By Amanda Mfuphi

Toyota South Africa has announced that the Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) Driving Academy (formerly known as the Toyota Driving Academy) is now open for business to Toyota customers and road users. The Academy will be pivotal in improving driving skills and equipping drivers with better and safe driving skills beyond what would ordinarily be legally required by traffic law enforcement agencies.

Toyota Gazoo Racing (TGR) Driving Academy

The TGR Driving Academy offers up to eight driving courses to its customers as well as other road users. These eight courses include the following: Advanced Defensive Driving, Collision Avoidance, Gravel/Dirt Road Training, Defensive Driving and Traffic Psychology, Advanced 4X4 & Recovery, On-road/Off-road Driving (4×2/4×4), Dynamic Handling and Hijack Prevention. The academy also runs courses every second weekend for those who are able to attend only on weekends.   

The TGR Driving Academy is headquartered in Johannesburg, Gauteng, but its courses are carried out nationwide. Most of the training in the courses are conducted at the Gerotek Test Facility in Gauteng, Tshwane. The academy also offers the added benefit of being able to carry out tailor-made onsite training throughout Africa. They are currently also involved with training in 12 different countries on the continent. Although the TGR Driving Academy recommends customers to bring their own vehicles to the courses, the Academy has a full fleet of Toyota vehicles which are available to be used by the customers. The fleet vehicles include the Toyota Hilux, Fortuner, Corolla Sedan, Corolla Hatch, Yaris and Supra.

Vital Skills

The Managing Director of the TGR Driving Academy Paul de Vos states the following about the benefits of doing some of the courses offered by the academy: “we truly believe that anyone who holds a driver’s licence should, at the very least, attend an Advanced Defensive and Collision Avoidance course as this builds confidence and the skills required to drive on local roads. With SA being one of the most dangerous countries to drive in, safety is our number-one concern – so, we also equip our attendees to best cope with not only the ever-changing road conditions, but also how to adjust one’s mindset to cope with the aggressive nature of fellow road users. I would also advise drivers to do refresher courses at least once a year.”

For more information or to register, you can contact the TGR Driving Academy at the following email address: info@tad-sa.co.za.