Driving for Life Curriculum

The a²om approach to driving education can significantly reduce the risks faced by newly qualified drivers. a²om also believes that people learn best when the experience is interesting and fun. We want you to enjoy learning to be safer and more competent drivers.

The Driving for Life curriculum seeks to educate drivers to the highest possible standard, similar to the high academic standards set by your school in other subjects. If you fail a school examination, you are likely to be alive and well enough to try again. If you make a mistake while driving, you can die. It's why it's absolutely critical for our curriculum to set such a high standard.

a²om attitude

a²om puts you at the centre of your education by tailoring your curriculum to fit your personality profile.

To do this you will be required to complete your a²om attitude assessment online when you enrol the results of which will help you to:

• understand your strengths and weakness in the context of driving
• identify your preferred learning style
• understand how your personality will affect your driving safety

Driving

You will learn to drive an Audi A3 Sportbacks or BMW 1 series cars in various road and traffic conditions.

In 46 hours of highly interactive sessions, your a²om tutor will help you develop the skills, abilities and understanding you need to become a safe and responsible driver.

The Driving for Life curriculum far exceeds the minimum standard required to pass the test and will enable you to:

• benefit from your tutor's feedback of a²om attitude and apply it to real driving situations
• drive safely at night
• deal with emergency vehicles
• understand how speed, weather and road conditions influence stopping distances
• carry out routine vehicle maintenance and recognise its importance for safety
• improve your risk management by recognising safe opportunities to emerge into traffic
• learn about eye scanning and safety margins
• progress from reacting to events to anticipating and planning for them
  

Observation and commentary

As your skill develops, you will join other students and participate in their sessions. The passenger who is not focusing on controlling the car gives a commentary on road and traffic hazards and the reaction to them.

This develops the driver's and passenger's:

• awareness
• concentration
• active observation
• hazard awareness

a²om mind

a²om mind is a groundbreaking approach to driver education that accelerates a new driver's ability to manage risk. You will use our computer-based programme to practise key skills that will teach you to identify and deal with all kinds of risky situations. Be careful though – you may get hooked!

a²om mind is delivered through a series of dvds and will:

• accelerate executive brain function development
• improve eye scanning, hazard awareness and risk management
• develop commentary driving at both the pre and post-test level
• reinforce your risk management skills including gap acceptance, eye scanning and safety margins

a²om highway

a²om highway gives you access to exclusive online content in order to: 

• help you understand what happens before and during a crash
• the wider implications that crashes have on the individuals involved and society
• teach you to understand and minimise the impact vehicle use has on the environment
• build a thorough working knowledge of the Highway Code and related traffic regulations
• support your in car session with notes in bite size pieces

Group Sessions

Being able to drive a car in traffic is only one step towards being a safe driver. You also need to understand how your driving is affected by a number of key human factors. Group sessions help you to identify these factors which are the underlying cause of many road crashes and you will quickly learn how to assess your own behaviour in a car. These sessions will develop your skills in order to:

• identify the role human factor such as peer pressure, stress, fatigue, drink and drugs have in driving performance and their particular impact on novice drivers.
• understand the importance of self-assessment in driving and be able to identify appropriate trigger events to reflect on and improve driving skills
• discuss the main types of crashes involving novice drivers and their causes

The sessions are fun and highly interactive – you will get to have your say and be able to see how that fits with other people's views!

post test training

Post test training will enable you to:

In–car

• drive safely on the motorway
• drive safely at night
• navigate safely using satellite navigation, maps etc.
• identify the main types of crashes which involve novice drivers and their causes

Theory

• appreciate the dangers from over confidence in newly qualified drivers.
• understand how your personality affects your driving when you are no longer under instruction
• ensure that this does not compromise safety