Location Overview – The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in the West Midlands area. With a population of around 3 million people, it’s the second most populated county in the UK. The West Midlands was created in 1974 from the Local Government Act of 1972, from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The largest city in the West Midlands is Birmingham – an area where we have provided a wide range of courses since 2011. We have provided driver training in many areas of the West Midlands, including Birmingham, Coventry, Telford, Wolverhampton and many other smaller areas.
We offer a range of bespoke courses, which include:
* General advanced and defensive courses
* Motorway training
* Performance training
* UK Familiarisation
* Confidence training
* Younger drivers
* Pre-court assessments
Course Content:
All courses are built around the needs and requirements of the individual driver, but below are a number of things we look at:
* The system of car control – IPSGA
* Working towards an expert level of forward planning and observation
* Understanding observational elements of driving (seeing) and building these into your driving plan
* Manoeuvres and reversing (This is often requested in confidence training)
* How to become a safe driver on urban and rural roads and also motorways
* Understand your own limitations and at-risk factors – most of which you won’t be aware of
* Undoing years of ingrained had habits
* Learning to manage speed and become more speed aware
* How to deal with complex and busy traffic environments
* How to understand other drivers and what they may do next
* Learn how you and other drivers think when behind the wheel
You will be issued a driving report after each session – sent on 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 useful tips to make sure you keep up your improved standard of driving.
West Midlands Roads:
We provide a range of bespoke on-road driving courses for clients in the West Midlands. For motorway training, we tend to use the M54, M6 and M5. These are all busy motorways and provide excellent training – these motorways are busy in the West Midlands, with the M54 merging with M6 at Walsall and the M5 and M6 merging near the large, well-known RAC building. For more urban-based driver training, depending on where you are, we can head towards Birmingham City centre on the A38(M) from the north or A34 from the south – we don’t give exact roads as there are so many start locations to pick from. For rural road driver training, we have the choice of thousands of miles of roads to drive on with clients. From the A41, which joins Telford to Wolverhampton or the A5, which runs across the north of the area and beyond, we can provide a driver training route which is perfect for your needs.
The individual benefits of our advanced and defensive driver training:
* Upskill your levels of skill and overall confidence
* Identify and remove any higher-risk driving characteristics
* Consider issues that may be specific to your driving
* Increase vehicle control on every road type
* Reduce wear and tear on your vehicle
* Lower fuel costs
Looking for fleet advanced driver training? Driver training for business clients provides a number of benefits that include:
* Managing your occupational road risk
* Demonstrate your Duty of Care
* Possibly reduce your fleet insurance costs
* Demonstrate to your drivers that you care
* Help employees who have specific issues (confidence, speeding, collisions)
Regardless of whether you are a private client or a business customer, we can build a course based on your own specific needs and requirements anywhere in the UK.
Our courses do vary in structure, although we have a number of courses based on duration:
3.5hr session
7hr session (which can be split for 2 drivers if needed)
2 x 3.5hr sessions
3 x 3.5hr sessions – We also have longer courses if needed.
The 7hr session, as mentioned above, can be split between two drivers, which is time and cost-efficient. One driver will be trained in the morning, usually 9 am to 12:30, and then the second driver in the afternoon, usually from 13:00 to 16:30. We can be flexible on start times and start earlier than 9 am if needed. Each driver has 3.5hr on-road training.
Longer Duration Courses:
Our bespoke 3,4, and 5 x 3.5hr sessions are suited to those that have specific issues with driving. These issues include driving anxiety, motorway confidence, a fear of driving in new areas, post-RTC confidence or those that have not driven in a long time.
These longer courses are mostly booked by private individuals, although they are open to our business customers too. Those that commit to these longer-duration courses see change happen over the weeks as they build confidence and address the specific issues they may be facing.
Contact us:
We would be delighted to hear from you about your exact requirements. Our team are trained to not only advise on course information and how they run, but they also offer a non-judgemental approach for those that wish to open up and discuss specific issues. We know that for some, this is the first step in reaching out on their journey to confident driving. Please call or email for more information and advice.
Road Safety Risks and Information – West Midlands
The West Midlands is served by several major motorways, including the M5, M6, M54, and M42, along with a network of fast A roads. However, all these routes are prone to high accident rates, which drivers should be mindful of when traveling in the region.
The M5, for instance, has several accident-prone areas along its entire route, particularly near slip road entry and exit points close to major junctions. Notable hot spots include Junction 2 (Wolverhampton Road) and Junction 1 (West Bromwich Interchange). The large roundabout at the West Bromwich Interchange is a common site for collisions, likely due to poor lane positioning and driver confusion. Navigating multilane roundabouts requires careful attention to lane choice and understanding the correct exit to minimize risks. The M6, which connects to the M5 south of Birmingham, presents additional challenges, especially near the A34 link roundabout at Junction 7, where numerous crash sites have been recorded. Drivers should take extra care in this busy area.
The M42, which runs along the northeastern edge of the West Midlands, has collision-prone areas near Junction 4 (Monkspath Interchange), where traffic lights control slip road exits. Another hot spot is the Bickenhill Interchange, near the A45 Coventry Road. These motorways are heavily trafficked, particularly during rush hours when commuter traffic increases, so maintaining calm and awareness of hazardous zones is crucial for safe travel.
In addition to the motorways, the West Midlands is home to some of the oldest and busiest A roads in the UK, such as the A34, A45, and A38. These roads are associated with numerous severe collisions, sometimes fatal, especially where they pass through rural areas. Minor lanes often connect to faster routes, creating dangerous intersections with obstructed views. The A45 Birmingham Road toward Coventry is a prime example, with frequent accidents near narrow minor road crossings, such as B4102 Fillongley Road. Similarly, the A38 is a hazardous route, particularly from Selly Oak into Birmingham, where numerous accidents occur at busy traffic light junctions and roundabouts. Rush hour congestion can exacerbate the risk of collisions, often due to poor observation and frustration.
Rural areas of the West Midlands, including Knowle and Balsall Common between the M42 and A452, also see a significant number of accidents. Roads such as Kenilworth Road and Station Road have multiple collision sites, often caused by the high-speed nature of the roads coupled with less frequent signage or awareness of potential dangers.
If you’re planning to drive in the West Midlands and would like to know which routes are particularly hazardous, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We offer a free service to help you stay informed and drive safely.