Drive to survive

Editorial and photography: Jesse Wray-McCann

Constable Liz Keck is only halfway through the week-long driving course all new police must pass, and she is already amazed by what she has learned.

At the centre of everything taught to her during the intensive course are the observation skills crucial to driving safely at high speeds.

“We’ve learned so much about how to scan the roads that I feel like I was pretty much driving blind before coming on this course,” Const Keck said.

The head of Victoria Police’s Driver Training Unit Acting Senior Sergeant Peter Hawksworth said Const Keck’s response was common for course students.

“All good driving comes down to good observations,” A/Sen Sgt Hawksworth said.

“I say to students that it’s like having their eyes on high beam.

“So we often have students saying to us things like, ‘I feel like I've just been tossing a coin whether I'm going to make it to my destination or not before I came to you guys because I didn't know what to look at on the roads’.”

The Driver Training Unit – made up of one senior sergeant, six sergeants and 36 other officers as instructors – is responsible for making sure all Victoria Police officers have the skills needed to drive safely and effectively to an emergency.

The standard operational car course Const Keck took part in is the main course the unit offers and must be successfully passed if an officer is to get behind the wheel of a police car.

It involves five days of theory and practical training, which includes a mix of city, country and freeway driving.

At the end of the week, instructors will assess whether the officer will be given a silver licence, which allows them to reach speeds up to 150km/h, or a restricted silver licence, which allows them to drive up to 25km/h above the posted speed limit.

Leading Senior Constable Darren Salmon debriefs with Driver Training Unit students, constables Liz Keck and Kate Vidler.

Photo: Jesse Wray-McCann

Prospective highway patrol officers must pass the advanced training course to get their gold licence, which has no limit on how fast they can drive.

The unit also runs other courses, including a four-wheel-driving course and a defensive driving course.

A/Sen Sgt Hawksworth said they train all their students to drive with a planned response, rather than a purely reactionary response.

“We teach them what to look for on the roads, how to look well ahead and how to recognise the behaviours of other road users, all so they can see what will happen before it actually happens,” he said.

“With good observations comes good assessment, and with good assessment comes a good driving plan, and by 'good', I mean ‘early’.”

A/Sen Sgt Hawksworth said once students had developed their observation skills, instructors could help train them in the best ways to handle the car.

“We want all their driving to be smooth, even if it’s at 150km/h because smoother is safer,” he said.

“They should be able to rock us instructors to sleep, even though they're doing urgent duty driving.

“I always say, even during a pursuit, 'Just imagine I've got a cup of coffee on my dashboard, I don't want you to spill any of it'.”

Leading Senior Constable Darren Salmon coaches a student through a bend in country Victoria.

Photo: Jesse Wray-McCann.

Const Keck said she was thankful for the way the course made all the observation and car handling skills second nature for her.

“Taking this week now to make all of this muscle memory for us is so important,” she said.

“Because, when we’re out responding to an actual emergency, there are so many other things we need to concentrate on, like formulating a plan with our partner and listening to updates on the radio.”

A/Sen Sgt Hawksworth sees the work of he and his Driver Training Unit colleagues as vital for the safety of all police officers, other road users and the Victorian community.

“More coppers have died in cars than in any other way,” A/Sen Sgt Hawksworth said.

“These courses are not just about failing or passing an exam. We're talking about life and death.

“To respond to a critical incident where someone’s life is at risk, we need to make sure our officers aren’t putting their own lives and other drivers’ lives at risk, so that’s always our motivation when we get in that passenger seat as instructors.”