Great Transport Views

While I am no fan of driving instructors, I realised I'd have to take a course in defensive driving in order to reduce the payments to my insurance group. See, I drive a classic car, a 1972 Bentley T1. It belonged to my dad, and when I passed my driving course, he passed it on to me. But as those of you who own a classic car know all too well, the cost of insurance on such a car is very expensive. Even though our insurance group isn't one of the most costly, it still amounted to quite a lot of money.

So it came down to getting rid of my classic car for a more practical model, changing my insurance group, or taking a course in defensive driving in order to reduce my rates. Since I could get a discount on the course, I signed up for one in my home town.

I wasn't sure what to expect from a defensive driving course. I hoped I would learn to drive like James Bond, weaving in and out of traffic, hair-trigger reflexes and high speed chases. Imagine my surprise when the instructor said that we weren't even going to be driving for most of the classes! Instead, we would learn how to scan the road ahead, how to identify danger spots and basic rules that would keep us safe on the road. How disappointed I was! I expected to be James Bond or Emma Peel. Instead, our instructor was teaching us to drive like Nervous Nellies.

Still, it was worth it for the discount on my insurance rates. So I continued with the class, even though it wasn't any fun at all. I made friends with a couple of the people from class, and we had coffee afterwards a few times, which made the whole experience more pleasant. And I did learn to watch the streets more carefully, and to be aware of potential danger spots in the road ahead. So even though the class was boring and inconvenient, I think it has helped me be safer on the roads, and perhaps avoided a few accidents that might otherwise have occurred.