Reporter Brendan McFadden has always fancied himself as a good driver and now he has the chance to prove it.

THE Cirencester and District Advanced Motorist (CADAM) group teaches people about road safety and awareness by observing them in their own cars.

After this they can then take a test provided by the Institute of Advanced Motorists, a company that also provides driving courses for police officers.

Chairman of the Cirencester group, Gordon Burley, challenged me to sign up for a series of observed drives and take the advanced driving test at the end and I happily accepted the challenge.

I was sure that I knew all there was to know about driving and thought that Gordon would be struggling to teach me things that I did not already know but it soon became clear in my first tutorial that I had a lot to learn.

At the beginning of my lesson as we drove around Cirencester town centre, Gordon told me that I should keep a look out for hazards at all times, whether that be a man stumbling off the narrow pavement on Castle Street or a taxi pulling out unexpectedly in the Market Place. He also encouraged me to approach junctions and traffic lights in the town centre slowly, gently pumping the brake to adjust my speed.

When we left Cirencester and drove on more rural roads in the Cotswold Water Park, Gordon stressed that advanced drivers always tried to get the best possible ‘limit point’ which is the distance in the road ahead you are able to see.

In order to see further ahead I was given simple tips such as moving to the right of the road to see further around an upcoming left corner and to always look as far ahead into the horizon as possible.

We finished the lesson by heading towards Gloucester on the A417. Here Gordon gave me tips about keeping a safe distance from vehicles ahead and safely overtaking. It was on the motorway that I felt most confident and most of the things that Gordon taught me there I already do.

Reflecting on my first lesson I can say that many of the things I was taught I do not already do. And I am not sure why because using these techniques gave me confidence that I could anticipate hazards well in advance.

In my first lesson I learnt that there were several areas I needed to work on if I was to call myself a true advanced driver.

Gordon remarked that I performed well in the lesson but needed work in several areas such as manoeuvring and positioning.

So it appears that I am not the exceptional driver that I had thought – but I am relishing the challenge of making myself better.

According to the county council, every year there are 1,000 personal injury road traffic accidents, that result in 1,500 casualties. After just one drive with Gordon I am convinced that these numbers could be reduced substantially if people learnt how to be an advanced driver.