Training center making drivers think about safety
HWASEONG, Gyeonggi Province — Everybody knows to fasten their seatbelts on the road, but many still don’t buckle up, especially when they are in the backseat. If you are one of them, please buckle up. This reporter recently visited the Transportation Safety Training Center in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, and witnessed that buckling up is essential in the backseat as well.
Operated by the Korea Transportation Safety Authority under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the center enables drivers to correct their bad habits by driving on a course that simulates diverse risks.
It is much more effective than offering only theory. According to analysis of over 50,000 drivers who were trained at the center, traffic accidents dropped 54 percent afterwards while the number of road casualties dipped 77 percent. As a result, the training cut social costs by 68 percent.
It starts with the basic training course, where drivers learn about the essential characteristics of cars related with safety, including how a seatbelt can save them. To experience it in person, this reporter was told to sit in the backseat, without a seatbelt. The instructor at the center drove the car at only 10 kilometers per hour and then braked suddenly. This reporter almost bumped into the driver’s seat, which was not expected at all since the car was moving so slowly. The process was repeated, this time with the seatbelt fastened. It felt safe.
“You now know that the seatbelt is essential,” the instructor said. He also pointed out that many people don’t fasten it correctly, such as wearing it twisted, which can be dangerous.
This reporter also experienced the straight line braking course and the wet road braking course. These simulate slippery road conditions due to snow or rain. Unlike an ordinary road, the car went into a 180-degree spin following sudden braking, though it was moving at only 40 kilometers per hour.
The trainees also experience how anti-lock braking systems (ABS) can enhance safety. ABS keeps the wheels from locking up after braking. The feature is especially useful on slippery roads, where a professional driver without ABS cannot stop as quickly as an average driver can with ABS.
“ABS is crucial, but some drivers ignore the ABS warning light, which means it won’t work properly. Drivers who have witnessed how it makes a difference would not go without ABS,” the instructor said.
The danger avoidance course, meanwhile, enables drivers to identify the gap in their recognition of risks and resultant reaction. Through training, they come to be able to cope better with sudden dangers. At the high-speed driving course, they also learn that their visual senses are different than when they drive at low speeds. They also get trained to drive defensively.
“After completing training at the center, even skillful motorists with over 30 years of experience rethink their driving styles. They say they learned a lot,” the instructor said.
Most of the drivers who get training are those who drive commercial vehicles such as taxis, buses and trucks, but any driver can apply for training by paying a fee of less than 100,000 won for the eight-hour course.