The Arrive Alive campaign reports that during the 01 December 2006 to
10 January holiday period, the total number of fatal vehicle crashes
from 1,673 to 1,730 as compared to the same time last year. These
numbers are pretty high. In fact even one person dying on the road due
to negligence is already too high as it is largely avoidable. Many
factors can help to reduce these numbers, and one of them is having
defense driving skills.

Defense driving lessons used to seem to me like a course only a select few would want to do; it just seemed very far and irrelevant to my life. With the amount of recklessness, drunkenness and speeding that I see in the streets of Jo'burg I've had to seriously reconsider my position. Sure, I can't prevent other people from being inconsiderate drivers but through defense driving I can minimise my chances of being caught up in a nasty situation.

Defense driving "...aim[s] to reduce the risk of driving by anticipating dangerous situations, despite adverse conditions or the mistakes of others. This can be achieved through adherence to a variety of general rules, as well as the practice of specific driving techniques..." [source: Wikipedia]. The Defense Driving Wikipedia entry also lists many useful things you can do to help protect yourself on the road.

It's fantastic that Toyota has launched a new Advanced Driving course. The previous post and the Toyota SA website will have more details as to what specific courses they offer. Now I wonder if insurance companies shouldn't reward those who have taken these extra steps to stay safe on the road by factoring in a discount of sorts. It would only make sense.

So should you take an advanced driving course? I'd give an emphatic 'Yes'. Please share your thoughts on this subject by leaving a comment.