Location Overview – Maidstone is the largest town in Kent and lies 32 miles east-south-east of London and is a popular location for our various driver training courses. The River Medway runs through the city’s centre, linking the Thames Estuary and Rochester. Historically, the river Medway carried much of the town’s trade and to the centre of the county of Kent, now known as the Garden of England. Maidstone incorporates several outlying villages and settlements, such as Downswood, East Barming, Bearsted and Langley. Maidstone was at one time a major centre of industry. Brewing and paper making were among the most important, and now the town centre is now the largest office centre in the county, and the area is a base for the paper and packaging industry. Many high-technology firms have been set up in surrounding business parks.
The roads connecting Sevenoaks and Ashford is the A20, the Medway Towns and Hastings, A229, Tonbridge A26 and Tenterden A274. All these roads were served by the Turnpike trusts in the 18th/19th centuries. There are two motorways, the M2 and the M20. These pass to the north of the county and just north of the centre of Maidstone.
During our advanced/defensive training, we try and cover a wide range of things, including:
* Creating increased powers of anticipation and planning
* Being aware of speed limits and controlling your speed
* Improving a driver’s overall attitude to driving on UK roads
* Safer driving on motorways, rural roads and in the town
* Educating drivers about the rules of the road
* A better understanding of the reasons for road rage
* Manoeuvres
* Driving in dangerous weather
* Risks linked to urban driving and being aware of at-risk road users
* Learning the difference between different skids
* Learning to drive in a more economical way
* How to anticipate the actions of other motorists
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
* Remove any risky driving characteristics
* Consider issues that may be specific to your driving
* Increase car control on all types of roads
* Reduce wear and tear on your car
* 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:
* Taking control of your occupational road risk
* Demonstrate your Duty of Care
* Qualify for possibly reduced fleet insurance costs
* Show your drivers you 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.
Maidstone is an ideal location for taking further driver training. With its excellent transport networks, the junction at the A229 is a perfect starting point to help with motorway confidence, and the outlying villages such as Weavering, Ditton, Boxley and Barming Heath are ideal for practising rural driving and the Limit Point system of car control. We have trained individual clients and larger fleet companies in and around Maidstone. Our highly trained and experienced tutors will come to your address, taking you out and about on the roads and motorways in your own car or van.
Half or Full Day?
The half-day is ideal for companies with many drivers to train and wish to take advantage of the time and cost savings associated. 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 the other driver in the afternoon – there is no additional charge for this, and it works well.
When we train drivers, we look at building the course around their specific needs. We initially let them drive for a short period. Then after a friendly debrief, we introduce several advanced driving techniques such as forward planning, car control, advanced observation, and much more.
The central 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 for more information and advice.
We have several training options and packages. Please call us for more information. The team member you talk with will, more often than not, manage your enquiry right through to training if that’s what you decide on doing. This includes private individuals and also business customers.
If you’re looking at a quote for a large number of drivers, we will be happy to provide such, along with how we can best arrange the training based on your organisation’s specific requirements.
Road Safety Risks and Information – Maidstone
Maidstone, situated in Kent south of the M20, is also served by the A229 and the A249. These routes, particularly during rush hour traffic, are fraught with numerous collision sites, emphasizing the need for heightened caution and alertness.
Maidstone lies on junctions 6 and 7 of the M20, and both junctions have many crash sites noted. The A229 and M20 meetings link the M2 at junction six and travel into Maidstone’s centre. This junction is very large and challenging. There are large roundabouts on either side of the motorway junction with more minor routes linking from them; many of the issues at this intersection can be blamed on poor positioning for lane exiting. The Forstall Road roundabout has incredibly high collision rates as it links the M20 directly to the A229 and onto Royal Engineers Road, merging with Fairmeadow and Maidstone town centre. This route is laden with accident statistics, especially near any junctions and roundabouts; the roundabout linking Stacy’s Street and James Whatman Way is especially hazardous, with numerous severe and life-changing collisions noted in the past few years.
From Junction 7 of the M20, the A249 links Sittingbourne Road into Maidstone town centre. The hotspots along this route are the main roundabout from the M20, where numerous accidents have been noted, some very severe and possibly due to poor lane exiting and last-minute panic decisions to cross lanes without proper observations and indications. The A429 then links Bearstead Road, which is a slight stretch of duel carriageway. Accidents are noted along this stretch, especially near the traffic light junctions of Hampton Road and The Eclipse Park retail centre. High Street and King Street, the shared route with buses, pedestrians, and cyclists, is a prime example. Many of the collisions here are severe, underscoring the importance of being vigilant for all road users, not just other vehicles. This sense of responsibility and consideration can help prevent accidents in urban areas.
This is just a brief overview of collision sites in the Maidstone area. If you’re interested in learning about specific roads and their collision risks, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We provide a free-of-charge service to support and inform all drivers in the area.