Tuesday 24 February 2009

NEW DRIVING "SCHOOL" FOCUSES ON FUEL SAVING


Economical driving skills could save you as much as R3000 a year on your motoring bills.” This is the message from well-known motoring journalist and driving specialist, Rob Handfield – Jones, who has launched driving.co.za, a new driving skills company focusing on economical driving.


“Everything you do behind the wheel makes your trip more or less costly,” said Handfield – Jones. “If you’re driving for maximum fuel economy and minimum maintenance costs, you’re also reducing the risk of the most expensive journey of all: the one on which you crash,” he said.


The company offers three courses which it says cater for the majority of everyday driving requirements. The flagship Eco-Corporate course is aimed at companies wanting to improve the safety and economy of their employees. It begins with a DVD-based economical driving seminar which is presented at the client’s premises and lasts approximately two hours. Each driver then attends a 45-minute ‘Practical Economy’ module, driving on public roads with a facilitator helping him apply the techniques shown in the seminar. After a few weeks of practice, the driver attempts the 45-minute Eco-Driving Test, which tests driving skill to a standard more than three times higher than the driving licence test.


For private individuals who can’t afford the cost and time requirements of conventional post-licence driving courses, driving.co.za has announced a world-first: an inexpensive self-study Economical Driving Course which can be done from one’s armchair. The entertaining Eco-Me DVD is packed full of practical examples showing how anyone can master economical driving techniques.


“One can learn cooking or gardening from a DVD – and now economical driving too,” said Handfield – Jones. “We offer the Practical Economy training session and Eco-Driving Test as optional extras for Eco-Me customers who want to learn more,” he explained. “Drivers who apply the skills shown in the DVD could recover the cost of the course in fuel savings alone in just a few weeks,” he added.


The third course, Eco-Refresh, is aimed at companies who require an inexpensive driving skills brush-up for employees have already undergone previous training. Eco-Refresh is a combination of the Eco-Me course and a specially-designed questionnaire to assess trainees’ understanding of economical and safe driving. The feedback from the questionnaire enables companies to plan their future training needs more cost-effectively.


Course details, availability and pricing are available at driving.co.za or on the mobile site optimised for hand-held devices, driving.co.za/mobile.

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