Advanced Driver Training
Free expert tuition based on Roadcraft: The Police Driver's Handbook. From assessment to advanced test, we'll guide you every mile. Please note that potential applicants for Membership of RoADARC who are drivers and/or riders and earn, or intend to earn, their income from professional driving/riding (e.g. taxi, lorry, van, motorcycle courier etc.) and require a RoSPA Driving or Riding Test as a condition of their employment are outside the remit of RoADARC for training. For advice on training these drivers/riders should contact Andy Nixon (RoSPA) as anixon@rospa.com or phone RoSPA on 0121 248 2099.
Driver Training
Our driver training is open to any qualified driver over the age of 18 and is based on the information and techniques described in Roadcraft: The Police Driver's Handbook and The Highway Code. We would urge you to prove to yourself how far you have come by then taking the RoSPA Advanced Driving Test but if you are just seeking to refine your existing skills, learn new skills or build confidence then we are happy to help you with that.
How Do I Start?
The first thing to do is to join us. Once your membership has been processed you will be sent an email asking you to contact our Driver Tutor Co-ordinator who will then try to assign a Tutor who lives nearby. Sometimes you may be offered a Tutor who is further away so you can choose to start your training earlier or you can wait until a closer Tutor becomes available.
All of our Tutors are volunteers who give their time freely but they are covered by insurance provided by RoSPA. You will be expected to produce your licence along with evidence of tax, insurance and, if required, MoT for the vehicle you are driving.
What Happens During Training?
You and your Tutor will agree a mutually convenient time and place to meet and then you will drive your car following your Tutor's direction. Generally your Tutor will just do an assessment drive for your first meeting so they can plan how best to help you.
It generally takes about 10–15 sessions to become ready for test. Each session lasts for approximately an hour and your Tutor will provide feedback at the end. Most Tutors also offer a demonstration drive in their own vehicle to show how the techniques work.
When your Tutor believes you are at test standard you will be offered a check drive with a different Tutor to prepare you for the exam experience.
The RoSPA Advanced Driving Test
The test should be very much like the check drive — you will have a different person sitting next to you who will give you instructions on where to go and who will chat to you politely while you drive around for about an hour. At the end, the Examiner will tell you whether you have obtained a Bronze, Silver or, hopefully, Gold pass.
What Next?
We encourage you to maintain your membership and take part in meetings and events. You could consider becoming part of the Committee or even becoming a Tutor yourself.
If you also maintain your RoSPA membership then your 3-yearly re-tests are free and we will help you prepare with a couple of check drives beforehand.
Book the RoSPA test at rospa.com
