Police Camera Action Filmed at Alconbury Driving Centre
14 May 2012 | No Comments | posted by admin | in Blog
Alconbury Driving Centre has over the last few years hosted several filming sessions for the popular TV programme Police Camera Action presented by Alistair Stewart, Adrian Simpson and Gethin Jones
- Police Camera Action; Alistair Stewart At Alconbury Driving Centre
TV Presenter Gethin Jones meets four drivers who admit to being distracted while driving. Cameras are placed in their cars to record their everyday driving behaviour and the results are eye-opening.
Twenty-six year old engineer Jamie regularly texts behind the wheel as he drives around the country for work.
Jasmine, a 21 year old student, applies make up when driving and regularly lets her dog sit on her lap when she is behind the wheel.
Thirty-two year old Simon is a professional singer. In-car footage shows him using his car as a mobile office while driving and swerving to miss something while texting.
Finally, Gabrielle, an 18 year old student, regularly eats behind the wheel. The camera catches her both eating an apple and texting, while driving.
Despite being confronted with their dangerous driving behaviour caught on camera, some of the drivers refuse to admit they were not in complete control of their vehicles. So they are taken to a track to assess their skills behind the wheel, in a specially designed hazards test at Alconbury Driving Centre.
Video Transcript
Many other drivers seem oblivious to their dangerous driving. Like these 4 drivers; we gave them in-car cameras to record their every day behaviour behind the wheel. In a special police camera action screening, I’ve been playing this extraordinary footage back to them.
Reporter – “At this point do you think you’re driving with due care and attention?”
Jamie – “Yeah, because my eyes are always looking at the road.”
Reporter – “Is this a one off? Or is this something you do…”
Jasmine – “No, I do this every day”
Reporter – “You genuinely look shocked watching that”
Jasmine – “Oh my god! I am so embarrassed”
Reporter – “Simon, you described your car as your office. Let’s have a look at what you’ve been up to.”
Next it’s 32 year old Simon, who’s married with two young kids. As he’s a professional singer he spends a lot of time in his car driving from gig to gig.
Reporter – “What are you fiddling with there? What are you doing there? What are you reading?”
Simon – “A receipt, I think. The car’s my office, so it’s like, I’ve got to. If the phone rings, ok, I’m on hands free but…”
Reporter – “Oh, what was that?”
Simon – “Oh my god!”
Reporter – “Hang on a minute. You’re texting away, you obviously swerved something, you’ve taken a deep breath and then you’ve started texting again!”
Simon – “Oh no! That was awful! My wife’s going to kill me!”
18 year old student Gabrielle’s car isn’t an office; it’s more like a fast food restaurant.
Reporter – “Look at that! Wow!”
Gabrielle – “That was after I finished my promotional job. I was really hungry.”
Eating an apple and texting at the same time.
Reporter – “Was that an important text?”
Gabrielle – “Probably not. I think this is on the way to college at like eight o’clock in the morning.”
Reporter – “Do you feel you were driving with due care and attention?”
Gabrielle – “I should stop eating, and maybe just pull over so I can eat.”
Reporter – “Jasmine, Gabrielle, Simon and Jamie don’t set out to intentionally hurt anybody. But I can’t help feeling quite angry after what I’ve heard in there. I can’t believe that you can be in complete control of a car whilst texting or eating a burger and even having a dog on your lap whilst you’re applying your make up…it’s just madness.”
Programme 16 – Driver Training Programme for the Young
1 May 2012 | No Comments | posted by admin | in Blog
Young driver training is a new programme of three hours (costing £99 including VAT), which has started in The Alconbury Driving Centre (ADC) and it especially aims at training youngsters to become “better than average drivers” by learning advanced driving techniques.
The programme is only for serious youngsters who are committed to learn to become “better than average drivers” and are enthusiastic.
Young Drivers Training At Alconbury Driving Centre
Alconbury has excellent facilities and is very safe. It has a great team of expert trainers and supervisors who practice the art of expert teaching in order to cater to learners of different abilities. Parents can trust their young children in a safe environment to learn driving.
For driving on the road it is mandatory to have a license and is only permissable for people 17 and over. Alconbury Driving Centre offers young driver training for people as young as 14 on our safe, off-road, facility to teach them to be safer and better prepared than the average learner driver..
Students drive in dual controlled cars under their instructor’s supervision. They may also be driven by instructors on public roads so as to familiarize the student with the road and traffic, and observe the behaviour of other drivers. Due to unforeseen circumstances we are currently using a temporary training area.
“Programme 16” is open for those above 14 years and there are special offers such as birthday group booking, birthday gift or gift vouchers.
Please contact Alconbury Driving Centre for more details:
01480 457439
Young Driver Training BBC Look East Review
1 May 2012 | No Comments | posted by admin | in Blog
Following thr tragic death of local teenager Amy Gonzales the BBC Look East team visited the Alconbury Driving Centre to see what is being done regarding young driver training including skid training.
This is their video report.
Andrew Cropper (narration): ‘18 year old, Amy Gonzales was knocked down by a drink-driver in St Neots on Christmas morning nearly 3 years ago. She died a month later; another teenager who became a victim of a collision involving a young driver. Her parents have campaigned on the issue ever since’
Melanie Gonzales: ‘We need to get these young drivers, when they start driving, just to realise how dangerous it can be driving a car. I don’t think a lot of them realise that just driving a car in the wrong way makes it become a lethal weapon.’
Andrew Cropper (narration): ‘Today it was reporters spinning round Alconbury Airfield, but when the new course opens for business next week, it will be a mix of teenagers at school and fee paying adults.’
Terry Turner: ‘You could think this was purely commercial, but it’s not. 90% of what we’re going to be doing here is going to be working with young drivers. We know that they are 3-4 times more likely to have a bad collision than any other age group.’
Student: ‘We’ve learned basically how to drive and we get taught about it to help us out we come to taking our driving test.’
Andrew Cropper: ‘So youngsters who have done courses like this before have given it the thumbs up. Well now it’s time to give it a go myself.’
Andrew Cropper: ‘Right then Jim, how did I do?’
Jim Hawkins: ‘I’ve got my score sheet here, and I’m afraid it’s only 3 out of 10 at the moment.’
Andrew Cropper: ‘More work needed.’
Jim Hawkins: ‘A lot more.’
Andrew Cropper (narration): ‘While today was just a bit of fun, there remains a serious side. It’s hoped this course will offer a chance to reduce the heavy death toll of young drivers on our regions roads. Andrew Cropper, BBC Look East, Alconbury Airfield’
Young Driver Skid Training At Alconbury Driving Centre
5 Apr 2012 | No Comments | posted by admin | in Blog
Alconbury Driving Centre offers training for young drivers even before they have secured their driving license.
ITV Anglia Tonight visited the centre to report on this service and you can see their report here with the transcript below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AFJNIkXRB1c
Female presenter: ‘…driving skills before they’ve even passed their test’
Male presenter: ‘Instructors are using a ‘skid-car’ to simulate dangerous situations. Our reporter Mathew Hudson has had a go.’
Mathew Hudson (narration): ‘It looks like fun, and it is, but it might also help keep you alive. And here’s a stark fact for you; drivers ages 17 to 25 are four times more likely to lose control of the wheel than anyone else. Driving lessons teach the basics, but not how to drive in dangerous conditions. This new scheme provides teenagers with some of the skills you need before they ever drive on a road.’
Terry Turner: ‘We run programmes for 16 year old, non-licence holders, and from the moment they come here and we start teaching them advanced driving methods. So that we know that when they’re actually on the road they should be better than average drivers. It’s a tremendous opportunity for them.’
Matthew Hudson (narration): ‘The disused runway at the former RAF Alconbury, near Huntingdon makes an ideal skid pan. The special skid-car is mounted on a hydraulic frame. The instructor can lift the weight of the car off the tyres, replicating wet or icy conditions. Even at low speed the effect is stunning.’
Matthew Hudson: ‘Of course the beauty of this scheme is it’s able to simulate a number of different driving conditions for drivers, without actually having to wait for the rain or the snow to come down. And until you’ve had a go here you really don’t realise just what difference a certain amount of ice on the road can make. You don’t realise it, perhaps, until it’s too late.’
Matthew Hudson (narration): ‘The charity behind the scheme subsidises classes for schools by hosting corporate events. Because it’s on the airfield, even 15 and 16 year olds can have a go; invaluable experience for when they start driving for real.’
Ben Hobbs: ‘We all know already how to drive properly, and so we should be able to get through our driving test a lot easier and quicker.’
Matthew Hudson (narration): ‘Young irresponsible drivers can kill other people as well as themselves. Amy Gonzales was killed by a drunk 21 year old racing through St Neots on Christmas morning 2004. Her parents are helping to promote the initiative.’
Kevin Gonzales: ‘We’ve seen first-hand the carnage and pain & suffering that can be caused by driving a car in the wrong way. And any initiative like this, anyway we can get the message across we’re delighted to be involved with.’
Matthew Hudson (narration): ‘Teaching teenagers how to deal with a sudden skid could save their life. Better to go out of control here, than on a busy motorway. Matthew Hudson, Anglia News, at Alconbury, near Huntingdon.’
Drive Safe Winner
23 Jan 2012 | No Comments | posted by admin | in Blog
Drive Safe competiton winner 15-yearold Max Brindley of Silver Lane, Needingworth.
Teenagers should be given the opportunity to have a driving lesson before their 17th birthday, claims a 15-year-old Hunts Post competition winner who won the chance to drive around a private circuit.
As part of The Hunts Post’s Drive Safe, Save a Life Campaign, we teamed up with Alconbury Driving Centre to offer one youngster aged 15 or 16 the chance to take part in a free driving course specially designed for those too young to hold a driving licence.
The winner was 15-year-old Max Brindley of Silver Lane, Needingworth, who completed his course on Friday.
“I really enjoyed it. We drove along the old runway, went through the gears, sign posts, stopping, everything! I liked the runway the most: I got up to 55mph”.
“The Hunts Post competition was the first I had heard about the course but I think everyone should do it. Everyone wants to look cool and drive fast but this teaches you a lot.”
The aim of the one-to-one, three-hour programme, with a DSA-approved instructor, is to give teenagers a chance to learn the basics and vital road safety.
At the centre’s private driving circuit at Alconbury Airfield, teenagers encounter junctions, traffic lights, pedestrian crossings and roundabouts.
Since January, The Hunts Post has been campaigning to end fatal collisions among young people on Cambridgeshire’s roads.
Two people aged between 17 and 25 are killed on Britain’s roads every day. In 2010, 12 young motorists in Cambridgeshire died following accidents.
The Alconbury driving centre was set up over seven years ago by the Cambridgeshire Police Shrievalty Trust with the aim of cutting down on road deaths by promoting greater partnership between the community, police and other partners in particular with their young driver training programme.
Based on article originally published in the Hunts Evening Post in 2011