A motorist praised a road safety course that taught him “the proper etiquette” for motorway driving
John Maclean, 63, said the National Driver Alertness Course he volunteered to attend in Glasgow was so worthwhile it reminded him of motoring rules he had long forgotten.
As part of the course, he was taken onto the M77 at East Kilbride, near Glasgow, by our driver trainer.
“The trainer took me onto the motorway to show how the driver entering from the slip road must make sure their speed is the same as cars already on the motorway.”
Mr Maclean attended the course after being referred by police when his van was involved in a minor motorway incident.
“It was a good way to be reminded about the proper motorway etiquette,” said Mr Maclean, who made the mistake of slowing down and moving into the middle lane to allow drivers to enter from the slip road.
“I had moved into the middle lane to let the cars enter the motorway because I knew my van could only do 50mph and I didn’t want to hinder motorists coming via the slip road.
“When I moved back into the slow lane, I pulled in front of a vehicle which I hadn’t seen and went immediately back into my lane. It was carelessness and a lack of concentration on my part,” said the sports administrator from Glasgow, who passed his test 45 years ago.
The course, which also involves a classroom session, gets drivers to talk about how road incidents happen and gives people the skills to deal with them better, said driver trainer Graeme Bennett.
Police Scotland introduced the National Driver Alertness Course in Scotland in 2013.
