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There are many different aspects that are taught during defensive driving training.

They range from simple techniques, such as slowing down when approaching a stationary school bus, to more advanced techniques that teach the driver to control a vehicle that has started to lose control in slippery road conditions.

Defensive driving is not just for those people who have had a court order to attend a course after receiving a traffic offence. Defensive driving will benefit almost anyone who operates a motor vehicle.

Many defensive driving courses are held at local race tracks where the students are safe in the knowledge that there aren't any other road users to contend with.

The courses involve car handling skills, by driving through cones placed at varying spaces whilst approaching at various speeds.

Other tests involve sudden braking on slippery surfaces and cornering on equally slippery surfaces.

Drivers are also taught how to react when unusual events occur, such as a child running out onto the road to chase a ball.

Many defensive driving courses have specially modified vehicles that are designed to allow the occupants to experience the effects of lost driver control through a skid.

It is through this knowledge of how a car can lose control, and the specialist advice that they are taught that the driver learns to handle the situation if it occurs.

Defensive driving courses teach, first and foremost, how to avoid certain circumstances, and then secondly, if these circumstances are unavoidable, they teach the driver the best solution to handle the vehicle safely.

Good driving habits are also a priority in the courses with drivers taught to allow sufficient room between themselves and the cars they are following to stop safely in an emergency braking situation.

For anyone who is considering attending a defensive driving course, it is wise to check first with the local authorities for advice on which providers offer the best services.