Location Overview – Swansea is divided into four areas, and the geology is complex, providing diverse scenery. The Gower Peninsula was the first area to be awarded the title of an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the UK, and most of the Gower Peninsula is within the covered AONB. Swansea has numerous urban and country parklands, and the region has featured regularly in Wales in Bloom awards. Swansea originally developed as a centre for metals and mining, especially the copper industry. However, these heavy industries were in decline by the end of the Second World War. Over the last 50 decades, Swansea took to the trend towards a post-industrial service sector economy.
Our advanced courses in Swansea cover a range of elements bespoke to the driver’s needs.
Below are the common things we look at:
* Looking at a driver’s specific day-to-day driving and driving history to make a bespoke training plan
* Looking ahead and developing powers of observation
* Increasing focus on speed and excessive speed
* Modifying attitude towards a safer, more proactive way to drive
* Learning the System of Car Control
* How to avoid road rage situations
* Manoeuvres, reversing, and operating in confined spaces
* Driving safety on the motorway and dual carriageways
* Becoming a safer urban driver – identifying and dealing with pedestrians and cyclists
* Learn how to drive in a more environmentally friendly way
* How to boost driving confidence
* Identifying high-risk driving – such as at night, driving tired or when stressed
You will be issued a driving report after each session – sent by email. This report is fully documented with us and has a unique verification number attached – proof you’ve had training with a qualified professional. In your report, you will be able to see how you improved and in what areas, along with some valuable tips to ensure you keep up your improved standard of driving.
Key learning points of our driver training:
* Become a safer, more skilful driver
* Address any issues which could be impacting you as a driver
* Demonstrate your intention to become a safer, improved driver
* Finally, deal with and address issues which may have been holding you back
* Training is a little different for commercial clients – the end client, the person receiving the training, may not be 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:
* Demonstrating your Duty of Care
* Potentially lower your fleet insurance costs
* Providing the opportunity for an employee to develop
* Showing you care
* Lower fuel costs
On the M4 motorway, junctions 44 to 47 bypass Swansea, replacing the A48 as the main east-west route. The M4 and the A48 link Neath, Port Talbot, and Cardiff at the east and west to Carmarthen. The A483 dual carriageway connects the city with the M4 at Junction 42 to the east and Junction 47 to the northwest. To the north, the A483 combines with the A48 before continuing through mid-Wales and stopping at Chester. The A4067 connecting Mumbles and the city centre and up towards the Swansea Valley to Brecon is a dual carriageway for much of its run through Swansea – perfect for our motorway training. Other local roads include the A484, linking Fforestfach west to Llanelli, and the A4118 is the main route westwards from the city to Gower and Port Eynon. With the super network of rural, town and motorways, Swansea is a good part of the UK to take driver training. You do not have to go to a centre, and you can use your own car, van or campervan, and the tutor will meet you at home or at your chosen address. For business clients, we can train your drivers from any office address, and we can train both car and van drivers.
Course Duration
We offer full or half-day training options. We also provide multiple half-day options.
The 3.5hr course is the shortest session time, ideal if you need a course covering the basic elements of Advanced driver training (general advanced driving, confidence, motorway, or a pre-court course). This course duration is very popular for business clients, training many drivers as we can offer AM/PM sessions from the office or site address. For our private clients, this can be an interesting and valuable “toe-in-the-water” You may then decide to take more sessions afterwards.
The 7-hour (full day) course is a popular option – Ideal if you need more than a half-day session but are time-poor. There are two 30-minute rest breaks included throughout the day. The course is 7 hours from start to finish and approximately 6 hours of actual driving. We have found this is far more beneficial than trying to do 7 hours at once. It is a long day, but a lot is taught. There is more time to identify and remove bad habits and longer to introduce and practise various advanced/defensive driving techniques. Your driving report will be more detailed than the half-day session.
Business clients tend to opt for the 7-hour session if they have a driver with specific issues such as speeding, high collision rate, inexperienced driver etc. If you are doing a pre-court advanced driving session, this is more suited than a 1 x 3.5-hour session if a driving ban looks probable.
Contact us:
We have several training options and packages. Please call us for more information. The team member you talk with will manage your enquiry right through to training. 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 – Swansea
The city of Swansea is situated on the south coast of Wales, and it is primarily served by the M4, which has the A483 leading to Fabian Way, leaving at junction 42. For a small city, Swansea has exceptionally high accident statistics, and many of these can be attributed to drivers who are unfamiliar with the area, such as holidaymakers due to the coastal location.
At junction 42 of the M4, the A483 travels into Swansea centre and links with the A48; this junction is quite challenging, with many accidents noted on the slip roads and intersections, suggesting that poor lane exiting could be to blame. You must be aware of not only your directions but also what lane you should be in for your exit, as this is when some of the most hazardous accidents occur. Poor lane positioning can be fatal with high speeds on the motorways. If a driver fears missing an exit at the last minute, they can often move across lanes and take silly risks, so it is essential to always be aware of the possibility of meeting such a driver, and leaving space or holding back can make the difference between and collision or not. The A483 is a hectic dual carriageway with several commercial areas nearby, where there is an increased possibility of dense traffic joining and leaving. As this road moves nearer to Swansea, it meets Fabian Way, where numerous accidents have happened near the Swansea University campus entrances at Arfan Way. Accidents here suggest that younger drivers may be involved, so it is wise to be aware of areas where such drivers are more likely to be encountered.
As Fabian Way reaches the River Tawe, it also meets the A4067 Quay Parade, which travels along the southern side of Swansea city centre and the New Curt Road, which travels up the eastern side. There are numerous collision sites at the traffic lights at the Quay Parade bridge and at the Somerset Place and Princes Way meeting. At the West Way intersection, the route travels up the western side of Swansea Centre, meeting Dilwyn Street and linking the Singleton Street one-way system into the retail centre. This route is also shared with buses, cyclists, and pedestrians, so many collisions along this route are pretty severe even though speed limits are low. Driving in inner city areas will always require more observation to the sides of the road, junctions and various crossings, as you can never account for a pedestrian stepping out onto a busy road or a distracted cyclist.
Please get in touch with us if you have any specific roads you are travelling on in the Swansea area and are keen to discover what parts are at higher risk of collisions. We offer a free-of-charge service to anyone interested.