Get advanced
Passing your driver's license is one of those life goals that many people yearn for, for years. Once you have passed the test, the world literally opens up before you because you can now go anywhere and do anything. It opens up job opportunities and encourages freedom of the individual, but what if I told you that that isn't where it ends......
Related: Why You Should Consider Defensive/Advanced Driving
You may now be in possession of a little plastic card that says you can drive a car but can you really? You may know how to park and maneuver and drive defensively in traffic but do you know what to do if a cow walks out into the road when you are traveling at speed, or what actions to take if the car starts sliding uncontrollably in the rain?
AutoTrader gets the GReen light to go racing!
It is everyday situations like these that the basic K53 drivers exam simply does not cater for and why we here at AutoTrader highly recommend attending an advanced driving course. There are many companies and facilities that offer courses for every experience level, so it may be difficult to decide where to start looking. The easiest way is to simply do the course offered by the OEM school of the car you drive. Here in Gauteng, we have a number OEM training centers that will help you understand the capabilities of the car you drive and will teach you how to handle situations that often happen and how your car's tech can help you avoid accidents.
BMW Advanced Driving
Based out of Kyalami, this academy offers a wide range of training and experiences for fans of the Bavarian marque
Toyota Gazoo Driving Academy
Operating at Gerotek, the TGR team will teach you how to drive everything from a Corolla to a Fortuner in a safe and controlled environment
Mercedes AMG Driving Academy
Easily seen from the road heading towards Zwartkops Raceway, the AMG driving academy takes pride in offering everything from defensive skidpan training to full race preparation.
Volkswagen Advanced Driving
Also based out of Zwartkops is the VW driver training centre, skidpan training, defensive driving, and accident avoidance are their most popular courses.
Jaguar Land Rover Advanced Driver Training Centre
The Lonehill-based outfit is not only an owner's experience centre but a world-class training facility where drivers can be trained on the entire Jaguar and Land Rover lineup which covers defensive driving, collision avoidance, and offroad training.
Almost always the academy have their own vehicles that get used for the training so you won't have to use your own vehicle. There is always an instructor with you to help and guide and to give you pointers while taking on the training modules.
NOTE: When these academies offer tiered courses you have to complete the lower tiers before advancing onto higher ranked courses ie; Basic- intermediate- Expert, no skipping courses!
There are other privately owned businesses that are run by folks who have been involved in the local automotive industry for years. Some of these training centers only teach defensive driving tactics while others offer a full range of services from offroad driving and recovery to motorcycle training and offensive driver training for security personnel.
Blue Chevron
Owned by industry stalwarts who gave life to GM in SA, Blue Chevron Driver Training is based in Gqeberha and has been helping new drivers get up to speed with an assortment of training modules from mild to wild.
Masterdrive
If you follow local motorsport you may have seen these branded vehicles running around as pace cars at various events. Also, run by an industry stalwart, the efforts of this crew go a long way to ensuring road safety in SA, and the track-based training and time attack events they host, are fantastic practice.
ADA Centre
On the far outskirts of Johannesburg heading towards the Magaliesberg, you can find the ADA centre. These instructors can host and train just about anyone in all forms of motorized activity ranging from bikes to 4X4 and everything in between.
Zwartkops Driver Training
I guess one could say that these are the originals. Based out of their own racetrack in Pretoria, they have the entire facility and a team of helpful instructors at their disposal to help anyone get the best of their car.
In Closing
It is no secret that these courses are not cheap. Pricing ranges from R2000 for an introductory course all the way up past R30 000 for a complete experience that can see you piloting racecars around a track. Whatever you choose just know that it is an investment in your future and will without a doubt make you a better motorist. No matter your age or experience level everyone can learn something on these courses whether it's correcting bad road habits or how to more easily park your car, the teachings from these courses are invaluable.
With South Africa having one of the worst road fatality numbers in the world by population, we can do with a few experienced and well-trained drivers navigating our roads. Even if you don't do the course, as a business owner you may want to send your driving employees to sharpen their skills. Any which way you slice this lemon, we need better drivers on our roads and only proper training will get us there.
