Location Overview – The Avon region is a former county in southwest England and borders the Severn estuary and the Bristol Channel. It is now divided into the authorities of Bath and Northeast Somerset, the city of Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire. Avon, named after the River Avon, which flows through the area and the port of Bristol also lies close to the mouth of the River Avon, and this formed the historic boundary between Gloucestershire and Somerset. The former county of Avon includes Bristol, Bath, Weston-super-Mare, Yate, Clevedon, Portishead, Midsomer Norton & Radstock, Bradley Stoke, Nailsea, Yatton, Keynsham, Kingswood, Thornbury, Filton and Patchway.
Avon is an ideal area, with easy access to Wales, Devon and Cornwall, Gloucestershire and the Midlands, Wiltshire, and London. It is surrounded by beautiful landscapes and coastal routes towards north Somerset, and we have carried out many driver training courses across the area.
During our advanced/defensive training, we aim to cover a wide range of things, including:
* Educating drivers about the rules of the road
* Improving a driver’s overall attitude to driving on UK roads
* Being aware of speed limits and controlling your speed
* Manoeuvres
* Learning to drive in a more economical way
* Risks linked to urban driving and being aware of at-risk road users
* How to anticipate the actions of other motorists
* Creating increased powers of anticipation and planning
* Safer driving on motorways, rural roads and in the town
* Better understanding of the reasons for road rage
* Driving in dangerous weather
* Learning the difference between different skids
After training, you will be sent a full driving report so that you can see the standard of driving at the start and end of the training and see improvements made and in what areas. Each client’s unique driving report will provide some beneficial and insightful information. Each report is fully documented and has its unique verification number so anyone can check back for an original copy with us. This is sometimes useful if an employer has asked an employee to take driver training.
The personal benefits of our advanced and defensive driver training:
* Increase your levels of skill and overall confidence
* Improve your MPG – get more miles from your car
* Increase car control on all types of roads
* Reduce wear and tear on your car
* Consider issues that may be specific to your driving
* Remove any risky driving characteristics
Looking for fleet driver training? Driver training for business clients offers a range of benefits that include:
* Demonstrate your Duty of Care
* Help drivers who may be having specific issues with their driving
* Save on fleet fuel costs – advanced trained drivers can reduce their fuel costs by 20% or more
* Show your drivers you care
* Taking control of your occupational road risk
* Qualify for possibly reduced fleet insurance costs
Avon is ideally positioned to deliver advanced driver training for private clients and our corporate driving fleets. Avon has the M5 running north to south and the M4, east to west of Bristol. The M32 encircles Bristol, and the A4, A38, A46 and the A36 are ideal roads for delivering our driver training courses. Our highly qualified and experienced tutors will arrive at your door after chatting with you about your needs and will take you out on the road in your own car, van or motorhome. We have delivered training in and around the Avon area, including Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, and Bath, since 2011, with excellent results.
Our Advanced Driver courses can vary in structure, although we have several courses based and priced on durations:
3.5 hr – one half-day session
7 hr session – Full day (which can be split between two drivers)
2 x 3.5 hr – two half-day sessions
3 x 3.5 hr – three half-day sessions
Courses for longer durations:
Our bespoke 3, 4, and 5 x 3.5 hr sessions are suited, for those that identify as having specific issues with their driving, such as driving anxiety, significant driving issues on particular roads, or who have not driven for a very long time. These longer courses are booked mainly by private individuals, although they are also open to our business clients.
These longer-duration courses are great for those facing certain (often very specific) issues, as it can take time to build up your skill and confidence. The time between each session will also be valuable as it allows you to reflect, absorb and practise what has been covered.
Talk to us:
Our team is here to help, and they also offer a non-judgemental approach for those that wish to open up and discuss specific issues. For some drivers with anxiety, this is the first step in reaching out on their journey to confident driving.
Please get in touch with us online or by phone. Whether you’re a business client or a private individual, we can help you. We aim to get back to email enquiries within 2 hours during working hours.
Road Safety Risks and Information – Avon
Avon has many thousands of miles of roads across its vast network and has a number of areas, both urban and rural which are considered collision hot spots.
Looking back over several years, central Bristol’s most affected urban network hotspots are the A4044 and the A4032, Temple Way underpass and the Counterslip Bridge linking from Passage Street. The Bearpit roundabout on the meeting of the A4044, A38 and Marlborough Street is also another severely affected location. Urban accidents tend to occur around roundabouts or traffic light junctions where drivers must concentrate on their surroundings and are impatient with poor indications. The meeting of the M5, Exeter to the Midlands, junction 16, and the M4, Cardiff to London, junction 20, is an extremely busy and complicated junction with many added lanes to consider, so forward planning and observations are essential. The M32 linking from the M4 is a direct route to Bristol. Any driver who uses it regularly will be used to the many lane closures and road works, which can be frustrating, especially in rush hour traffic. Accidents possibly happen due to a lack of attention in slow-speed areas and junctions.
On the outskirts of Bristol, the A369, The Portbury Hundred, towards Portishead, there are many rural accident sites, especially around junction 19 of the M5, which links to many minor roads along the coast where rural driving accidents are rife. Another severe accident area is the A37 to Shepton Mallett, where several junctions link to the A368 to Weston Super Mare, east, the A39 to Wells and the triangle of roads between the pretty villages of Burrington, Wedmore and Cheddar, where more tourism and drivers are unfamiliar with the area. More rural routes towards South Gloucestershire are the A432 towards Yate and Chipping Sodbury and the A38 north, Thornbury to Sharpness, and this route has far more accidents than the M5, which runs in the same direction.
The city of Bath is extremely busy all year round with not only tourism but also thousands of commuters working in Bristol or London, so the A4, the A36 and A46 are busy throughout the entire week in the city. There are many urban accidents towards central Bath, for example, the Midland Bridge Road linking to the A36 Lower Bristol Road, and these can possibly be accredited to poor observations and an unfamiliarity with the area. Rurally, the A367 south from Bath into Radstock and the B3355 joining the A37 from Midsomer Norton have far more accident rates than other rural areas in Avon. Unfortunately, many of these could be tourists due to the locality.
As Avon is the gateway to the coast for many people from the midlands across to London, all using the network of routes linking to Devon and Cornwall merging into the M5 and across to Weston Super Mare, so during the summer months, these routes can be extremely busy with many hold-ups, leading to frustration and bad decisions. Every driver needs to be highly safe and observant, but when travelling through new areas, it is even more critical to forward plan your route and respect the regulations of the roads you are using. For drivers who do live in high tourist traffic areas, it is essential that you are more observant and understanding that only some drivers you come across know their route and may be extra cautious, possibly slowing down traffic flow. This is when extra patience must be factored into your day-to-day driving.
These are only a very broad outline of collision sites in the county. If you have any specific roads, you travel on in the area and are keen to discover what parts are at higher risk of collisions. Please get in touch with us. We offer a free-of-charge service to anyone interested.