Learners 'need training'
A NUMBER of collisions and even more near misses have prompted calls for learner drivers to be taught to give way more carefully.
Gail Lobley, owner of Mrs Kools Driving School, said it was easy for drivers to miss another car when approaching an intersection.
Mrs Lobley said there were a number of factors affecting visibility for drivers. They included the size of the pillars beside the windscreen, tinted windows and of course, the notorious blind spot.
"People don't realise how big their blind spot is and I always get out of the car and demonstrate it to my students so they understand," she said.
Mrs Lobley said drivers should lean forward to check for traffic when approaching an intersection, to be more certain the path was clear.
This allows drivers to see around the pillars and ensure their blind spot has been covered. "If I can get them leaning forward, listening and looking, they'll get through safely.
Mrs Lobley said she believed there were a number of intersections in Warwick that were the sites of near crashes and actual collisions, with Dragon St the main offender.
The Cleary-Dragon Sts intersection, Dragon and Palmerin Sts intersection, and the Dragon and Wood Sts intersection were pinpointed by the experienced driving instructor.
One option for reducing intersection incidents would be to erect stop signs, but Mrs Lobley said these were effective only if people used them correctly.
Her main intersection of concern is the Albert-Palmerin Sts intersection, which, she said, would definitely benefit from a stop sign.
And the final tip to avoid a collision is a simple one: indicate.
"A lot of people in Warwick don't use their indicators, but if you tell me where you're going, it's safer for everyone," she said.
