Location Introduction – Braintree is a town in Essex, and it is located 10 miles northeast of Chelmsford and 15 miles west of Colchester. Braintree has been a town for over 4,000 years. Once the wool trade died out in the early 19th century, Braintree became a centre for silk manufacturing. Various industrial centres are also located around the main Braintree area, including Park Drive Industrial Estate, the Springwood Industrial Estate, and the Broomhills Industrial Estate. Braintree lies about 46 miles from London, with factories and housing to the south and more rural areas north, where arable crops are grown. Two rivers flow through Braintree. Pod’s Brook approaches the western side of Braintree, forming a boundary between Braintree and Rayne. Pod’s Brook becomes the River Brain, running through the southern part of Braintree. The River Pant, also known as River Blackwater, runs roughly parallel through the north of Bocking and to the east of the town. The River Brain flows into the Blackwater near Witham. Advanced driver training in the Braintree area has been carried out for private clients and business clients with larger fleets of drivers.

During a session, we typically look at the following:

* Understanding observational elements of driving (seeing) and building these into your driving plan
* The system of car control – IPSGA
* Developing a much-improved attitude towards motoring
* Becoming a more skilful driver on all types of roads, including motorways
* Car control (gears, steering, use of signals)
* Understand your own limitations and at-risk factors – most of which you won’t be aware of
* Manoeuvres and driving in restricted areas
* Driving in busy urban environments
* Learn how you and other drivers think when behind the wheel
* Learning to see, not just look, when driving
* Undoing years of ingrained bad habits
* Coping and defusing with road rage
* Coping with bad weather
* Learning why skids happen and how you can control them
* Learning how to anticipate the actions of other road users better

Once the training is complete, we will send a PDF report assessing several things, such as confidence, forward planning, attitude, vehicle control, and more. This report is beneficial as it’s completely bespoke to the driver and provides valuable tips and insights for future safer driving. Each report is thoroughly verified and documented – proof you’ve had driver training with a DVSA-registered professional.

Key learning points of our driver training:

* Demonstrating your intention to become a safer, improved driver
* Work on any issues which could be impacting your level of skill and safety
* Deal with and address issues which may have been holding you back
* Become a much improved, more skilful motorist

Training is a little different for commercial clients – the end client, the person who has the on-road training, is often not the person who decides to do the training.

While we help the driver to improve, from a commercial perspective, your business will benefit from the following:

* Showing you care
* Potentially lower your fleet insurance costs
* Providing the opportunity for an employee to develop
* Lower fuel costs
* Demonstrating your businesses Duty of Care

Braintree lies at the junction between the A120 and A131 roads. The A120 links the town with Bishop’s Stortford, Stansted Airport and the M11 for north London and Stratford to the east. Westbound, the A120 continues to the A12 for Colchester, Ipswich, and Harwich International Port. The A131 links Braintree to Chelmsford and the A12 to east London. Northbound, the road runs to Halstead, Sudbury, and Bury St Edmunds. The A1017 for Haverhill meets the road north of the town, and the B1018 links the town to Witham, which sits southeast of Braintree. The B1053 links nearby Bocking to Finchingfield and Saffron Walden, and the B1256 runs to Bishop’s Stortford via Great Dunmow. These are some super roads to take Advanced Driver training, and we have delivered many courses for companies with large fleets and private individuals wanting to improve their driving confidence. Our tutors will come to you and take you out on the road in your own vehicle. Whether you are a corporate client training many drivers or a private individual, we have several bespoke courses to increase the skill and safety of a driver.

Our courses are available for both van and car drivers.

* 3.5hr –The benefit of this course is the shortest in the range and is that it’s the lowest priced option. The disadvantage is that for some drivers, it’s too short. Ideal mainly for companies training two or more drivers.

* 2 x 3.5hr – This is beneficial for customers who can’t drive for a full day and need the split to help them absorb more over a more extended period. Often, a driver gets homework in this session, so they can practice what has been covered in session one to help them with session two. Older drivers often opt for this course.

* 7hr full day – Although it can be hard work for some, a full day is cheaper than 2 x 3.5hr. It’s suitable for those who are time-poor. Maybe your company has asked you to do this course, or perhaps you feel a 7hr will work better for you. Talk with us if you are unsure. With business clients, we can split a full day so one driver is trained AM and then one is trained PM.

* We offer longer courses for those with specific issues and offer 3, 4 and 5 x 3.5hr options. These are often taken over several weeks and are great if you have more deep-rooted issues or have not driven for a long while.

Talk with us:

While we cover as many things as possible on this page, we understand you may still have questions. Please call or email us if you wish to discuss anything. A member of our team will only be too pleased to help you. We can help both private individuals and business clients.

If you’re looking at a quote for a large number of drivers, we will be able to provide such, along with how we can best approach the training based on your business needs. Training large numbers requires a little extra planning. Still, we have many years of experience managing large, often complex driver training sessions involving multiple start locations and hectic diaries.

Road Safety Risks and Information – Braintree

Braintree is located in Esses between Colchester and Chelmsford, and it is set in quite a rural area served by the A120 and the A131. The A120 runs from Bishops Stortford through to Colchester and as it skirts Braintree to the south, where it meets the A131 heading north towards Bury St Edmunds; they share the route for a few miles and then split when the A120 takes a right turn at the Marks Farm roundabout to Colchester and the A131 continues to Sudbury.

The Great Notley Roundabout and Panners Roundabout is the intersection that links the A120 and the A31 and can be pretty challenging for many drivers, but the roundabouts are surprisingly accident-free. The slip roads linking them appear to have the most issues; this could be down to the wrong speeds or panic due to late lane decision-making. Galleys Corner roundabout is where the A120 turns right and leaves the A131, and links to the B1018, and several serious accidents are found here.  As this is a through road for many drivers, some may be unfamiliar with the route, which could be an issue as to why such accidents have occurred. It is vital that you are aware of your directions and lane exits, especially when travelling near large towns, as local commuters will be more confident with their directions and will likely have less patience with drivers who are struggling. It is beneficial to follow a Sat Nav as you can see your lane position far in advance than the road signs.

The main road running through the centre of Braintree is the B1266 Coggeshall Road, and this is a highly bustling route that is also a route to many bus lanes. Usually, urban accidents are less severe due to slower speeds, but the accidents along this route are numerous, and some are sadly very serious. This is a heavily built-up area with a 30mph limit. Still, it has many residential driveways opening onto the road, shops, and laybys, and the accidents may have occurred around parking areas. It is wise to pay close attention to what is happening at the side of the road on streets like these, as someone trying to leave their driveway into a busy road can be chaotic, which is why it is always best to reverse into your drive, making observations safer on leaving. This is a similar occurrence along Rayne Road as well. Another area of concern in Braintree is St. Michaels Road to the north of the town centre, which merges into Rose Hill. There have been several severe and a few fatal collisions along this route in the past few years. This is a very narrow old road, and it shares the space with large buses, which sometimes becomes very congested. Urban driving can be frustrating, especially during rush hours, so keeping a cool head and eyes open will always make for a safer drive.

If you have any specific roads you travel in Braintree and are keen to discover what parts are at higher risk of collisions, please contact us. We offer a free-of-charge service to anyone who is interested.