South Africa has one of the worst driver accident and fatality rates in the world and the reasons are many but one of them is certainly the inability to drive safely at night, with more than 55 percent of fatal accidents occuring in the dark.
To this end Volkswagen South Africa in partnership with its Advanced Driving academy at Zwartkop raceway have developed ‘Night School’ (on site and online) as part of the effort to educate drivers on the challenges and risks associated with night driving.
In a number of countries you have to be proficient at night driving before you’re eligible for a license but here that doesn’t apply and no doubt that’s part of the reason for our woeful statistics.
“As a leading passenger car manufacturer, at Volkswagen, we are acutely focused on our ambition of creating safer roads, not only for our drivers, but for all road users including passengers, pedestrians, cyclists and animals,” said Bridget Harpur, Head of Marketing for Volkswagen South Africa.
The initiative encompasses three main aspects: the ongoing innovation of its vehicle safety technologies, driver education and upskilling and fostering public awareness.
There’s a free comprehensive open-source online curriculum on the VWSA website that includes learner tests at the end of each chapter.
Alternatively you can do it in the metal behind the wheel at the driver academy to experience real-world scenarios at the hands of defensive driving instructors.
It covers a range of topics including understanding your vehicle, visibility and poor vision, driver fatigue, recklessness, personal safety, contending with various weather conditions and other factors that compromise a driver’s ability in the dark.
Some of the scenarios include driving the track at normal speeds and having to avoid cardboard cows, pedestrians and cyclists and having done a number of advanced driving courses it still takes a lot of concentration and understanding how the car reacts to certain inputs.
It also highlights the safety features VW has in their vehicles, many which will save your life if things go completely awry.
Volkswagen has also partnered with Spec-Savers and Vida e Caffe, who will provide graduates with additional rewards for completing the course.