Roadcraft

Book excerpt: Roadcraft is the official Police Driver's Handbook, approved by the Association of Chief Police Officers, and is used by the police service to train police drivers, but it is useful for any driver wishing to improve their skills and safety to a more advanced level. Roadcraft aims to help people become better drivers by increasing awareness of all factors that affect driving, such as the capability of the driver, characteristics of the vehicle, and road and traffic conditions. This new edition has been prepared in close consultation with a working group of senior police driving instructors and other police and civilian advance driver training experts. It has been updated to reflect recent changes in the legislative framework surrounding driving and emergency response driving and new methodologies in teaching safe driving. It now also incorporates information on automotive engineering advances such as ABS and SatNav devices and their effect on driving. A new chapter has been added to teach drivers the physical and psychological aspects of driving and how to develop mental skills to become a better driver.