.org.uk 

Thanking you in advance for your generosity (no amount is too small and no amount is too large). 

Best wishes, 

David Midmer 

Red driving school including The Red Instructor Training College have gone into liquidation and are looking for a buyer for the business.  This apparently happened on Tue 16th Feb. 

Red currently employs around 400 people across 3 offices.  Also up for grabs is the Red Instructor Training and Red Fleet.  The Red Instructor training has 22 instructor colleges nationwide and 2 offices one in Liverpool and one Billingham, near Middlesbrough. 

I was speaking to a Red instructor and one of their current trainees and found out they did not even know!  What a way to find out you are out of a job or that all the money you have invested in training may be lost.  This is why Insight 2 Drive only asks you to pay as you go, so you don’t have to invest in all your training at once. 

I also feel sorry for the learner drivers with Red as it must be very upsetting to wonder if your instructor is going to turn up or not. 

More information on this Red Driving School click her for the BBC News article 

The DSA is currently undertaking a study into the effectiveness of using modern coaching techniques over traditional ‘instructional’ methods, with a view to improving the Learning to Drive syllabus.  It is not a case of if coaching will become an essential part of the role of an ADI, but more a case of when. 

Many ADI’s incorrectly believe that coaching is simply a case of asking questions, something which they feel they do adequately anyway.  Although it is true that coaching techniques do involve an effective questioning technique, driver coaching is much, much more than that.  During a recent DIA Coaching workshop in Manchester conducted by Ged and Claire Wilmot, many self-proclaimed ‘Driver Coaches’ realised that they weren’t actually coaching at all, and learned a great deal from our short presentation. 

During this time of increased competition in the driving instruction industry, it’s essential that ADI’s stay ahead of the game in order to survive.  The industry is changing, and those who strive to develop themselves and use the latest tried and tested techniques will leave the others behind.  So why not add an extra dimension to your driving lessons and bring coaching to the forefront of your business? 

We are currently offering a one day coaching workshop, ‘Practical Coaching Techniques for Driving Instructors’, delivered by myself, Ged and Claire Wilmot, of ‘Active Driving Soloutions’ in Oldham, who will be giving their valued input into the workshop and its delivery.  You may read our profiles on our websites at www.activedrivingsolutions.com and www.insight2drive.com. 

Our first two workshops are on Monday 22nd February in Oldham, and Thursday 18th March in Liverpool.  Each day runs from 9am to 5pm.  The workshop fee is £139, with lunch and refreshments included. 

Coaching techniques are an essential part of all aspects of ADI work, from working with novice drivers to fleet work, driver improvement and ADI development.  So whatever area you are involved in, we guarantee you will take away lots of useful tools and techniques to put into practice straight away. 

I have enclosed a leaflet giving full details of the workshops.  If you wish to attend, please contact Claire Wilmot by email (claire@aditrainer.com) or by telephone (07956 104160) as soon as possible with confirmation of which date you would like to attend.  There are a limited number of places available on each workshop.  We will then email you a booking form which you will need to return to us by post along with your payment in order to guarantee your place. 

If you are interested in this workshop or indeed any other course we may provide and are unable to attend either of the dates available, register your interest by emailing Claire and we will keep you informed of future dates. 

Hello everyone, 

I am going into Altcourse Prison in Liverpool on Thursday 25th February. 

Don’t worry – I haven’t done anything wrong! I’m going to talk to a number of the prisoners, mainly incarcerated for driving offences including causing death by dangerous driving, about my involvement with RoadPeace, the national charity for road crash victims and the work we do. 

Following this, I shall be interviewed on the prison radio station, very likely on BBC Radio Merseyside, possibly Radio City, hopefully, some other stations and, with a bit of luck, some press and TV coverage. We are hoping we could get some national publicity. 

All this is leading up to these inmates undertaking a Triathlon, on 12th March, to raise funds for RoadPeace. There will be two teams competing against each other. One will be led by their fitness instructor, Robbi Biddulph; the other by the chaplain, Martin Earl, who lost his brother in a road crash. In so doing, they are exhibiting remorse for their actions, attempting to redeem themselves by helping victims of similar crimes and, most importantly, sending a clear message not to drive as they did. I have, for many years, sought an opportunity for serious driving offenders to do something like this and finally it is here. 

Each of us has a 1 in 75 chance of losing a family member in a road collision. My son, Nathan, was run over and killed at Christmas 2000. I hope none of you experience the same pain. Unfortunately, in the UK, seven families do every day. That is when they need the emotional and practical support RoadPeace provides. When you suffer a sudden, unexpected and violent bereavement you need someone who can be a listening ear, a guide through the paperwork and legalities, a companion to an inquest or trial, and much more. The volunteer befrienders of RoadPeace can provide this service because we've all been through something similar and can truly empathise with what is required. RoadPeace's campaigning for greater road safety is partly responsible for the fact that we've now got road fatalities and injuries down to the current level. Not that we're satisfied with those figures. 

RoadPeace receives no government support, even though we often assist with their decision making processes. Most of the money that helps to run our office, website and helpline comes from the families who've suffered road trauma, with a little sponsorship from a few firms around the country. 

So, now comes the bit where I ask for money. 

The prisoners, fellow inmates, their families and guards will be sponsoring the competitors. The prison director has promised £250 to start us off. 

If any of you would be so generous as to sponsor the prisoners in their efforts to raise funds for RoadPeace we would all be most grateful for your kindness. Even better, if you could tell as many people as you can, to help generate even more in the coffers, that would be brilliant. 

Thanking you in advance for your generosity (no amount is too small and no amount is too large). Please help make this unique event even more memorable by helping us to raise an astonishing amount of cash. 

You can make your pledge by going to 

www.justgiving.com/RoadPeace-Altcourse-Triathlon 

Please remember, if you are a UK tax payer use gift aid. This turns every £10 you give into nearly £12 for RoadPeace. 

Please go to the RoadPeace website www.roadpeace.org to find out more.  

Best wishes and many thanks, 

I just had to share this story with someone,  

On Tuesday at around 5.30pm I desperate received a call from John Farlam of Smartdriving  who lives in Ireland, John has been a friend of mine and an industry guru for many years, he rang to ask me if any of my instructors where out on the roads as his wife  Phyl was stuck in Liverpool Airport and needed to get home, she could not get a hotel as they were all booked up.  She was waiting for a taxi but the wait was so long she would not have made it to the ferry in time, she had to be on the ferry for 9am. Phyl was already in tears at this point on her own stuck in an airport. 

As I could not go myself because my car had given up the will to live (fixed now - only a fuse)  I text all my instructors to see if one of them would go.  Joan Cupit stepped up to the challenge and not only went to pick Phyl up she took a hot water bottle a blanket and even stopped off at Macdonalds to get her a coffee.  It then took them 3 hours to pick there way though the traffic laden icy roads of Liverpool and just go to the ferry in the nick of time.  Joan would not accept any money from Phyl and said she just wanted to help a friend in need!  It then took Joan another hour and a half to get back to Garston, all this in her driving school car! 

I think Joan deserves a huge pat on the back as this is well above and beyond the call of duty, I feel humbled and proud to have Joan working with us. 

So the spirit of helping people out still thrives on Merseyside.