Location Introduction – Hereford is a cathedral city and the county town of Herefordshire. Lying on the banks of the river Wye, it is approximately 16 miles east of the Welsh border. With Hereford only being 23 miles northwest of Gloucester and the Cotswolds and 24 miles southwest of Worcester. The present Hereford Cathedral and the first bridge across the Wye dates back to the 12th century. Hereford is now known mostly as a trading centre for the wider agricultural and rural areas across the three counties of Herefordshire, Worcestershire, and Gloucestershire. It also has a specialist military base.
Hereford produce includes cider, beer, leather goods, nickel alloys and poultry, and the of course the famous Hereford cattle. Farming has always played a significant part in the history of Herefordshire and for many years Hereford was the host to the Cattle Market. The new Hereford Cattle Market opened in 2011 just outside the city. Advanced driver training has taken place across Hereford and the surrounding towns, including Ross on Wye, Donnington, Ledbury, and Great Malvern, with fantastic results for private and business clients.
During our advanced/defensive training, we try to cover a wide range of things, including:
* Creating increased powers of anticipation and planning
* Improving a driver’s overall attitude to driving on UK roads
* Safer driving on motorways, rural roads and in the town
* Manoeuvres
* Educating drivers about the rules of the road
* Being aware of speed limits and controlling your speed
* How to anticipate the actions of other motorists
* Driving in dangerous weather
* Better understanding of the reasons for road rage
* Learning the difference between different skids
* Learning to drive in a more economical way
* Risks linked to urban driving and being aware of at-risk road users
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. 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:
* Consider issues that may be specific to your driving
* Remove any risky driving characteristics
* Increase your levels of skill and overall confidence
* Reduce wear and tear on your car
* Increase car control on all types of roads
* Improve your MPG – get more miles from your car
Looking for fleet driver training? Driver training for business clients offers a range of benefits that include:
* Demonstrate your Duty of Care
* Qualify for possibly reduced fleet insurance costs
* Help drivers who may be having specific issues with their driving
* Show your drivers you care
* Save on fleet fuel costs – advanced trained drivers can reduce their fuel costs by 20% or more
* Taking control of your occupational road risk
Hereford has an ancient crossing over the River Wye, which has long been influential within the regional and national transport network. Today, Hereford is served by several major routes, including the A49 Southbound to Ross-on-Wye and Northbound to Leominster and Shrewsbury, the A438 Westbound to Hay-on-Wye and Brecon and Eastbound to Ledbury and Tewkesbury. The A465 is southwest to Abergavenny, Merthyr Tydfil, and northeast toward Bromyard, and the A4103 is northeast to Worcester. The closest motorway to Hereford is the M50, which passes to the south of Ledbury and is an ideal spot for helping to improve drivers’ motorway confidence.
When you consider taking a course with Drivers Domain UK, we know that everyone is unique and has different issues. This is why a course is tailored to your particular needs. They are easy to arrange, and your tutor will meet you at your chosen address, using your own car or van for the training.
Half or Full Day?
The half-day is ideal for businesses with many drivers to train and want to take advantage of the time and cost savings associated with such. The full day is perfect for drivers who wish to experience an intensive advanced driving course and want to iron out any bad habits.
We tend to find many clients opt for the full-day session – and book one driver in the morning and one in the afternoon – there is no additional charge for this.
When we train drivers, we look at building the course around their specific needs. We initially let them drive for a short period of time. Then, after a friendly debrief, we introduce several advanced driving techniques such as forward planning, car control, advanced observation, and much more.
The main part of the course is designed to improve the driver – and we find the best approach here is to work on their specific driving style and requirements and adjust the training to fit their needs.
Contact us:
We can be contacted by phone, email, or webchat and would be delighted to hear from you about your exact requirements. Our team are trained to advise on course information and how they run and offer a non-judgemental approach for those who wish to open up and discuss specific issues. For many, this is the first step in reaching out on their journey to confident driving. It can be very hard to explain driving issues, especially if you are talking to a confident driver, but we can help you gain your driving freedom in no time.
For our business clients, we can work around your timeframes, tailor courses for your company, and help make sure you are looking after your company and your driver’s health and safety. Please get in touch to discuss your fleet and its needs.
Road Safety Risks and Information – Hereford
Hereford lies on the River Wye within 20 miles of the border of Wales along the A438 and is linked to Gloucester by the A49 and Worcester by the A4103. For such a small City, it brings together a lot of fast A roads into the area, and it has a high volume of accident statistics to show for it.
The A465 Belmont road runs from Abergavenny into Hereford City Centre via Victoria Street and the intersection of the A49 from Ross on Wye. Belmont Road is strewn with collision sites, with some of the worst affected areas being the roundabout of Northholme Road and Southolme Road and the traffic light systems leading up to the Victoria Street A49 Intersection. The collisions seen here have been severe. They may be down to poor lane positioning as it is quite a challenging intersection with two fast A roads merging into a dual carriageway system, with slip roads to more minor routes coming off the carriageway within a short distance. If a driver is unfamiliar with this route, they will struggle, so it is essential always to be aware of other drivers’ intentions around you and hold back if you see them hesitating. Victoria Street, the A49 crosses the River Wye, where it meets the A438 and the A38 and links into the city centre. This route is shared with buses, car parks, and retail parks, so many side roads share the route where slower-moving vehicles may be moving onto faster lanes.
As the A38 circles the north of the City, the Edgar Street roundabout is an area of concern, with numerous accidents occurring here despite a traffic light system in place. This is similar to the traffic light system at the Commercial Road, A465 meeting, where the collision statists are much higher than average. As the A465 travels away from Hereford towards Worcester, it continues to be a high-risk route, especially when it becomes rural.
Much of Hereford City centre is pedestrianised apart from Bewel Street, High Street and Broad Street, so there are minimal severe accidents to report, but because the streets are very narrow, even minor ones can lead to congestion and road closures. It is always wise to have a calm attitude when driving in hectic inner city areas as they will always be busy, and drivers will always be trying to get to their destinations in a hurry.
If you have any specific roads you travel on in Hereford 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.