The proposed Ħal Far racetrack could be a place where one can drive at high speed and in extreme conditions with professional guidance, according to Pierre Vella, Malta Road Safety Council executive chairman.

This would help us anticipate accidents and avoid them, Vella contended on Tuesday.

Pierre Vella

He is asking the authorities to consider including a training facility for all licensed drivers at the racetrack.

The facility proposed by Vella would be certified, safely equipped and would employ professional driving instructors. Any driver would be able to apply for a short training programme during which they would experience real accident scenarios.

The driver would be able to feel how the car performs when it skids and when it is hit by another car at high speed. Drivers would learn how to control their car and avoid accidents.

Plans to build a €20 million racetrack at Ħal Far were announced earlier this week, with the government saying it wants the long-promised facility to be completed by 2022.

Advanced training for road users

Vella says most drivers thankfully never experience extreme conditions on the road but when they are involved in an accident they are not prepared for it.

“Under extreme conditions, a car will behave differently than what you are used to,” he said.

“In that split second when accidents are most likely to happen, most new car security features kick in and that could confuse drivers even more. And that is not the time and place to be learning new things about your car.”

He says most of these techniques cannot be taught during regular driving tuition.

“Most people have no idea what to do if their car skids, for instance. They were never trained for it because driving instructors cannot simulate a skid manoeuvre in the middle of the road,” he said.

“Our cars often skid and when they do, we need to know how to control them. This advanced road training would give you the opportunity to explore the safety features and techniques under professional guidance.”

Advanced road training is common in racetracks in the US, Australia, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg and Norway, among other countries.

Their training includes driving through water on slippery terrain, avoiding oncoming vehicles and breaking abruptly at high speeds. Some facilities also show you footage of your performance and create visual imagery of what could have happened in reality.

Vella says he has done the programme abroad multiple times and he is shocked to the core each time.

“I tried these programmes myself in Austria, Turkey and Poland and, even though I’ve been working in road safety for many years, I am shocked every time at the realisation of how an accident can happen,” he said.

“The experience humbled me and I found it made me a more cautious driver on the road.”

International studies found that these kind of programmes were helpful in some instances but not in others.

According to one study, the Austrian programme led to a five per cent reduction in fatal crashes on the road and a nine per cent reduction in overall crashes among teens over a five-year period.

In Finland, reductions in slippery road and night-time crashes were significant, especially for male drivers.

Other studies, however, found that some young people became more daring and reckless drivers after undergoing the programme.