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‘CarKraft’ Northamptonshire road safety initiative

24 Sep 2012 at 10:11

A new road safety initiative – dubbed CarKraft – has been re-launched at the Silverstone race circuit in Northamptonshire.

The scheme is designed to bring down the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads. However, while perfectly admirable, there’s nothing particularly new or innovative there, so what’s so special about the new plan?

The focus on Northamptonshire is important– according to CarKraft, the county lies “at the centre of the UK’s strategic road network and is used on a daily basis by drivers all over the country.”

The plan is to offer participants a “dynamic” mix of workshops, giving them the experience of driving on simulated, adverse road conditions on a state of the art, purpose-built facility at the Silverstone race track.

The CarKraft driver improvement scheme originally launched in 2001 and focused on aiming to educate drivers aged 17 to 24. They say knowledge is power, so the more education we can all get behind the wheel, the better drivers we’ll become.

The event also explores the main causes of car crashes – of which the above group is most prolific in featuring – including drink-driving, using a mobile phone on the move and speeding, as well as the importance of wearing a seat belt as a reactive safety measure.

The special course uses a low-grip plastic membrane covered in water to simulate driving on sheet ice, allowing drivers to investigate how to control a car in low-grip situations and how a vehicle reacts.

Compared to normal dry conditions, braking distances increase by up to 10 times in the ice and snow, meaning following distances should grow accordingly.

How often do drivers follow these guidelines? Not often at all. As a result, the scheme is hoping to prove how quickly a car can lose control and how important it is as a result to think about how you drive with differing adhesion levels on offer.

If you fancy yourself as a bit of a safety master behind the wheel, there’ll also be an assessed drive on public roads by a police offer who’ll score participants on how they did and provide guidance on how to become a safer, better driver.