Roadcraft 5517

In order to be actually awarded a police driving authority (either standard or advanced) you have to undertake fairly intensive driving courses being taught by highly qualified instructors. The standards are high and if you don't achieve those standards then you don't get the driving authority. Clearly the standards are much higher for advanced qualifications and a significant number of police officers who attend advanced training do not get through. This is not because they cannot drive to the system (they have already demonstrated that via obtaining the standard qualification) but rather that they cannot demonstrate the greater skills required to be able to handle a fast car at high speed. On advanced driving courses (ie to become a traffic officer) you are expected to rigidly maintain all speed limits other than NSL. Outside of urban limits you are expected to drive fast but safe - making maximum progress while still driving to the system. The pressure of driving to this standard and at these sort of speeds is high and not all can achieve it. Police officers are also required to undertake periodic 'referesher' courses to demonstrate that they are maintaining the skills necessary to retain their driving qualification. Now as I said earlier - the fact that you have been taught the skills, and demonstrated that you can put them into action, does not automatically mean that you will always drive to that standard. It is easy, for example, in a pursuit situation, for an officer to let adrenalin get the better of him and for him to make errors of judgement. I would not pretend, therefore, that all police drivers are incapable of error - they are not. On the whole, however, because they have been taught to a very high standard, and tested to a very high standard, they are better than 'average' drivers.

Kev