There are objective reasons that prevent a novice driver from feeling like a full participant in the movement. Lack of experience, uncertainty, extreme weather conditions - these factors neutralize the already low driving skills. And if you manage to cope with the first two over time, then bad weather takes you by surprise, regardless of your experience. What can a driver do against heavy rain, fog and ice? And how do these skills affect road safety?

A driving school will not teach you how to drive in extreme weather conditions: instructors develop other abilities in their students. Goodyear , one of the world's leading tire manufacturers, conducted a large-scale study on this problem in 2014. Company representatives surveyed about 7,000 parents living in 19 European countries and having one or more children aged 16 to 25 who had recently received a driver's license. When asked if they thought their children had acquired sufficient skills to drive in severe weather conditions during their driving education, 81% responded in the negative. And the adults themselves admitted that they lack this kind of “education.” Only 40% said that they felt confident behind the wheel, even in the event of precipitation, fog, and “snow porridge” on the road.

This study was one of many conducted by Goodyear in this area. Novice drivers and driving instructors have previously expressed their opinions on this issue. Thus, 42% of beginners said that in their lessons little or no attention was paid to driving in bad weather conditions. The majority of instructors agreed on the importance of acquiring such skills, however, by their own admission, only 51% passed on the relevant knowledge to their students.

The inability of novice – and even experienced – drivers to navigate the road in extreme weather conditions leads to a significant decrease in the level of road safety. Most experts and representatives of associations that are partners of Goodyear (European Parents Association, International Association of Traffic Psychology, European Association of Driving Schools) believe that the introduction of a single educational quality standard, which should be applied to all European driving schools without exception, could solve the problem. A standard that, among other aspects, would include mandatory training in bad weather driving skills.

Olivier Rousseau, vice president of Goodyear , head of the passenger tire division in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, believes that the skills for safe driving in extreme weather conditions (heavy rain, snow, ice, slush, fog) obtained in classes with an instructor , will help the driver in the future, provided that sufficient attention has been paid to this. “Modern technologies used in the automotive industry, such as electronic devices for storing travel data, emergency braking systems, high-quality winter and summer tires, make life much easier for the driver. However, the key skill of safe driving has been and remains the skill of the driver,” says Mr. Russo.

Russian experts also mention the need for preliminary preparation. Oleg Keselman, senior sports driving instructor for Porsche in Russia, Russian champion in the Touring class, says: “Winter driving requires getting used to, more attentiveness and more understanding. Winter tires and a change in driving style are needed. It is better, of course, to do this at special sites or in a safe place and under the guidance of a normal instructor. I would recommend taking a defensive driving course at the beginning of each winter season! But there are also a few simple general rules for winter driving. First, you need to reduce the speed limit. Even if the asphalt is dry and there is an illusion that your winter tires hold up like summer tires. Second, reduce your speed when entering each turn. Third, increase the distance in traffic, no matter how much you don’t want to do this in Moscow traffic. Fourth, keep the headlights and all lighting fixtures clean and in good working order, and don’t forget to check the level of anti-freeze fluid in the washer reservoir! Visibility in winter is very important! And you should be seen, too! More advanced driving tips still require safe practice.”

Thus, the development of a unified integrated approach to training novice drivers is one of the main tasks, the solution of which will improve the quality of education they receive in driving schools. Professional development of instructors and, as a result, more professional methods of transferring knowledge to novice drivers will contribute to increasing the level of safety on the roads.

Goodyear Company

Expert opinion: “Europe needs a unified quality standard for driving schools”