East Sussex

Overview

Richard Hornsey spent his police career investigating exactly what goes wrong on the road. As a Principal Forensic Collision Investigator and roads policing sergeant across 30 years in Sussex, he was the person sent to reconstruct serious and fatal crashes, working out the decisions and the split seconds that led to them. He has seen the consequences of poor driving up close, and that is precisely what he now coaches people to avoid.

Richard held a police Class 1 advanced driving permit for both cars and motorcycles, and since 2013 he has been a RoSPA examiner across cars, motorcycles and goods vehicles. He qualified as a DVSA Approved Driving Instructor on retiring from the police and is also a DVSA Fleet registered driver trainer.

For Richard, a day's coaching is about more than polish. It is about building the observation and judgement that keep a driver out of the situations he spent three decades investigating.

Core Expertise

• Collision investigation insight. Richard reconstructed serious and fatal crashes for a living. He coaches from the rare position of knowing, in forensic detail, how and why drivers get caught out, and how to read the road before it happens.
• Roads policing and Class 1 driving. Years of traffic and roads policing experience, backed by a police Class 1 advanced permit for cars and motorcycles, the highest standard of police driving.
• RoSPA examining across three categories. A RoSPA Advanced Drivers and Riders examiner since 2013, qualified across cars, motorcycles and goods vehicles, so the standard he coaches to is the one he assesses others against.
• Two-wheel and large-vehicle perspective. A motorcyclist with an LGV Class 2 licence, Richard brings a broader read of road dynamics than a car-only instructor.
• Fleet driver training. DVSA Fleet registered, with experience coaching occupational drivers to reduce risk.

Professional Background

• Principal Forensic Collision Investigator, Sussex Police — reconstructing serious and fatal road traffic collisions.
• Road Policing Sergeant and Traffic officer — many years of frontline roads policing across Sussex.
• Tasking & Performance Unit / Chief of Staff functions — operational planning and command roles.
• Public order and event command, including motorcycle escorts and large-scale public protection operations.
• 30-year police career in total before retiring and qualifying as an ADI.

Qualifications

• Police Class 1 advanced driver and motorcyclist (cars and motorcycles)
• DVSA Approved Driving Instructor (ADI), car
• DVSA Fleet Registered Driver Trainer
• RoSPA Advanced Drivers and Riders Examiner since 2013 (cars, motorcycles and goods vehicles)
• LGV Class 2 licence
• Member of the Driving Instructors Association (DIA)

Coaching Philosophy

Richard spent 30 years arriving after the crash, working backwards to the decisions that caused it. That experience shapes how he coaches. He works on the observation and anticipation that let a driver spot a developing situation early, while there is still time and space to act.

His aim is straightforward: to equip a driver with skills and judgement that make them better for life, not just better for the test.