Taking road safety into your own hands

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Megan Lyon
  • 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, England --  If you've been in England longer than two minutes, you're bound to notice things are a little bit different from the U.S., especially when it comes to driving.

For the majority of newcomers, learning to drive on the left side of the road is a daunting task.
The fun really begins when you pass the Driving Familiarization Course exam and receive your driving permit. Luckily, the 48th Fighter Wing Safety Office offers driving programs, such as the AcciDon't Program and the Driver Improvement and Rehabilitation Course to assist in preparing drivers to properly navigate UK roads.

"The AcciDon't program provides Airmen under the age of 26 hands-on training with certified UK driving instructors," said Tech. Sgt. Jennifer Algiere, 48th Fighter Wing Safety Office ground safety manager. "Safety trends show that Airmen who have completed AcciDon't have only been involved in one vehicle mishap in the three years the program has been in use."

The Driver improvement and Rehabilitation Course is a driver skills improvement and traffic offender rehabilitation course for personnel identified as failing to apply lessons learned from other traffic safety courses.

"A big aspect of the program is to educate young Airmen on how to better operate vehicles in this environment," said Lt. Col. Christopher Desalle 48th FW Safety Office chief of safety. "There are driving hazards in Europe that we don't experience in the states."

In addition to the driving programs, the safety office also offers the XP 100 Virtual Traffic Safety System, an interactive system with realistic driving scenarios encountered every day in the UK. The system has multiple courses that deal with common road issues, such as following, hazard perception and pedestrians. This program gives drivers a chance to practice driving in a safe environment.

"The primary purpose of the driving simulator is to complement our Driver's Improvement and Rehabilitation Course and AcciDon't Program," said Sergeant Algiere.

The XP 100 Virtual Traffic Safety System is open to anyone, including dependents and civilian contractors.

For more information, contact the 48th FW Safety Office at DSN 226-3737.