Driver Training
Before anyone can legally drive a vehicle on
the road they need a driving licence for the type of vehicle they
are driving, meet the age criteria and have the required standard
of eye sight.
To drive a car or larger vehicle unaccompanied they must have
passed a driving test..The rules for those that passed a test
outside Great Britain are explained in detail on the
direct.gov
driver licensing website (opens in a new window).
The driving test has been around since 1935 and when introducing
it the then Minister of Transport Leslie Hore-Belisha said,
“Driving is a skill in which those who are engaged should, in
the interest of their own and of the public’s safety, take the greatest pains to make
themselves proficient.”
Whilst the driving test has under gone
many changes over the years and there is no doubt that these along
with many other advances in road safety have made Great Britain's
roads much safer, passing the test should not be seen as the end
of a driver's education but perhaps the end of the
beginning.
Bedford Borough Council's Road Safety
Team believe that the very beginning starts BEFORE anyone gets
behind the wheel of a car or rides a motorcycle. The team run local
initatives and supports national campaigns to influence attitudes
and behaviours rather than the physical skills to safely ride or
drive. Click on the link below to find out more.
Xccelerate (for young people between 16 and
17)
Good riding or driving is can only be
developed with additional practice and coaching.
To this end Bedford
Borough Council Road Safety Team continues its commitment and
support for both :-
RoSPA Advanced Drivers and Riders ( RoADAR) ,
and the Institute of Advanced Motoring (IAM) who provide low cost
ways of improving driving standard's.
These organisations operate local groups who
can give guidance and support to encourage the improvement of
driving skills in a constructive way.
By passing the advanced driving course you
will be a far safer driver and may be able to negotiate a discount
for your car insurance.
Details of the local IAM and RoADAR groups can
be found by clicking here (Opens
in a new window)
Driving safely cannot be thought of as an
add-on extra' it has to be built into the way you drive, the way
you think, your approach and attitude to road safety.
Bedford Borough Council Road Safety
Team
(01234)
228336
Email road.safety@bedford.gov.uk