Road accidents are a cause for concern with more than 3,000 deaths a year.

Local councils look at road design and develop traffic calming measures into places with speed humps and chicanes. The police place speed cameras around the town to encourage drivers to slow down on busy routes and more and more road signs are being put up to assist – or confuse – the motorist.

Organisations have tried to help motorists to drive more carefully by offering seminars for the older driver, speed awareness courses and advanced driving courses.

William Gallagher, Community Correspondent and Equality and Diversity Sub Group member is well known in Bolton for his passionate and out-spoken views. He met Hugh German and Katherine Whittle, both members of the Bolton Advanced Motorists Group and quizzed them about why he should enrol on an advanced driving course.

“Can you turn me into a better driver?” he joked. As William drives many miles each year and travels to Scotland regularly he is an experienced driver. “Will I have developed some bad driving habits over the years? Might they not be safe?” he asked.

“Well,” said Hugh. “You will definitely become much more observant and alert so you’ll be safer. When we are surprised by a hazard it takes us longer to react than if we have anticipated it. You will also learn how to drive more smoothly so will save money on fuel and wear and tear on your tyres and brakes. Plus, as an advanced motorist, you can expect to make considerable savings on car insurance – all very important in these times with a credit crunch.

Katherine added: “If you’re driving your family about, you want to spot those not-so-good drivers on the road before they cause you harm. We would never forgive ourselves if a moment’s inattention caused our child to be injured in a car crash.”

After this William decided to give it a go and report his thoughts and findings to the Bolton News – sharing his experiences with readers.

He duly enrolled on the November 2008 course and found himself at the Great Lever and Farnworth Golf Club on Bonfire Night – listening to what advanced driving is all about.

He commented: “There were approximately 30 of us signing up men and women of all ages from a man in his 80s to a teenager from Bolton School – all shapes and sizes and from all walks of life. Some people had signed up because they loved driving and wanted to improve their skills even more.

"Others were there because they did not like driving on motorways and others had been involved in accidents. A few had been on a speed awareness course and had been advised that an advanced course would be interesting and helpful.

"The course lasts about 10-12 weeks but, if for any reason I miss a session, I pick up where I left off. The course is tailor made for each person. We will only be put in for the test when we are fully ready for it – and, because of this, the pass rate is about 95 per cent for this group. We heard that the people who will train us, the observers, are all volunteers – who have passed the advanced test and been 'trained to train' – so the driving sessions are all free. We were reminded that the group is a registered charity dedicated to promoting road safety. Can’t wait for the first drive!!”

The following Sunday morning William and the other associates met at the Bolton Arena listening to a police driver discussing how an advanced driver thinks and plans his drive in all conditions. “All very impressive and thought provoking.”

William continued: “The driving sessions take place in your own car and we meet on Sunday mornings at the Chorley Street car park. There is a great atmosphere and camaraderie – the impression is of one big happy family and we are all made to feel welcome. People are comparing notes about their last session and asking each other where they are up to. Some people can’t make Sundays so they can train midweek but they miss out on the socialising and moral support.”

The first driving session was the foundation of the whole course with car safety checks, hazard recognition, use of signals, observation and a system of car control.

He said: “I learned about planning my drive in a way that no one really does. We tend to look no further than a couple of feet past the bonnet. If we look further ahead we can plan for any changes so that nothing takes us by surprise.”

The following driving sessions were like pieces of a jigsaw – building up the knowledge week by week and showing the Associate how to become more skilful, more alert and therefore safer.

Smooth steering is addressed and observation improves as the associate learns to talk about and explain the driving decisions. As a result the driver’s confidence said that he enjoyed the drive on country roads – positioning for maximum visibility, assessing the severity and extent of corners and bends and remembering the phrase 'Slow in, fast out' so that he avoided the fatal mistake of 'fast in, can’t get out'.

Motorway driving was also fun – joining quickly and safely – keeping up to the speed limit and avoiding over-acceleration and subsequent braking.

“You see them all the time don’t you,” he said. “Folk in the outside lane, too close together, speeding up then braking – what a waste of fuel and wear and tear on their brakes. Don’t they know the two second rule? – probably not!

“After the session we had a go at various manoeuvres back at Chorley Street. We were all there and it was informative and great fun. Parallel parking is a manoeuvre some of us have difficulty with and we were given a lot of advice about how best to tackle it.”

A demonstration drive by an advanced motorist completed the basic training. William was mightily impressed by the slick, smooth, progressive and yet safe drive he witnessed. The driver commented all the way round about what he was doing to illustrate the points – and William vowed to aim for this standard of driving.

The final sessions will be about practising and consolidating what William has learnt. When ready, he will be put forward for the test by the group. He had the chance to meet the examiner at an evening event so he could ask questions. He thought this was a good idea too.

William is now training in preparation for his test – so wish him luck and watch this space.

The group runs four courses a year so if you’d like to consider joining you can access information on the web at boltoniam.org.uk or speak to Annette Gamble on 0161-797 1084.

The cost of the course is £99 if you are 26 or over and there is a cash back of £20 when you pass your Advanced Test.

If you are under 26, the course costs £79 with a £35 cash back. The price may rise after April 1.The next course starts on February 4.