19 Feb 2006

A rise in car jacking and road rage attacks has prompted a leading driving school to offer motorists lessons in avoidance techniques and unarmed combat.

There were more than 10,000 reported car jackings last year and a staggering

95 per cent of drivers claim to have been the victim of some form of road rage - ranging from verbal abuse to violent attack.

The rise in violent crime on Britain's highways has prompted AcciDON'T, one of the UK's top fleet driver training schools, to launch the country's first dedicated course on self-defence for motorists.

Tricks taught on the courses, which start in March, will include avoidance, awareness and anticipation.

Students will also be taught self defence and personal security by Krav Maga Scotland, using techniques pioneered by the Israeli military.

The course, aims to give motorists the knowledge to stay out of trouble and protect themselves should they fall victim to a violent crime.

A recent international survey placed the UK as second only to South Africa for violent road rage incidents and top in the world for aggressive driving behaviour.

"People are increasingly aware of just how aggressive the roads are these days," said Simon Johnston, of AcciDON'T.

"Women are more likely to admit their concerns than men but we hear tales from both sexes about incidents that have happened and for some people it can be very upsetting.

"More and more people are asking us for advice designed to diffuse any possible confrontations before they happen."

AcciDON'T, which has offices across the UK, specialises in teaching driver safety among company vehicle users and individuals.

The launch of the course comes in the wake of research which revealed that one in five drivers carries a weapon in the car "for protection".

"The techniques of this course means drivers don't have to carry weapons and put themselves at additional risk of falling foul of the law," said Simon Leila, director of Krav Maga Scotland.

"It is designed for anyone from a learner or experienced motorist to a lorry-driver fearful of hi-jacking.

"By teaching awareness techniques, backed up with a few simple self-defence moves against an armed or unarmed attacker we can provide people with a reasonable a level of re-assurance."

The courses will be launched in Helensburgh, Argyll & Bute, near Glasgow on March 21st and 22nd.

For further details please contact: Simon Johnston of AcciDON'T on 01436 678

018 or Simon Leila of Krav Maga Scotland on 07050 1997 10.

__________________

Notes to Editors:

1. Accidon't is one of the UK's leading driver training companies with instructors across the country offering a wide variety of courses to both learners and experienced motorists.

2. Krav Maga Scotland are experts in teaching the self-defence and fitness regime pioneered by the Israeli military. Easy to learn and highly effective the system is practiced by a range of individuals from Hollywood celebrities to law enforcement officials.

3. In August 2005 international market research company Synovate questioned 4,000 motorists in 10 countries and found 95 per cent of motorists in the UK had been involved in or witnessed an incident of road rage in the previous

12 months. Only South Africa scored a higher ratio of 97 per cent.

4. According to stolen vehicle recovery company, TRACKER more than a fifth (22 per cent) of drivers feel so unsafe on Britain's roads that they carry some form of self-defence in their vehicle. The most popular form of self-defence was a personal alarm, carried by nine per cent of drivers, while six per cent admitted to carrying a club, bat or hammer.

Four per cent of respondents said they kept a knife to hand and the same number said they had a self-defence spray stored in their car. A small number (1.5 per cent) claimed they kept a firearm in their car for defence.

5. In September last year a UN report branded Scotland the most violent country in the developed world, with people three times more likely to be assaulted than in America.

6. According to the National Audit Office there are 10,000 car-jackings in Britain each year as tighter security forces thieves to use violence to seize vehicles. The total number of cases of vehicle crime in 2003-04 was more than two million.

ends