It’s early morning on a cold October Friday and we’re flying forward to another motoring adventure. We’re guests at the Safe Driving Center at the SLOVAKIA RING, a famous race track that just a few months ago welcomed the best racers on the planet during the World Touring Car Championship. And even though we’re not here today to race fast cars around this majestic circuit, it looks like we’re in for a fun day nonetheless. The Safe Driving Center has been operating as a unit in the education of both amateurs and professionals for many years, and that’s why today’s visit, as part of the skid school, is aimed at teaching us how to handle crisis situations behind the wheel.
At the end of the day, it's clear to us that this wasn't our only visit to the Safe Driving Center, as the skid school is a perfect example of a school through play. Although we experienced an endless rush of adrenaline and fun during the day, we also learned a huge lesson in addition to the experiences.
Everyone thinks they're a good driver - says the guy in the red sweater who just walked through the door, instead of greeting. - If that's true, then why are there so many accidents on the roads every day?! - Still no greeting...The guy in the red sweater is our instructor throughout the course. He, like all the professionals from the Safe Driving Center, has spent most of his life behind the wheel of cars and motorbikes, teaching people how to prevent and, if necessary, how to get out of crisis situations.
Our day begins, to the disappointment of some course participants, relatively calmly, with theory. For many of us, it is a return to school after decades, but these years prove to be at least as important as an afternoon sitting in a car and turning the steering wheel. The instructor teaches us to understand the basics of vehicle dynamics, guides us through the basics of sitting behind the wheel (which, despite popular belief, most course participants have learned poorly) and, above all, explains the reasons why it is important to do things the way he tells us. Even the most experienced drivers in the group immediately find in themselves the mistakes they have made over the years behind the wheel.
The friendly atmosphere means that the hour and a half of theory flies by like water and after a quick lunch we get behind the wheels of the cars to start the part that everyone has been looking forward to. While the theoretical part will give you the background on how to handle crisis situations, nothing can prepare you better for the shock of a skid than the skid itself. So we get into our cars and head out to a small circuit, located right next to its big brother, the SLOVAKIA RING. A series of tasks await us that look like they were designed just to scare us to death. However, the opposite is true and even if it doesn't seem like it at first, this is where we can try out crisis situations without any risk.
We start with a fairly simple-looking task. We go straight at 40 kilometers per hour until we come to a series of cones. The car loses its rear at the speed of light and skids a perfect 360-degree pirouette, while the driver tries to figure out which way is north. Immediately comes a detailed explanation of the situation from the instructor. Quickly pointing out the mistakes we are making, he gives us the opportunity to understand not only what we did wrong, but especially why the car went into a skid. The consistency and patience of the instructors means that we all gradually begin to master the individual tasks. We discover that the basics of vehicle control can only be truly learned by carefully repeating individual maneuvers right here in the safety of the track, where nothing can happen to us.
The next task is to show us how to handle the exact opposite of an oversteer skid, an understeer. However, in addition to the usual instructions, the instructors at the Safe Driving Center also encourage people to test their car's capabilities right there, and not on a regular road in traffic. Soon, the slippery circle that simulates understeer becomes a drifting circle. Failed, but still drifting. When we are already dizzy, the day then continues through many other stations, where fun and education go hand in hand.
A lesson that driving a car is not fun, but a skill that needs to be constantly improved.The Safe Driving Center will open your eyes and show you the consequences of your actions if you look at your phone for even a second while driving or if you are not wearing a seat belt. Even the biggest skeptics in our group changed their opinion about the necessity of such courses after completing it. If you truly value your life, do not hesitate for a minute and visit the Safe Driving Center at least to have a look. The Safe Driving Center is open year-round. You can book a course date at www.drivingacademy.sk .
