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 20^th May – Liverpool

Thursday 10^th 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.

On 12^th 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.

Just letting you all  know of a road safety event Brake are doing.

This one day acclaimed, biennial congress on tackling speed by Brake’s Road Safety Forum is a must-attend event for road safety professionals, academics researching in the field, and campaigners. The conference, being held at the prestigious Royal College of Surgeons, aims to share international best practice, including forward-thinking Government policy, effective engineering measures, and innovative education projects. Go to the congress’s web pages here. £136 + VAT for Brake subscribers, £176 + VAT for others

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

Teaching car control is the easy bit, real driving is done when we have to mix with other road users who have different skills and abilities.  Teaching car control or technical ability is okay at 16 when the youngsters have not got long to wait before they are able to drive on the roads.  I agree with Kevin Clinton from RoSPA, far too much emphasis is placed on passing a test quickly and not enough on learning to drive well and stay accident free.  It is all about attitude not technical ability.  It is far more expensive to deal with a road traffic collision than pay for quality driving lessons and have enough lessons for independent driving, not just learning test routes and passing a test.  I just cannot see how anyone can say you will be a safer driver because you have been off road driving around cones.

Learners beware if you are only going on test routes, you may well pass your test, but 1 in 5 people are involved in a crash.

more on the article here http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8525796.stm

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 16^th 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

Hello everyone,

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

Best wishes and many thanks,

David Midmer

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.

Pick up our latest newsletter at Costco, Liverpool, we are Business of the Month!

Come and visit us at the Liverpool Business Fair at Liverpool Town Hall, Castle Street. On March 23rd from 10am until 3pm, it would be great to see you and answer any questions you may have on driving.  It will be packed full of activities and useful features with something on offer for every business.  You can benefit from lots of practical information, advice and opportunities to meet local businesses.