In this episode, Kev and Tracey are joined by Dr. Victoria Kroll to talk about a new motorway anxiety course, designed to help drivers build confidence and tackle common fears about motorway driving.

We chat about:

1. Why the course was created
2. How the motorway anxiety course fills key knowledge gaps, offers a “safe space” for learning, and is backed by psychological research
3. The benefits of seeing expert demonstrations and how evidence-based online training can boost confidence, reduce anxiety, and prepare you for real-life driving

While listening to this episode, ask yourself:

1. What makes you feel anxious or uncertain about motorway driving?
2. How might having a “safe space” to practise and learn change your approach to driving?
3. What is one thing you’d like to feel more confident about behind the wheel?

Find Out More about the Motorway Anxiety Course: https://confident-drivers.newzenler.com/courses/motorway-anxiety

Find Out More about Esitu Solutions: https://esitusolutions.com/

Find out more about how we can help transform the way you feel about driving and follow us on social media:

The Drive Calm Journal:

A Twelve-Week Prompt Journal for Anxious Drivers - available to buy in all formats on Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/hdrzRKj

Get help from Kev and Tracey at Confident Drivers:

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter that includes a tip of the week plus the latest news and podcast episode: Sign up Here

Try one of our most popular tools, the Confident Drivers Coaching Wheel, to help you identify your driving strengths and weaknesses and see if you are driving test-ready: https://confident-drivers.newzenler.com/courses/coachingwheel-testready

Are you ready to stop the search on social media and start taking action to overcome your driving concerns? Our Nervous Drivers Calming Kit has the online tools and video guides you need to master your driving anxiety. Get immediate access, starting from just £27

Nervous Drivers Calming Kit: https://confident-drivers.newzenler.com/courses/nervous-drivers-calming-kit

Do you know that you would like some individual support from us, to create a personalised plan with our help and added accountability to take action? Then our Driving Confidence coaching will help, we offer four different levels of help to suit your needs.

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Individual drivers

Driving Instructors

You are listening to the Driving

Confidence Podcast for drivers who want

2

to be calm and confident on the road.

3

We will be sharing tips, stories, and

advice to beat driving nerves and anxiety

4

and build your driving confidence whether

you are just starting out as a learner or

5

have had your driving license for years.

6

If you want to transform how you've.

7

Feel about driving this

podcast is for you.

8

Kev: We are delighted to be back with

the first of our special podcast episodes

9

as opposed to our running in seasons.

10

for this episode, we're

delighted to welcome on Dr.

11

Victoria Crow.

12

So thank you for joining us.

13

Vikki: Thank you very much.

14

Thank you for having me here.

15

Kev: Vicki, you like to introduce

yourself to everybody listening?

16

Vikki: Yes.

17

Thank you very much.

18

So my name's Dr.

19

Vicki Crow.

20

I am a CEO and one of the

co-founders of EII Solutions.

21

, We are a spin out company from Nottingham

Trent University, where our focus is

22

really on getting the academic tools

that we created at the university.

23

And since at the company.

24

Into the real world where

we can make a difference.

25

So translating that academic research

into kind of operational processes and

26

products for, , end users to basically

improve road safety and basically make

27

the road safer for all road users.

28

Um, we have a particular focus on,

creating hazard perception tools that

29

are tailored to the type of vehicle

and type of job that a driver's

30

doing, but also tools that look into.

31

Assessing the levels of risk that drivers

are willing to take whilst driving

32

and also creating training modules

that are based on academic research,

33

academic theory, psychological theory,

um, and psychological principles.

34

So I am at heart a traffic and.

35

What you call a trafficking transport

psychologist, which really is just a

36

fancy way of saying we take psychology

and psychological theory and apply it

37

to basically making the road safer.

38

So yeah, core message is that we like

to make people safer on the roads.

39

Kev: Yeah.

40

I couldn't have phrased that better

myself, even if I was reading it.

41

It's just like, yeah, that's, that's it.

42

That's it in a nutshell.

43

Yeah.

44

That's why we've.

45

You to introduce yourself

rather than us do it for you.

46

Vikki: I love.

47

Kev: I was never gonna get through

that in one take, was I never, I think

48

that's so important as well, isn't it?

49

Because that idea of there's

research going on all the time in

50

the area of transport road safety.

51

But that's the bit that's important that,

okay, what do we do with that research?

52

How do we take that research and

turn that into something that

53

can be useful for people on the

road and improve road safety?

54

So such an important role there.

55

Yeah.

56

So I, I suppose my first question is, what

was the reason you chose motorway driving?

57

to sort of like really.

58

Target the audience that we deal with,

which is like the full license holder.

59

What was the reasoning behind

doing motorway driving?

60

Vikki: Ah, so I guess

there's a number of reasons.

61

, I guess first of all, it's probably

the, I wanna say the pragmatic reason,

62

logistic reason was that obviously

we tackle, behavioral scientists

63

essentially want to tackle behavior.

64

we have.

65

Primarily focused kind

of on hazard perception.

66

A lot of that is generally based, not

necessarily, I mean, on motorway driving.

67

So for example, the DVSA has a

perception test that we know was

68

brought in in 2002, doesn't do clips

that are filmed or they're not filmed

69

at CGI now, but it doesn't present has

eclipse that are based on the motorway.

70

It typically is sort of your

standard non-motor way driving,

71

urban, suburban and a bit of rural

driving where they present hazards.

72

And actually there isn't anything that

sort of shows the types of hazards that,

73

um, a road user might encounter whilst

on the motorway, which when you're

74

learning to drive, it's one of the

things I know that learner drivers can

75

now go on the motorway, but it is one

of those things that perhaps potentially

76

they get a bit of anxiety about.

77

So that was sort has always been,

I guess, in the back of our minds.

78

And also.

79

At the time whilst thinking about that,

there was a call, so the project was

80

in the first instance, a grant funded

project, and it was based around,

81

looking at how to make people or how to

make the strategic road network safer.

82

So motorways and your a road.

83

And with that opportunity kind of

being presented and as sort of in

84

the back of our mind thinking, okay,

so how can we kind of marry the two?

85

We want to apply our hazard perception

stuff and, and there's a call for

86

kind of making motorway driving safer.

87

So the two kind of fitted

together quite nicely.

88

And you know, one of the things that

we looked at, and I think this is a

89

really important thing for all sort of

themes around making the road safer,

90

is that there are lots of different

solutions out there to reduce collisions.

91

Now, a lot of them are aimed at

aspects of the safer systems approach

92

that are indirectly linked to driver

behavior and the driver essentially.

93

So for example, on the motorway,

there's lots of different things.

94

The such as road design that

might nudge behavior and things

95

that can enhance safety features.

96

For example, having speed limit in cars.

97

Um, and while they indirectly

make the driver safer, actually

98

interventions that target basically

the pillar of the safe system that

99

directly connects human behavior.

100

To kind of a safer road

use it is often overlooked.

101

So what we really wanted to do was

do something that wasn't necessarily

102

sort of like, you know, putting a

sensor here, making, you know, putting

103

a bollard in to encourage people not

to do a U-turn, things like that.

104

We actually wanted to do something

that really was the kind of core

105

aspect of making the driver safer.

106

Safer.

107

And you know, we also know as well that.

108

Motorways and on the strategic road

network, um, they are relatively safe.

109

However, when something does happen,

it does tend to be more newsworthy.

110

And the knock on of effect is

that it generally puts people

111

off going on the way to motorway.

112

And this is not necessarily just

just your learners, this is, you

113

know, your everyday drivers, people

that have passed their driving test.

114

There's a recent survey that showed that.

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8 million drivers actively avoid

the motorway, which ultimately means

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that they're driving on other roads.

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So they might get then more likely

to drive on the rural roads where

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it is actually more dangerous

to drive on the rural roads.

119

So we, we wanted to kind of be able

to tackle something that would not

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necessarily just be for learners.

121

Obviously we know that learners

perhaps are a bit anxious about going

122

on the motorway, but there's also

people that pass the test that are.

123

Nervous about going on the motorway.

124

So it was, another thing about this

was really to create something that

125

would make them safer, but also

kind of tackle that perception of

126

safety on the motorway as well.

127

So that's a lot of reasons why we did it.

128

I'm sorry.

129

There's a fair few strategically,

and we had this kind of idea already,

130

and it was just about timings and

how it kind of came about really.

131

Kev: Wow.

132

Yeah.

133

you are right what it does,

there isn't very much out

134

there for full license holders.

135

there's this assumption that somebody

passes their test and then they go out

136

and they gain driving experience but.

137

Like you say, there's the research center.

138

All these people who are

avoiding the motorway driving.

139

We know anecdotally from the

people who get in touch with us

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for help around nerves and anxiety.

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This is mainly for license

holders that we speak to.

142

We don't so often work

with learner drivers.

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We work with driving instructors,

working with nervous learners, but

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our direct contact with drivers is.

145

Generally full license holders, um,

motorway driving comes up again and

146

again and again for a variety of reasons.

147

So what we haven't said, what we didn't

say right at the very beginning is

148

that you've created EC2 solutions.

149

As part of that research has

created a motorway anxiety course.

150

Um, what that does is it really helps

fill in the knowledge and understanding

151

gaps that somebody might have.

152

The things the full license holders

won't have learned on lessons

153

because motorway driving is.

154

Is a relatively new addition

for learner drivers.

155

So the majority of all license

holders out there won't have

156

been taught motorway driving.

157

They will have sort of muddled along.

158

Picked it up as best they can, and maybe

that's the reason that they're avoiding.

159

And I think your course

fills that in beautifully.

160

Yeah, no, it definitely does.

161

And it's, it's something

that's needed, I think.

162

'cause you mentioned

there 8 million people.

163

It's, it suggests 8 million

people that avoid motorways.

164

Vikki: Mm-hmm.

165

Kev: That's, that's, that's

a big figure, isn't it?

166

Vikki: Yeah.

167

And there's, I'm, like I say, there's

various reasons why they avoid the

168

motorways, and that was part of, part of

the project in fact, was to kind of look

169

at some of those reasons and what were

the kind of top concerns, I guess, of like

170

why people don't go on the motorways and.

171

I think as part of the project, one of

the first things we did in the, the very

172

beginning phase of it was to do a survey

of a thousand drivers and that really

173

brought out the top things that they were

anxious about or people are anxious about.

174

one probably being

unsurprisingly, is kind.

175

Going around HGV is, we know this

one comes up time and time again, um,

176

because it is quite an unknown to them.

177

They are having to navigate around

a relatively large vehicle that

178

has got a lot of blind spots.

179

and it does make drivers anxious.

180

So unsurprisingly, that was one

of the, the key ones that you

181

can imagine, and I think a lot.

182

Another one that obviously came up

with is merging and leaving, uh,

183

getting on and off the motorway.

184

And I guess you, you will know that

from your own anecdotal and from your

185

own people that you train, that that

is one of the top concerns that people

186

have is that kind of getting on and.

187

But, that was one of the sort of

first things that we did in the

188

project was to identify the top kind

of reasons why people, were anxious

189

and sort of nervous on the motorway.

190

And that gave us the core six modules

that that does form, the course.

191

Obviously there are other things, other

reasons out there, but, you know, we

192

could only, we could only fit so many in.

193

and there is quite a fair amount of

overlap between the modules anyway.

194

It's not a mod, let's say

we've got the module up.

195

It's not just on, uh, HG vs.

196

Um, or navigating random.

197

It's called, you know, sharing the Road.

198

So it's around other road users as well.

199

So there is, um, but even in there, there

will be advice on overtaking, which is

200

one of the other modules that we have.

201

So there is a fair amount of overlap

between all of these different ones.

202

But the core kind of thing was,

was to try and create six modules

203

or, or a number of modules.

204

That were to tackle the key concerns

that people had, and that was really

205

the start of the project was by

putting out that big survey to do that.

206

Kev: I've watched most of them.

207

I've not watched all of them, and I just

think it's a fantastic way to just bridge

208

that gap from thinking about doing it

209

to actually doing it.

210

And the videos in there are,

they're really good, aren't they?

211

They, they are really, really good.

212

Vikki: Yes.

213

Ah, well, thank you.

214

They are, they are very good.

215

And I think, one of the real benefits

of being able to do it because

216

the course can be done, um, using

obviously a VR headset, but it also

217

can be done online where we kind of.

218

I wanted to say simulate

the head movements, but if

219

the, um, driving instruct?

220

Well, the, the, the expert driver.

221

So each module basically, I just

tell you a bit about it, has

222

got, our expert driver who is a.

223

Driving the car and

demonstrating best practice.

224

So it's a behavioral, uh, modeling.

225

Basically he's sort of showing you

what you should be doing and you

226

are sat, so you virtually are sat

in the passenger seat watching what?

227

Our driver, expert driver.

228

So our expert driver is Ollie

Taylor of people know who he is.

229

I'm sure they all do.

230

Um,

231

Kev: sure lots, lots of people will

know him from, from the honest truth

232

and certainly any driving instructor

listening will definitely know Ollie.

233

Vikki: He's a very, very nice

guy and he is very knowledgeable

234

and he is also, ex-police.

235

So he has got a lot of experience

with being able to navigate,

236

um, challenging road situations.

237

So by watching him, he's

demonstrating that best practice.

238

so yeah, it is a behavioral modeling

technique from social learning theory

239

by watching someone that's kind of

demonstrating the best practice, it

240

helps you learn what you should be doing.

241

So you are, you are sat there watching him

drive and he's giving, a verbal commentary

242

on what he's doing and why he's doing it.

243

again, that is a technique that

is used in police training.

244

we wouldn't recommend that anyone.

245

Do that themselves because it

is generally a secondary task.

246

So if you are giving a verbal commentary,

you are doing a secondary task and

247

you might miss things yourself.

248

However, he is highly trained in that.

249

So, that was the reasons we were

able to do it with him, but that

250

was the reasons we chose someone

that is trained in doing it.

251

However, evidence just suggests that

by listening to an expert commentary,

252

it does improve your skills at

doing things like has a perception.

253

So that's one of the reasons we use that.

254

But you're watching him do this and at

certain points the camera will switch

255

to outside of the vehicle as well.

256

And you can then sort of see

360 degrees around the car.

257

So the reason we put it outside

the vehicle was because it

258

gives a better viewpoint.

259

So you can really take a good look

around and see what's going on.

260

Um, but the whole point of that

was to be able to provide the user

261

with that safe space to do it in.

262

So like you say, people think about,

oh, I'm nervous about doing that on the

263

motorway, and don't necessarily want

to do it, but by providing them with.

264

That place that they can see it for

themselves but not actually be doing it.

265

They are kind of getting that, like

say basically safe place to see it.

266

and.

267

Almost giving them a one-to-one

kind of training because Ollie's

268

there narrating it, telling 'em

what they should be doing, what they

269

shouldn't be doing in that situation.

270

So yeah, it's, it's a really, it's

a really great one for people to

271

see before they actually do it.

272

I mean, for example, people that

may not have driven on the motorway

273

for a long time, they may go on it,

go in it and be like, oh, actually

274

it's, it's not, it's not so bad.

275

But they get to experience it

themselves for a little bit.

276

Kev: I think that's the real benefit

for me as a, as the trainer, as

277

people know that I'm the trainer,

so I'm normally the person that

278

sees the end product of all this.

279

You know, I'm the person that says, okay,

well let's go out and practice this.

280

So it was nice to actually see from my

point of view, what they'd be doing.

281

They, they staff, they contact us,

then they choose to watch those videos.

282

And I think it's the understanding

for me that one, that it's, it's not

283

as scary as they first fought because

of what Ollie does and the way he

284

describes it, it's quite simple.

285

In, in the way he does it

is, is what I've noticed.

286

Yeah, definitely.

287

And that thing of it

also then, if you've got.

288

A client, somebody who's come to

you who wants one in one in car, if

289

you know that they are gonna do that

course, you sort of know that the gaps

290

in their knowledge and understanding

have sort of been covered by Ollie.

291

It's like Ollie's sort of like filled

in the the basics with these videos.

292

And I will say I did a drive to

Wales shortly after watching all

293

of the videos, and I've got Ollie's

voice in my head the whole way.

294

I did notice that even as somebody

who's, driven on motorway since teenager

295

'cause my family, aren't local to me.

296

So I've, I've done years and

years of motorway driving, but it

297

did change the way that I drive.

298

It changed my thoughts and my

consciousness around my motorway driving.

299

And yes, I could hear

Ollie's voice in my head.

300

It's gonna be so pleased, isn't it?

301

You've got Ollie in your head.

302

Vikki: Well, I mean, anecdotally, I know

that the team, when they were, uh, doing

303

the video editing for it, particularly one

of our staff, spent a lot of time editing

304

and I think she could probably tell you,

uh, word for word every single module now.

305

Uh, only the full break,

only a full breaks.

306

The two second rule is, is

definitely always in my head when

307

I'm driving now, that's for sure.

308

Kev: Yeah.

309

But it is just little things like

those words and those little phrases

310

that are probably highlighted in

the video when you are watching it

311

that you can then just take away.

312

'cause you're not gonna take away,

like you said earlier, the commentary

313

driving that Ollie does is so high.

314

You are never gonna be able to get

to that point unless you practice,

315

practice, practice, practice.

316

But what he does and what the videos

do is just highlight key things, key

317

points that you can then just take away.

318

And that's potentially

what I'm seeing is headway.

319

You know, we would probably

never mention headway.

320

We'd have a different word

for it, but, and tailgating.

321

So you, you can use those sort of.

322

Key elements.

323

Yeah, definitely.

324

And I was really conscious when

I was doing my drive, much more

325

conscious of blind spots because

of having done the course myself.

326

Mm-hmm.

327

So I did, and what I noticed was

I had a much more active drive.

328

And one of the things we know from

our nervous and our anxious drivers

329

is that a lot of the anxiety is

coming from thoughts in their head.

330

It's coming from thoughts

like, I hate this.

331

Oh God, there's a lorry.

332

You know, whatever those thoughts are.

333

Whereas when you are having a very

active driver, you are considering

334

all of these things, making

sure that you've got headway.

335

Thinking about blind

spots, there's no room.

336

For those pesky negative thoughts that are

coming in going, I hate this, I hate this.

337

Um, or I need to get off, or

any of those sorts of thoughts.

338

There's no room for those when you are

having a very active conscious drive.

339

But what I liked about the sort going away

from the drive in and back to the videos

340

is what you said there about safe space.

341

It's giving somebody that safe space to.

342

View that to immerse themselves within

that drive, but in a safe space.

343

Because when somebody is very anxious,

actually even just the thought of

344

driving on the motorway, just thinking

about it can increase the anxiety.

345

So that safe space is that stepping stone.

346

It's that bit where even if, if

somebody knows that just the thought

347

of it makes them feel anxious, this

video course is that best first step,

348

rather than forcing themselves onto a

motorway when they're not feeling ready.

349

It just gives them that interim

safe space to find out more,

350

immerse themselves in it safely.

351

Vikki: Yeah, definitely.

352

I think it's, it's a, it's a great

kind of first step, particularly

353

if they are, you know, extremely

nervous about getting on there.

354

They can, they can go

in and have a go at it.

355

and we know, so one of the things

that we, we did with the course as.

356

You know, as spin out status

as we are, we, we still

357

academics, at the heart of it.

358

And one of the things that we always like

to make sure is that the products that

359

we, and solutions that we're putting out.

360

True to our academic, you know, spin

out and our academic, foundations

361

or foundings as it were, and make

sure that it can kind of do what, do

362

what it says on the tin as they say.

363

And so we did actually test the

course on about, it was about

364

nearly 400 drivers, before.

365

So we did sort of a research

study as part of the kind of

366

trial for it and found that.

367

It, it did have, um, the course

did show that it, improved,

368

confidence and knowledge.

369

And I know you mentioned a second

ago about knowledge, uh, but it

370

also reduced anxiety as well.

371

And one of the training modules

that, I believe it's the merging

372

one, did show, a reduced intention

to violate in the future as well.

373

So it's tackling lots of

different aspects that kind of

374

contribute to nervous and anxious.

375

Driving on the motor away.

376

So I think having that kind of evidence

behind it as well, it is really important.

377

And I think that's really important

to, to show people who are going

378

to do it as well, because it's all

well and good saying, oh, here's a

379

course to make you safer, but, or,

you know, make you less nervous.

380

Um, but if it hasn't got any kind of

evidence to show that it is gonna do

381

that, they might not take it so seriously.

382

So having, having that research

underpinning it is really important

383

as well, and I think that kind

of is hopefully what encourages

384

people to, to want to do it.

385

Kev: So that was gonna be one of

my questions but it's, it's like

386

you, you've answered it there,

and it's, it, 'cause it's so nice

387

being able to have researchers and

being able to talk to people that

388

have researched this and before.

389

I'm the end user almost.

390

I'm the one that's going out and

trying this, and with people that are

391

anxious, nervous, or even stressed

about driving on the motorways.

392

that gives me, as a trainer some sort of

like, validation of what we're doing is

393

because, look, this has been tested, this

has been verified , you know, with, with

394

the results that you, or the feedback

that you are getting back from it.

395

So that's really nice to to hear.

396

Vikki: Definitely.

397

I think it's a, and it's an important

thing, particularly for us as a company

398

that's kind of our, almost like our unique

selling point, as it were, is that we are.

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Still true to our academic

kind of, beginnings as it were.

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We always try to make sure that everything

we do is based in research, you know,

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even so the course itself obviously is,

is six modules, but there is also like

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a, a motorway specific hazard test in

there as well for drivers to kind of

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go and test the motorway hazard skills.

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And as far as I'm aware, there,

there is actually nothing else.

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Out there that is specific for testing

your motorway hazard perception skills

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because the hazards that you encounter

on the motorway are, are pretty different

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to the ones that you get on the road.

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I mean, they tend to be a, a similar kind

of thing, people cutting in front of you.

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But if you've not had

experience with that.

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When you are on the normal roads, which

you probably often don't really as

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much, you know, when it comes to the

motorway, when you're seeing people

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doing that all the time, it can be,

you know, quite a daunting thing.

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So being able to kind of

demonstrate, here's, here's some

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of the hazards that you might

encounter on the, on the motorway.

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And again, with that particular hazard

test, we, we did validate that test.

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So we, we tested it on,

um, on real drivers.

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As we would hope to find, we did find

that , people who performed worse on

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that test had had more collisions in

the past, which is great 'cause it

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shows that the test is tapping into the

actual skill of, of has a perception.

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But it is a validated test so drivers

can go and kind of test their, their

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skills on it, but it also allows 'em

to see, you know, the types of hazards.

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That that's the whole point of a

hazard perception test is that it is

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an assessment, but it is also training

as well, because you're getting lots of

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hazards in a very short amount of time.

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that you can then sort of store in

your memory and use the rules that

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you've seen in those hazards for future

situations and sort of extrapolate to

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when a similar situation might happen

on, on the road or the motorway again.

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So yeah, having that in there is

really, really important as well.

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So together, you've kind

of in the whole kind.

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Package, I guess you've got a

way to test your motorway hazard

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skills, but also train some of them.

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And then you've got the,

the six training modules.

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I believe altogether the content

that's over, over two hours

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in of content within there.

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So there's plenty to,

plenty to get through.

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but like, say it's all gone through

validation, phase within there as well.

437

Kev: Yeah, and it's what

you said there about it.

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They get the experience of doing it, and

that then helps them in future situations.

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It's that enabling them to make much

better predictions, to be able to

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spot situations, developing sooner,

giving themselves much more time and

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space to be able to react to that.

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And yeah, making those

good predictions because.

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That's the thing that

changes the way you feel.

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If you see something developing, you

make a prediction, you take action,

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you feel like you know what you're

doing, and then the anxiety reduces.

446

It's a, it's a chain reaction, isn't it?

447

Vikki: Yeah, definitely.

448

I think, having the improved knowledge

can, can only be a good thing to help

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reduce your anxiety and, and improve

your confidence when kind of encountering

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all those different road situations.

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Kev: I don't think there is

anything else like it, which was

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why when we saw it being presented

in December, we were like that.

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We need to be able to offer everybody that

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and 'cause nothing else is researched.

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Vikki: No, and I think like,

like you've said before, it is a

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great stepping stone, for people.

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we would never wanna say that

it's ever gonna replace a real

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kind of lesson on the motorway.

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Um, but if you've got someone who really

doesn't want to do it, bit like , sat

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there thinking, oh, I've got hate this.

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I hate this by giving them this.

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Kind of first, it breaks down some

of those barriers that they might

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have have in their head of like,

oh my gosh, I don't wanna do this.

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I hate this.

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But showing them, giving them the

course first and then taking them out

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on the road, it gives them a bit of

like say, knowledge and experience

467

and perhaps a little bit more

confidence when they actually go on the

468

motorway with yourselves in the car.

469

Or even maybe by themselves if they

think, oh, maybe, we'll, I'll try it.

470

But it is, it is a great kind of bridge.

471

I think particularly if you've

got somebody who's really.

472

Anxious about it.

473

it's a good InBetween bit.

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Kev: Lovely.

475

Vicki, when I invited you on to come

and do the podcast with us, was there

476

anything that you thought, oh, I really

want to talk about this, that maybe we

477

haven't touched on or covered so far?

478

Vikki: I can't think of

anything off the top of my head.

479

I'd probably afterwards be

like, oh yeah, I think, no.

480

I think maybe just to,

round it up as it were.

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the whole kind of reason for doing it

is we know that safe systems, safer

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road users is relatively kind of.

483

Overlooked.

484

and lots of interventions

are at different parts of it.

485

You know, post collision and engineering

out kind of solutions and behaviors and

486

all these things impact on behaviors.

487

But actually trying to create something

that directly impacts on the road user by

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providing them with a, a training module

to tackle nervous and anxious driving, I

489

think can only, can only be a good thing.

490

And, you know, it wasn't a case of.

491

Just making something and

going, ah, here we go.

492

It tackles, no, it makes people safer.

493

It makes people less anxious.

494

I think going through the rigorous

process of, the validation, testing

495

it on road users and being able to say

at the end of it, it reduces anxiety,

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improves confidence, improves knowledge.

497

and it's got the hazard test where

they can test their knowledge.

498

I think that's the kind of beauty of it.

499

and it really is a tool to kind of

help those people that are nervous

500

and anxious on it to encourage, you

know, safe and considerate driving

501

on the motorway because that's

what all we can really hope for.

502

even if you're not nervous.

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Or anxious.

504

I think doing, just doing it,

you will get something from it.

505

There's plenty of things in there that

are not just about nervous and anxious

506

drivers, but there's lots of stuff in

there that can be gathered for, for that.

507

but yeah, really just to kind of

highlight that and, hope that it can be

508

used with people to kind of help really.

509

Kev: Fantastic.

510

Yeah, brilliant.

511

And obviously we're huge supporters of it.

512

As soon as we saw it, we were

like, yeah, this is what's needed.

513

So we are selling this on behalf.

514

Of e situ solutions on our website.

515

There will be links in the show notes

to go straight to the details on the

516

course for anyone who's interested.

517

Vicki, thank you so much for joining us.

518

That's been a brilliant conversation.

519

I've really enjoyed that and I hope that

that's been interesting for our listeners.

520

Yeah, thank you Vicki.

521

Thank you for listening.

522

Find out about the different ways

that you can work with us on our

523

website, www.confidentdrivers.co.uk,

524

and begin to transform the

way you feel about driving.