Advanced driving lessons

Stark · 29-03-2007 12:26pm #1

I'm thinking of getting advanced driving lessons at some point.

I've heard IAM are the best to go to.

Does anyone know if any insurance company other than Hibernian offers discounts if you pass the test? The last quote I got from Hibernian was twice as expensive as my cheapest quote so I'm not going to switch to Hibernian just because they give me a 20% discount. Do Quinn Direct do discounts if you pass an advanced driving test?

Even if I don't get an insurance discount, I'd still like to do a course if I thought I was going to get real benefit out of doing it. I was asking a friend who did Ignition if it was any good, and he said it was much the same as the normal driving test except with videos and more commentary from you when you're driving. I'd like to do something that takes in motorways, slippery conditions, heavy rain, night-time driving etc.

OfflerCrocGod · 29-03-2007 3:46pm

TBH the normal driving test should take those things into consideration - there should be several test of gradually increasing difficulty until you gain the full licence. I'd also be interested in doing some more interesting/challenging driving testing

Idleater · 29-03-2007 4:04pm

I did a RoSPA course for the motorcycle and found that I could apply the principles across to the car. The reason I chose RoSPA over IAM was that RoSPA is accepted across the world whereas the IAM one is Ireland only.

I found it very beneficial to my driving on both motorcycle and car, and as it happens, you can apply the same principles to very many other situations, from cycling to walking down the street

L.

Stark · 29-03-2007 4:11pm

Can you do the RoSPA one in Ireland?

Idleater · 29-03-2007 8:36pm

Stark wrote:

Can you do the RoSPA one in Ireland?

You can.

Here is the link to the RoSPA UK website, and you just click the "make a booking" link.

They schedule in the test with the irish testers, and takes about 2 days longer for them to contact you than you have patience to wait

I don't know which Advanced Driving courses in this country teach the RoSPA course, so you might have some more research to do if you want.

The difference between IAM and RoSPA for the bike test is that the IAM is regarded as an "easier" advanced test, and you only pass the test once. With the RoSPA, it lasts 3 years and you have to retest yourself to keep being a member.

That is why it is recognised pretty much worldwide rather than just in Ireland.

The retesting was particularly important for me for the bike, because it makes sure that you are constantly driving safely, which is why I keep the 33% insurance discount that the RoSPA gives me.

L.

Stark · 29-03-2007 9:01pm

Actually, it seems Temple School of Motoring do training for the RoSPA test. I had a lesson with Donald from there before and he was excellent. Interesting...

Posy · 29-03-2007 10:24pm

Uh.. what is an advanced driving course?

OfflerCrocGod · 29-03-2007 11:22pm

Karyn wrote:

Uh.. what is an advanced driving course?

It's for when you are transporting nuclear materials and terrorists try to hijack them and you need to drive away at high speed while firing backwards with an MP5. Pretty handy.

Idleater · 30-03-2007 9:49am

OfflerCrocGod wrote:

...and you need to drive away at high speed while firing backwards with an MP5. Pretty handy.

Nah, nothing as glamourous as that.

Advanced driving courses, contrary to popular belief, are not where you learn to do handbrake turns and drive at 200kmph backwards.

They teach you the "proper" way to drive rather than the DoE way to drive.

The DoE system is skewed somewhat to learner safety (and rightly so) but does have some anomolies that compromise safety if adhered to rigidly.

Advanced courses primarily teach safety. What is the safest route through a corner, what is the safety concerns of this road. How do you safely make progress.

They go down to fundamentals of observation, control of the vehicle, applying experience, and good judgement. In combination, these then allow you to spot the danger signs that "may" occur, and therefore mitigate them before they ever arise.

They basically teach you to drive in a manner that you maximise your observation and therefore safety on the road.

L.

thewrittenone · 09-06-2008 1:03pm

Advanced driving is all about creating a safe zone around your car - its also called defensive driving or systematic vehicle control. The Irish School or Motoring are running an advanced driving course. You can also go straight in and do an advanced driving test if you want. The standard is very high but you will get fully certified as an advanced driver after it. Check it out here.

Alanstrainor · 09-06-2008 1:52pm

Don't drag up year old threads, start a new one.Posted via Mobile Device

Advanced driving lessons

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