RoSPA Advanced Drivers and Riders Thames Valley

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Affordable advanced driver and rider training delivered in a friendly club environment

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Your road to becoming an Advanced Driver starts here

Our advanced driver training is open to any qualified driver over the age of 18 seeking to refine their existing skills, learn new skills and build confidence. The driving techniques are based on the Police Driver’s Handbook ‘Roadcraft’ and The Highway Code.

The RoSPA Thames Valley Group has been in existence for over 30 years with the aim of providing advanced driver training and improvement based on Roadcraft: The Police Drivers Handbook which we aim to deliver in a friendly club environment. Over that period our team of RoSPA qualified volunteer tutors has helped many hundreds of drivers who shared one thing in common – the aim of becoming better safer drivers.

We are affiliated with RoSPA and we are run entirely by volunteers on a not-for-profit basis. The cost of the course simply covers the expense of running group.

Along with the training we provide, we offer a calendar of events, presentations, visits and special driving events such as a skid pan experience and a whole lot more. Much of this is heavily subsidised for our members.

Joining could not be easier – simply click on the “Join Here” button below and follow the process through. The cost of the training is just £99 (and this includes free copies of the latest edition of Roadcraft and the Highway Code worth over £20).

Once your application has been accepted, we will send you an initial welcome message. We will follow this with a telephone call from our Training Officer who will take you through the next steps. There will be a few questions about the vehicle you drive, and about what would you like to get out of the course – all quite straightforward. You may also have some questions and we will do our best to answer them.

We will send you a disclaimer form which we are you to read carefully. Please sign it and return it to the Training Officer before your first drive with your tutor. This document, which is self-explanatory, confirms that you will maintain the vehicle in a safe and legal way.

Once you have completed this registration procedure, we will pair you up with one of our qualified volunteer tutors who will give you one-to-one help and advice in advanced driving techniques.

Once you have agreed convenient times and place to meet, you will take your tutor out in your car to show how you currently drive. It is the information your tutor gathers from this drive that will mean that we develop a plan most suited to help you adopt the Roadcraft style.

All drives will be in your vehicle at a time and place convenient to both yourself and your tutor.

Generally we would suggest that most associates will become test ready in 8 – 10 sessions with your tutor but this can vary depending on previous driving experience and your ability and determination to practise. Each session lasts for approximately 90 minutes and at the end of each drive your tutor will offer constructive feedback on how it went. This will be followed up in writing normally by email. During at least one of the sessions tutors offer a demonstration drive in their own vehicles to show how the techniques you will be learning can be used on the road.

Once your tutor feels that you are close to being test ready you will be offered a “cross check” with a senior tutor and this will act as a mock test and give you experience of having someone different sitting next to you.

Remember all this is for just £99!

All of our tutors give their time on a voluntary basis. They have all passed the RoSPA Advanced Test and are trained to a Gold standard. They will have undertaken further specialist tutor training to attain a RoSPA Tutor Qualification and are all reassessed on a regular basis to ensure standards set by RoSPA and the group are maintained.

We hold regular workshops that tutors are encouraged to attend where they undergo continual development in training techniques

Once your training is nearing completion, you will be encouraged to apply for your RoSPA Advanced Test. Remember this is not compulsory (there is an extra cost for the test fee), it is designed to provide a fitting end to all your hard work.

The test is carried by a RoSPA Examiner and will take place over a variety of road types for about an hour. At the end of the drive, you will be told the grade you have achieved which can in most cases may be either Gold, Silver or Bronze.

This is obviously an excellent indicator as to where your driving is at the time. However, levels can slip. The good news is that if you remain a member of RoSPA then you will be invited for a retest every three years for free. So, you can maintain and improve your skills as time goes on.

Follow the link on completion of your training to apply for your RoSPA Advanced Driving Test: https://rospa.com/shop/products/advanced-driving-riding-test

Your association with RoSPA and the Thames Valley Group doesn’t have to end once you have passed your test. As mentioned earlier, throughout the year we offer a variety of activities, visits, speakers and opportunities for additional training such as skidpan training.

Or if you feel like getting more involved, you might want to consider taking an active role in helping to run the group or possibly becoming a tutor.

I was happy with my driving but worried any bad habits would rub off on my teenage sons. So I signed up for some advanced driver training with the Thames Valley RoSPA. I have enjoyed being gently coached into adopting a system of driving that has made me a better driver. I found my tutor very supportive and he helped me to develop an awareness of the areas where I could improve.” – Steve Moult

After 30 years as a car driver, I thought I was a good driver but knew I wanted to brush up. I started my training with Thames Valley Advanced Drivers, I found I had developed some poor habits. The tutoring was first class and each drive gave me a focus area to develop before the next. Was a great experience and would highly recommend to anyone wanting to improve their driving skills and road safety awareness. – Jay Dixon

ROSPA Advanced Driver Training has literally been one of the best things I have ever done. It not only made me a better driver it saved me in a possible pile up purely using my new driver skills. My trainer Tony Parish was kind, patient and yet professionally clear cut about what I needed to do to raise my competency. Result a silver level pass! Personally I think every one should complete the advanced drivers course.” – Lynne Hutcheon

Join Thames Valley RoSPA Advanced Drivers and Riders, renew your membership, or sign in to manage your membership.