This draft curriculum sets out competencies and associated behaviours to be expected of a novice driver. The curriculum is set out in three domains: Staying Alive; Practical Vehicle Control Skills; and Lifetime Driving Habits. Staying Alive includes valuing life, limb and property; understanding the road rules; risk awareness and accident causes and consequences; planning each trip; carrying out safety checks; restraint wearing; and awareness of emergency and breakdown procedures. Practical Vehicle Control Skills, as well as the usual skills of steering, braking and so on, includes matters such as visual scanning, safety margins, observation and monitoring of hazards, and leaving a vehicle safety cushion. Lifetime Driving Habits includes assessing roles in critical driving incidents; adopting road safety advice; being courteous to other drivers; responding constructively to police advice and enforcement operations; recognising bodily signs of stress and emotion; appreciating the influence of mood and preoccupations on driving performance; stress management strategies while driving, and assertively coping with peer pressure. As well as setting out the expected competencies the curriculum also summarises performance outcomes and briefly discusses learning issues and teaching resources.
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