INTRODUCING ESSENTIAL DRIVER TRAINING or THE EDT
The Road Safety Authority (‘RSA’) has prescribed a set of driving skills designed to keep young, inexperienced people off the road. The RSA School of Motoring is dedicated to providing Essential Driver Training in County Cork where we believe it’s necessary. We hope that fewer young people will be hurt in motoring accidents on our roads thanks to this effort.
Our motto is ‘Driving should be fun (but let’s not hurt other people by taking our responsibilities lightly)’. We believe this begins by taking proper driving lessons and this is where we come in.
OUR ESSENTIAL DRIVER TRAINING PLAN
The purpose of EDT is two-fold. First, everybody should know the Rules of the Road like giving way to traffic already in a roundabout, passing right and knowing road signs. The second phase is learning to drive safely. Our job is to pass on these skills to youngsters. We hope these keep our students safe in the driving seat their whole life long.
From April 4th, 2011 everybody with a First Car Learner Permit MUST complete at least 12 hours of Essential Driver Training before they can apply for a proper Driving Licence by doing the test. An Approved Driving Instructor (‘ADI’) MUST provide this training. It’s also important to check their accreditation with an organization such as the RSA School of Motoring - and the testimonials their students provide.
Note the 12 hours is the legal minimum. Please allow for a few more hours, just in case you take a little longer to pick up on the skills.
FOUR REASONS WHY YOU NEED A SPONSOR
-
The RSA School of Motoring is a professional driving school where you don’t pay us to be your driving buddy. You pay us to get you to the test with no exceptions.
-
To qualify for your driving licence you must practice between our lessons. You need someone who has held a Category B Licence for more than 2 years by your side.
-
You have to pay us for the lessons before we give them because that’s the way the business works. Your sponsor (parent, sibling, friend) can buy a voucher for you.
-
The more you practice, the better you get. A sponsor with a genuine interest and who can find the time is almost as important as a RSA School of Motoring approved instructor
HOW TO GET THE MOST FROM EVERY LESSON SO YOU DON’T NEED MORE
Our 12 EDT modules take approximately one hour each, which has proven sufficient time. You MUST ALSO practice driving with your sponsor between them. We normally space our lessons 2 weeks apart to make this possible. We are also able to offer you extra training (at a cost) but this should not be necessary if you take our advice and find the right sponsor.
You must in any case wait at least 6 months from when you get your First Car Learner Permit to when you take your driving licence test. So please don’t rush the process. The RSA School of Driving Method works, AND it fits the system perfectly to make things easier for you.
Please Note the Following
- You must have your First Car Learner Permit in your hand and be ready to show it to your ADI before your first lesson starts
- If we approve the use of your own vehicle, our ADI will also ask to see proof of your insurance and motor tax (and national car test if it is more than 4 years old).
YOUR VERY OWN RSA SCHOOL OF MOTORING EDT PROGRAM
Your EDT Logbook – You get this on your first day with us and you MUST KEEP IT SAFE, as this becomes the PROOF THE GOVERNMENT WANTS that you have done the basic training. At the end of every session your ADI will sign and stamp it so you can also see your progress as you go along.
Your First Eight Lessons (Basic Skills) – The first phase of your driving education teaches you the following core skills which we present strictly in the following order as per government requirements:
- LESSON 1: CAR CONTROLS AND SAFETY CHECKS
- LESSON 2: CORRECT POSITIONING
- LESSON 3: CHANGING DIRECTION
- LESSON 4: PROGRESSION MANAGEMENT
- LESSON 5: CORRECT POSITIONING
- LESSON 6: ANTICIPATION AND REACTION
- LESSON 7: SHARING THE ROAD
- LESSON 8: DRIVING SAFELY THROUGH TRAFFIC
Your Final Four Lessons (Advanced Training) – Those first eight lessons provide you with a basic grounding in practical driving theory. These final four are the culmination of this. They gift you with real-time knowledge so you’ll be okay doing the following on your own.
- LESSON 9: CHANGING DIRECTION
- LESSON 10: SPEED MANAGEMENT
- LESSON 11: DRIVING CALMLY
- LESSON 12: NIGHT DRIVING
Need to Know More? – We’re glad you asked! This is a sign that you are keen to learn and stand an excellent chance of passing. Your ADI will present you with your personal copy of our exclusive RSA Essential Driver Training at the start of your first session. If you like, you can also preview itright here.
OUR EDT TEACHES YOU CONTINUOUSLY AS YOU GO ALONG
Every module of Essential Driver Training the RSA School of Motoring Way begins with a discussion of what’s on the agenda, and ends with review and feedback. At the close of each session your ADI Advanced Driving Instructor will give you open, honest review in your EDT logbook so you can follow up on this with your Sponsor.
After that, you also have an opportunity to make notes on a self-analysis page. Remember to make sure your Sponsor logs the practice sessions that they share with you. This is critical. The government wants to see evidence that you followed our advice and attended extra training.
We encourage you to take the opportunities provided by your ongoing ADI feedback. Everybody at the RSA School of motoring wants you to pass because that’s the business we’re in. The RSA has published a handy study guide titled Learning to Drive a Car that you can buy in a bookshop. We encourage you to learn as much as you can while you are with us.
It’s important that you remain in control of your training and don’t sit back expecting to pass. You can print your instructor’s report on our website so you can share it with family and friends. After you complete your Essential Driver Training with us and hold your learner driver permit for six months at least, you can book your practical driving test, and get ready to pass as our learners do.
