THE DRIVE ALIVE CD ROM BASED DEFENSIVE DRIVING PROJECT. The Drive Alive A ROAD SAFETY PLAY - NEVER SAW THE DAY.

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1 mixing fatigue and driving. It is intended to complement the general advice contained in the Guidance for Managing Sleep/Sleep Loss which was issued in Jul 99 as Amdt 2 to The Army Field Manual, Vol 1, Part 7 (Training for Operations). Copies are available from the British Defence Film Library Catalogue Number C010/99. JSP 341 (MT Regs) contains clear regulations on controlling and limiting drivers hours. THE DRIVE ALIVE CD ROM BASED DEFENSIVE DRIVING PROJECT. The Drive Alive project continues to make progress. Defence School of Transport (DST) continues to deliver Defensive Driving Training Instructor (DDTI) courses. The course loading has increased from 4 to 6 students. A total of 51 Instructors have been trained and have provided cascade training to almost 4000 MOD personnel within LAND Command. DST has agreed to include the Defensive Driving package as part of 6 Instructor courses provided by the Advanced Staff Car Section and are considering introducing it on other driver training courses. We have now delivered the package to the Commands Overseas Detachments in Brunei, Belize and Kenya. A ROAD SAFETY PLAY - NEVER SAW THE DAY. The Walking Forward Theatre Company has performed at a number of locations throughout LAND Command. A 6week tour took them to Germany, the Balkans and to UK Garrisons. It has been estimated that in excess of 3000 MOD personnel have seen the play. The hard hitting and thought provoking drama has been well received and the feedback from the audience is proving to be very effective in raising general awareness of the often appalling effects of a serious road traffic accident. New themes are now being considered for future plays. 2 DIV EXERCISE DIV DRIVE ROAD SAFETY COMPETITION. HQ 2 Div ran their annual divisional road safety competition on the Catterick Garrison Training Area during the weekend of 28/29 Oct 00. The competition was a great success, predominantly due to the commitment and enthusiasm of the competitors who made up the 15 teams that entered. The competition covered a wide variety of disciplines and offered the competitors a demanding challenge, yet also accommodated all levels of experience and ability. The main stands were as follows: Observed Road Drive. Drive Alive Package. MT Theory Paper. Manoeuvring ability (various vehicles). Cross-country Driving. First Aid RTA Scenario. M/C circuit/theory paper/navigation. Load & restraint. Speed Appreciation. Road Safety Quiz. Day Navigation Exercise. 29

2 4 DIV ARMY DRIVER BE THE BEST CAMPAIGN. HQ 4 Div are adopting the Army Driver Be The Best campaign throughout their area of responsibility. HQ 43(E) Bde, HQ 145 Bde and LONDIST have all launched new campaigns. HQ 2(SE) Bde, the custodians of the initiative, continue to monitor its success and have, since the introduction of the campaign, reduced their RTA rate by 34%. YOUNG DRIVER OF THE YEAR COMPETITION. Units from within 5 Div were encouraged to enter the National Young Driver of the Year Competition. As a result 5 soldiers reached the finals of the competition held at Silverstone on 22 Apr 01. There were 200 competition entries, all military drivers were placed in the top 20. LCpl Williams of 1 Mech Bde & Sigs Regt came a very creditable 7th place. Amongst the stands for the finals were an IT based Theory Test, 1-hour practical driving assessed by an advanced police instructor, various manoeuvring exercises and skid-control exercises. 1 (UK) ARMD DIV - THE ROB SLATER ROAD SAFETY SHOW. In Oct 00, HQ 1 Div sponsored a two week road safety show for all SCE Primary Schools. The show is provided by Rob Slater who is a road safety professional based in the UK and specialises in delivering road safety awareness to children in Key Stages 1 & 2. All teachers and children commented on how extremely entertaining and educational the show was. This show is so well received it has become an annual event. BALKANS THEATRE OF OPERATIONS. The Balkan Master Drivers have been extremely busy providing transport management and driving standards initiatives in an attempt to reduce theatre RTAs. The driver of the month campaign, which demands high standards from the drivers nominated, has been very successful. The winners in each theatre receive a watch from Landrover UK, the current sponsor. Exercise Summer Challenge, the seasonal road safety competition was again well supported and effective. Competitors completed 10 stands, which included driver assessment, loading & restraint, trailer reversing and the fitting of snow chains. Additional ongoing initiatives/campaigns include the following: Road safety training day, a RTA demo of the Immediate Response Team. (Defence Fire Services, EOD and Medical Services). Road safety play Never Saw the Day. Operation Lookout (speed checks). Highway Code theory test training. PRE-DEPLOYMENT INSTRUCTIONS. HQ LAND continues to review and improve exercise and operational pre-deployment instructions on driver training. We have produced a drivers briefing pack (including video) for Sierra Leone and are working on a similar pack for Ex Saif Sareea II in Oman. CYCLE TRAINING. Road Safety Officers in Germany continued to provide cycle training to children across the whole of BFG. SSgt Elkin of 1 GS Regt RLC also organised a Bikes for Bosnia appeal across BFG. The bicycles collected have been shipped to Bosnia where SSgt Elkin and his team will use them to assist in educating local children in road safety. 30

3 BEHIND THE WHEEL INITIATIVE. The MTWO from the Light Dragoons (49 (E) Bde) recognised that newly qualified young drivers within his unit were the most likely to be involved in RTAs. The MTWO spoke to the local authority (Norfolk County Council) Road Safety Officer. He was informed of The Young Driver s Scheme that they were running in conjunction with the Norfolk Police. The scheme is a one day course which involved observation, skid car training, and on road driving sessions. Not only do the drivers gain vital experience for the road but they also, on production of a certificate, can obtain a discount off the cost of their vehicle insurance. At present the unit has had 12 young drivers attend the scheme with more volunteers identified for future courses. SCOTTISH ROAD SAFETY CAMPAIGN TEAMS UP WITH OSNABRÜCK GARRISON. The Scottish Road Safety Campaign is a leading force in Road Safety education for schools. The Master Driver 4 Armd Bde in Osnabruck, WO2 Don Bowen, and the Scottish Road Safety Campaign teamed up and provided road safety learning packs for use at local schools. The schools were then invited to enter a Garrison competition that asked them to design a Road Safety poster. The entries were all outstanding, however 2 posters caught the eye of the judges and these were professionally reproduced. Some 1300 copies were distributed throughout Germany, UK, Cyprus and the Balkans. The Brigade Commander, Brigadier Smith, presented the winners prizes, which included a framed copy of the poster the children designed. OFF-ROAD DRIVER TRAINING. In Feb 01 the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards sponsored a week of cross-country driver training in preparation for their deployment to Kosovo. The initiative was effective and as a result the 7 Armd Bde Garrison Driver Training Centre intends to deliver a similar crosscountry training package to other units. The main benefits of providing such training are: Improved driving standards. Improved Op effectiveness. Reduced accident costs. Effective management of vehicle activity, that is both the equipment and the driver, is a significant command responsibility. No other single Army activity accounts for more accidental deaths and injuries (both service personnel and civilians) than vehicle accidents. 31

4 NORTHERN IRELAND There were 171 civilian deaths on the roads of Northern Ireland between Apr 00 and Apr 01, in a country with a population of 1.74 million people and less than 15,500 miles of roads. This illustrates the high risk factor for driving in Northern Ireland before you introduce the additional hazards such as the restricted vision and the increased handling difficulties of the diverse Green Fleet. In addition Northern Ireland has a large White Fleet which is used for the majority of administrative tasks, often driven by many of the younger or inexperienced drivers. These vehicles are generally larger and more powerful than those driven by their civilian counterparts and so it remains a constant educational process to ensure they are driven defensively. The Command/Brigade Master Drivers in conjunction with units and the RUC have worked hard to target special to theatre problems with various initiatives and campaigns. The annual Road Safety competition Exercise Drive Alive was a great success and crash prevention workshops worked well in Brigade areas with positive feed back. Various RoSPA initiatives steered by 39 Bde have proved successful and will be expanded, the list goes on. This article will concentrate on three areas where it is believed the greatest success was achieved and the positive feed back from participants will be selfevident. CRASH PREVENTION WORKSHOPS It was realised that there was a need to ensure that all unit MTOs within the province were fully aware of the latest legislation, accident procedure, RTA trends and road safety training available to them. Crash prevention workshops were held in Brigade areas to highlight best practices. Speakers included representatives from Legal, RMP, RUC Traffic Education branch, Master Drivers and the Department of the Environment Road Safety Education Officer. The workshops proved to be highly successful and many ideas were discussed in an open forum. All levels of the command are now aware of the importance placed on crash prevention within the province. Consequently all units have fully supported all initiatives throughout the year. ROSPA ADVANCED DRIVING TEST AND DIPLOMA COURSE A study of accident trends highlighted a high percentage of RTAs involving soldiers between 18 and 24 years old. Although all units held DDIs on strength, these instructors are only qualified to train soldiers to DVLA test standard. It was identified that all units required NCOs other than DDIs capable of conducting continuation training to improve hazard perception and handling skills in high-risk drivers. It is planned that the RoSPA advanced driving test and the Diploma course will be used to provide these instructors for all our units. 32

5 In 1999/2000, 55 personnel attempted the advanced driving test and 6 soldiers, who achieved a gold standard pass, were selected to attend the RoSPA Diploma course. They have since been used to train other drivers and have achieved a further 12 Diploma passes and an additional 150 advanced tests. This pilot study was only conducted in 39 Brigade area and will be extended to the remainder of the Province as funds become available. BEHAVIOURAL ASPECTS OF DRIVING RUC statistics prove that 84% of accidents are attributable to driver negligence. Accidents can only be reduced when drivers combine the correct attitude with good vehicle handling skills. RoSPA was approached to run a Behavioural Aspects of Driving course for 32 MT NCOs within 39 Brigade area; those soldiers who would be managing drivers on a day to day basis. RoSPA was asked to adapt this course to the military environment and covered the following areas: How drivers attitude can affect ability. How drivers over estimate their ability. How to identify and reduce the negative effects of stress and poor attitude upon driving. How tiredness can effect driving ability. How the effects of tiredness can be counteracted. Because course critiques praised the value of this course, additional courses have been run for 16 WOs and SNCOs. All Brigade units now have trained personnel at all levels who are able to better manage their drivers to reduce accidents caused by poor attitude. The intention will be to extend these courses to the rest of the Province and it is intended that unit commanders should receive a similar training package next year. During this year the number of speeding offences within the Brigade area has been reduced by 33%. This clearly demonstrates the benefit of discouraging careless driving. ANNUAL DEFENCE ROAD SAFETY AWARD Finally, we would like to use this opportunity to publicly congratulate the Master Driver, 39 Inf Bde, WO2 Mick Kemp, for his drive and dedication which were instrumental in the Brigade winning this year s Defence Annual Road Safety Award. Many areas were covered by the Brigade s submission, clearly illustrating his enthusiasm for all aspects of road safety. The entry has now been circulated throughout the Province and the challenge is on for next year. 33