Advanced Driving

StonedRaider

Honestly..how many of you out there have done it?
Assesments (aviva/quinn etc) dont count.
How often would you have to do a refresher course?

FunkyExige

Ive done a range of courses from millbrook to tracks to airfields all one on one day trainings. It was all done in the uk though as its far superior to any courses you'll find around here. Well worth it imo

barura

I'd do one if I had the spare cash.

I hear in England it brings your premium down due to you being a certified better driver.

Over here it doesn't change squat, at least according to my driving instructor at the time. Would have been one year ago when that was mentioned. I'm sure I'll do one if the chance arose in future.

I'd be willing to do it once a year if it was reasonably priced, just to keep whatever skills I gained in check.

corktina

generally an exercise in boosting the ego. Doesnt make you a good or even better driver.

barura

corktina wrote: »

generally an exercise in boosting the ego. Doesnt make you a good or even better driver.

From the advanced driving website in England:

"Driving is the biggest single killer of young people in the UK. Advanced Driving Courses and Tests were designed to contribute to road safety, and the facts demonstrate that nearly 70% of drivers who receive Further and Advanced Driver coaching show significantly safer skills in a number of key areas."

From: http://www.advanced-driving.co.uk/

I'd prefer to be a better driver and have someone confirm it rather than think I know everything because I got a full licence, even though there is no compulsory refresher driving tests once you get your licence to make sure you still obey the rules of the road.

Idleater

I've held a RoSPA Advanced Rider (motorcycle) cert for the past 6 and a bit years. It only lasts 3 years so you have to pass a test at renewal to keep it going. I recently passed my third test and have maintained the Silver grade which is equivalent to Police/Garda rider (where gold would be almost instructor). For me it reduces my insurance by 33% which paid for itself in one go back in 2005.

My reason for doing it is that as a motorcyclist you are a vulnerable road user so I wanted to be sure that I had sufficient training to best prepare myself in the eventuality of something unexpected.

Glad to say I've had very little need to resort to it, but the concepts apply to driving other vehicles, and to a certain extent when I'm racing bicycles. Basically it's about controlling the space around you and how to react (or not react) when something enters that space.

sentient_6

I'd be interested in doing the RoSPA course. But at the same time, if you pick up Roadcraft & maybe the IAM's 'how to an advanced driver'(to me a simpler more explanatory version of Roadcraft) & try to apply some of the stuff about observation, reading the road ahead etc, thats most of the battle in my opinion.

opinion guy

corktina wrote: »

generally an exercise in boosting the ego. Doesnt make you a good or even better driver.

What have you based this broad generalisation upon ?

Mr Benevolent

opinion guy wrote: »

What have you based this broad generalisation upon ?

Generally the people who say that sort of stuff have a low powered/poor handling car. Personally I'm in favour of advanced driving courses. I wouldn't do one in Ireland though, unless it was on a track.

Advanced driving courses are a tad different to what you'd expect them to be.

166man

RoverJames wrote: »

Advanced driving courses are a tad different to what you'd expect them to be.

Out of interest how so?

corktina

Confab wrote: »

Generally the people who say that sort of stuff have a low powered/poor handling car. Personally I'm in favour of advanced driving courses. I wouldn't do one in Ireland though, unless it was on a track.

generally I have several cars the smallest engine is a 1600 and the largest are 2.8 and 3.0 respectively. And generally I coould drive you all "under the table" I suspect. I dont need a certificate to make me an advanced driver, I have a clean ordinary license and 40 years and many hundreds of miles experiance instead so :P

corktina

opinion guy wrote: »

What have you based this broad generalisation upon ?

it my Opinion Guy

166man

corktina wrote: »

generally I have several cars the smallest engine is a 1600 and the largest are 2.8 and 3.0 respectively. And generally I coould drive you all "under the table" I suspect. I dont need a certificate to make me an advanced driver, I have a clean ordinary license and 40 years and many hundreds of miles experiance instead so :P

In fairness experience doesn't always make you good at something i.e driving. Relatives of mine even in their 40s and 50s are still terrible drivers.

As for 'driving you all under the table'... I'm sure you could...

Oh and because they have big engines does not mean they handle well.

ottostreet

Careful 166man, he has hundreds of miles of driving experience!

166man

ottostreet wrote: »

Careful 166man, he has hundreds of miles of driving experience!

Oh sh1t *reaches for cover...

Mycroft H

corktina wrote: »

generally I have several cars the smallest engine is a 1600 and the largest are 2.8 and 3.0 respectively. And generally I coould drive you all "under the table" I suspect. I dont need a certificate to make me an advanced driver, I have a clean ordinary license and 40 years and many hundreds of miles experiance instead so :P

lol


And back on topic.


Yes I have, more so for emergency driving rather then normal driving.

opinion guy

corktina wrote: »

generally I have several cars the smallest engine is a 1600 and the largest are 2.8 and 3.0 respectively. And generally I coould drive you all "under the table" I suspect. I dont need a certificate to make me an advanced driver, I have a clean ordinary license and 40 years and many hundreds of miles experiance instead so :P

Yeah well...my dad is bigger than your dad so there!

CiniO

corktina wrote: »

generally I have several cars the smallest engine is a 1600 and the largest are 2.8 and 3.0 respectively. And generally I coould drive you all "under the table" I suspect. I dont need a certificate to make me an advanced driver, I have a clean ordinary license and 40 years and many hundreds of miles experiance instead so :P

The problem is that most of drivers have tens of years, and hundreds of thousands of miles experience of .....


... driving incorrectly.

As they gained bad habbits while they were learning, and maintained them and kept for years while gaining practice.

These courses are there to make you realize how many things you do wrong, and show you what should you be training.

My friend took one last year, and said that he learned a lot, and is trying to improve his driving since.
I'll probably attend this as well this winter, even though I have about half a million kilometres driven, I work as a professional driver, and I took part in good few rallies, which sometimes gave good results.
I'm still aware there is plenty to learn, and there is plenty of things I'm doing wrong not even being aware that it's wrong.

dr.fuzzenstein

Drive me under the table?
I feel a race coming on!;)

166man

Would Corktina drive bmw535d under the table though I mean seriously...

166man

166man wrote: »

Out of interest how so?

Lots of the techniques are based on driving safely to avoid hazards, looking for and avoiding potential hazards, driving with fuel efficiency in mind, feathering the throttle and all that sort of stuff, correct car positioning on corners etc. They're not courses on doing J turns etc.

166man

RoverJames wrote: »

Lots of the techniques are based on driving safely to avoid hazards, looking for and avoiding potential hazards, driving with fuel efficiency in mind, feathering the throttle and all that sort of stuff, correct car positioning on corners etc. They're not courses on doing J turns etc.

So is it more like an advanced driving test sort of thing? Not as much to do with track driving?

166man

166man wrote: »

So is it more like an advanced driving test sort of thing? Not as much to do with track driving?

Lots of advanced driving courses would be classroom followed by spins on the road. Track driving advanced driving courses are a different kettle of fish. I don't know which the OP is on about really tbh.

corktina

166man wrote: »

Would Corktina drive bmw535d under the table though I mean seriously...

would he drive a 535d at all mught be a better question....:D

Dardania

I'd actually be interested in one if it taught proper fuel efficient techniques that I could see the financial benefit from...and doubtless the fuel efficient techniques would make you a safer driver by predicting traffic behavior, keeping your distance etc. as RJ said

There was an article in the Irish Times motors page a few years ago about BMW running a course in one of their German schools where armed driver types normally go to learn J turns...seemed interesting

corktina

ottostreet wrote: »

Careful 166man, he has hundreds of miles of driving experience!

you got your smilies turned off?:P

SV

corktina wrote: »

generally I have several cars the smallest engine is a 1600 and the largest are 2.8 and 3.0 respectively. And generally I coould drive you all "under the table" I suspect. I dont need a certificate to make me an advanced driver, I have a clean ordinary license and 40 years and many hundreds of miles experiance instead so :P

lol, would you ever sit down.

StonedRaider

RoverJames wrote: »

Lots of the techniques are based on driving safely to avoid hazards, looking for and avoiding potential hazards, driving with fuel efficiency in mind, feathering the throttle and all that sort of stuff, correct car positioning on corners etc. They're not courses on doing J turns etc.

This is the kind of thing I'd be interested in doing. No interest in track driving whatsoever.
Been driving 18yrs, and I know I've bad habits and simple basics that I've forgotten.

IrishZeus

Where would you go to do track driving courses?

Have looked into these courses lately and they all related to the on road, "normal" driving courses, rather than on-track.

miju

166man wrote: »

So is it more like an advanced driving test sort of thing? Not as much to do with track driving?

have track & rally licenses and advanced driving done and they are all a completely different kettle of fish.

with that said theres been one or two incidents on normal roads that I've had to use my "advanced" training to avoid serious possibly fatal collisions.

One thing I can say for sure though is that without my additional training on those occasions I may well not have been here today had I not known how to control the car safely.

I can never understand why as part of your standard driving test your not required to perform some kind of emergency breaking manouvere to at least show you know how to use ABS properly.

166man

Before this thread becomes a 'let's all talk about how cr@p the driving test is' thread I would be delighted if someone could explain the logic behind the reversing around a corner manoeuvre... such a stupid thing to have to do...

challengemaster

miju wrote: »

I can never understand why as part of your standard driving test your not required to perform some kind of emergency breaking manouvere to at least show you know how to use ABS properly.

TBH I think learning to emergency stop in a car without ABS would be more beneficial, being Ireland and all, there's a LOT of cars without...

166man

166man wrote: »

Before this thread becomes a 'let's all talk about how cr@p the driving test is' thread I would be delighted if someone could explain the logic behind the reversing around a corner manoeuvre... such a stupid thing to have to do...

I don't know the logic of it but it keeps lots of sh1t drivers from passing the test I would think.

Anan1

166man wrote: »

Before this thread becomes a 'let's all talk about how cr@p the driving test is' thread I would be delighted if someone could explain the logic behind the reversing around a corner manoeuvre... such a stupid thing to have to do...

The logic is that if you can't reverse around a corner while keeping a relatively constant distance from the kerb then you really can't drive.:)

166man

Anan1 wrote: »

The logic is that if you can't reverse around a corner while keeping a relatively constant distance from the kerb then you really can't drive.:)

I remember having to do it thinking how stupidly dangerous is this? As I have said before if a Guard saw you reversing around a corner he could probably pull you over!

SV

166man wrote: »

I remember having to do it thinking how stupidly dangerous is this? As I have said before if a Guard saw you reversing around a corner he could probably pull you over!

It's one of the best tests of concentration, spatial awareness and observation combined into one.

Anan1

166man wrote: »

I remember having to do it thinking how stupidly dangerous is this? As I have said before if a Guard saw you reversing around a corner he could probably pull you over!

Come on now, they don't make you reverse around a blind corner onto a main road! It's amazing the number of people who don't seem able for even the simplest of reversing maneouvres though, and reversing around a corner is pretty simple. And even the ones who do seem largely unable to do it while still retaining an awareness of their surroundings. I took a couple of hours in a quiet estate when I was learning, and just kept practising until I had it down. Once you get it right, you can do it forever, without conscious effort.

challengemaster

Anan1 wrote: »

Come on now, they don't make you reverse around a blind corner onto a main road! It's amazing the number of people who don't seem able for even the simplest of reversing maneouvres though, and reversing around a corner is pretty simple. And even the ones who do seem largely unable to do it while still retaining an awareness of their surroundings. I took a couple of hours in a quiet estate when I was learning, and just kept practising until I had it down. Once you get it right, you can do it forever, without conscious effort.

The best excuse against it is "Sure when do you ever do that in real life driving" :rolleyes:

conzy

Wouldnt mind doing the "low traction" driving course or whatever it is in mondello. It could save your ass some day, or at least your togs