All security drivers need a firm foundation in defensive driving and vehicle dynamics. After all, if you can’t drive, you can’t escape a potentially dangerous situation.

Being a professional security driver means having the ability to drive out of a situation and having the knowledge to use the vehicle to its fullest potential, whatever the weather or vehicle type. 

Many security drivers will use a different type of vehicle from on task to another, requiring them to understand the many intricacies and types. For example:  

• Is it manual or automatic?
• What type of drive train does it have?  
• Is it all-wheel drive, front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, or selectable four-wheel drive? 
• What are the weight and potential G’s it is capable of pulling? 

Each vehicle has different specifications, especially the more high-end expensive vehicles. These vehicle types usually come with an impressive array of driver aids such as ABS, Yaw Control,  Heads Up Display, Sat Nav, Headlamp Assist, Multifunction Steering Wheel, as well as various modes including normal, economy, sport mode, etc. The list of options seems endless and ever-changing. 

Understanding how and why a vehicle works is critical. Understanding how the driver can get the best out of his vehicle and what it is capable of is even more important.

Having advance knowledge of the vehicle you are driving allows a security driver to utilize it to its best and enables the SD to have confidence in his driving ability.

Most security drivers will attend many different courses during their careers. These could range from a firearms course to surveillance. These courses are necessary to hone one’s security skill levels. However, it’s also important to understand the importance of security driving but even more important to have a firm grasp of defensive driving.

Some may think that going back to defensive driving is boring, but if you can’t carry out the basics of driving correctly, you won’t have the knowledge to fall back on in an emergency.

Let’s face it many security drivers will never be in a life or death situation where they need to escape and save the life of their principal. Most of the time they will be doing mundane driving tasks, such as collection and moving their high net worth client to and from meetings, driving in traffic, and perhaps cruising a motorway. The most excitement they may encounter is a child running in front of the vehicle, a bus suddenly stopping in front of them, or the need to do an emergency lane change procedure. Mundane, and some even say boring. Never the less, knowing how to handle these situations in a safe manner is as important as having security skills.  This point can be emphasized further when you consider that a security driver can be tasked with driving a manual vehicle one day, an automatic the next, a sedan, saloon, SUV one week, and a B6 armoured vehicle the next. Basic defensive driving skills are as important as security driving skills.

Covid 19 has changed the way most people approach life. There has been a surge in Online learning as both individuals and companies try to find ways to connect and interact with the outside world while sheltering in place or working from home.  Online or E-learning courses have proven to be a great way to enhance your knowledge while staying safe at the same time. 

Glen Edmunds, owner, and CEO of Glen Edmunds Advanced Driving has launched the first Online Advanced Defensive Driving Course in the market. There are many defensive driving courses available for purchase online, but none of them go into the depth or detail that this one does. 

When Glen’s company, Glen Edmunds Advanced Driving was forced to close their operations temporarily for three months when COVID 19 started to take hold in Kenya, he decided to use his “downtime” to develop an online course that his clients could use in the safety of their own home or office. 

The Online Advanced Defensive Driving Course is fully narrated by Glen Edmunds himself. Through moving graphics, videos, and diagrams, this comprehensive course offers a unique blend of basics and advanced techniques into a driver training program that everyone can understand and apply to their everyday driving. That could mean a Close Protection Officer getting his VIP to his meeting safely or an individual security driver getting his boss’s children delivered to school on time and without incident. 

Although designed for those living in high risk areas of Africa, the course information can also be applied on a global scale. 

If you would like to learn more about this online course and others, please visit www.GlenEdmunds.com.