A book written by one of the UK’s leading driver training experts is now available in Japan and Finland.
The book, ‘Can Drivers Really Teach Themselves?’, written by Ian Edwards, is increasingly being seen across the world as one of the leading texts for driving instructors and other road safety professionals who deliver in-vehicle education.
The Finnish version was launched last year and the Japanese version will be available from the end of May 2014.
The Japanese edition was instigated by Mr Akira Mochizuki of Sumitomo Mitsui Auto Service Co, one of Japan’s largest car leasing companies, after he received a copy from the author.
Ian Edwards said: “I sent Mr Mochizuki a copy of the book as a thank you for translating on my visit to a Japanese driving school. He was about to attend a course on the use of coaching in driver education and saw the book as the perfect support for other course participants.”
Akira Mochizuki said: “When I saw the book I knew it was exactly what was needed, it is so easy to read and understand. I am very confident Japanese driving instructors will benefit from the ideas and concepts contained in it.”
It is rare for a book on driver education to be considered suitable for translation, as most books on the subject tend to be specific to driving skills or dealing with traffic in a specific environment.
‘Can Drivers Really Teach Themselves?’ can make the crossover because it does not look at what to teach, but how to most effectively communicate.
Footnote
Ian Edwards is the founder of eDrivingSolutions and was a member of the EU-funded HERMES project which looked at developing a number of approaches to improve driver education. He also developed the Road Safety Practitioner Foundation Course in partnership with the Road Safety GB Academy, and is a Road Safety GB specialist for occupational road risk. ‘Can Drivers Really Teach Themselves?’ was launched in the UK in 2011 and placed on Northern Ireland’s approved reading list for driving instructors in 2012.
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