RTEC and Navon Brain Fitness join forces

A unique on-line road safety programme that will help young drivers - as well as those with more experience - to be more aware behind the wheel is being launched by the Kia Motors-supported Road Traffic and Education Centre.
Kia RTEC has joined forces with Navon Brain Fitness Solutions to bring three separate "brain cognitive function” testing programmes into its driver training scheme, with the aim of focusing driver attention on what is happening around them and helping them learn not to be distracted on the road.
With the Government looking at raising the driving age to reduce the road toll, the young driver programme is particularly relevant, according Tony Williams, Managing Director of Kia RTEC.
He says young drivers are especially prone to distractions, particularly from entertainment and communication systems within their vehicles and also from other occupants.
Teaching drivers, especially the young, to be more "spatially aware” is a key component of the programmes and because they are available on-line it makes them easier to use.
Mr Williams says the new programmes are designed to specifically assess and train drivers in areas including collision risk and encouraging them to drive more safely on New Zealand roads.
As well as helping young drivers, the cognitive programmes are extremely useful for older drivers in helping maintain and enhance their existing skills, and in particular, fleet drivers, who can use them to maintain their skills and meet company policies and driving requirements.
Training is undertaken on-line using the latest innovative technology, which allows those using the programme to train and evaluate themselves in areas such as response time, focus on the environment, visual scanning and awareness, peripheral vision and learning to manage distractions.
"The programmes assess each driver’s cognitive and perceptual strengths and weakness so we can identify and address potentially lethal deficiencies before they get behind the wheel.
"This is of great comfort not only to parents of student drivers but also fleet managers as they can use the assessment technology to avoid very expensive hiring mistakes.”
Continual monitoring and reporting is part of the package, which allows fleet managers and drivers to track improvements and progress during their training and beyond, when using the system for refresher courses.
Mr Williams says: "Because it is an online programme, young drivers can use it at home before they come to us for lessons. Likewise we can service the needs of fleet managers off-site and in multiple locations”.
Todd McDonald, General Manager of Kia Motors, supports the Kia RTEC initiative, saying: "Kia Motors always supports safety and innovation and we are delighted that Tony and his team have taken this innovative step to improve road safety. We believe that any improvement to safety on our roads is a benefit to all road users.”