Women in the Driving Seat evenings

A car dealership in Vauxhall recently held a workshop aimed at increasing confidence levels among female drivers and teaching women to defend themselves against the perils of the road.

CMS Kidderminster organized the workshop in order to teach women some of the basic elements of self protection from defensive driving techniques, to getting home from a roadside incident and defending against road rage assaults.

Grant Hicks, a self-protection specialist and karate instructor, was among those who led the workshop. He explained to the audience what to do in case of a mugging. “Women are perceived as being more vulnerable than men and are seen as an easy target when it comes to road rage,” he said, “Also, other people are scared to get involved, even if they see it’s a woman being attacked, so you have to be able to defend yourself.”

Mike Lyne, a driving specialist for the Institute of Advanced Motorists discussed the issue of driving bullies. After women shared some experiences they had with bullies on the road, he said: “It’s aggressive and angry behaviour behind the wheel that creates the sorts of incidents we have all been hearing about recently.”

He described the typical pattern of behaviour for a road bully: “It usually starts with something minor - a flash of the headlights, a sound of a horn, then a bit of verbal abuse and the next thing is there’s an ugly confrontation - or worse. Mouthing sorry can stop a minor incident turning into road rage.”

In addition to the advice, women were given practical training in changing their tires as well as in routine car maintenance like checking fluid levels.

Jean McLean, a Kidderminster resident, said: “I didn’t know what I should do if my car broke down by the roadside until tonight. I don’t tend to look under my car’s bonnet but now I feel I could cope with most situations.

“I don’t think women can afford any longer to ignore the dangers on our roads.”