A commentary on commentary
Discussion
This article has been written after a request from a PH member - if anyone else has any requests for particular subjects, then please feel free to PM me.
A commentary on commentary.
Commentary is one aspect of advanced driving that students seem to dread, mainly because there are some unnecessary pre-conceived ideas about what commentary is and how it should be applied.
Let's look at it from the perspective of a Police driving course - I'll use an advanced course as an example, but in most forces, some commentary is also required on standard courses too.
Back when I did my advanced car course [Uncle Albert] during the war [/Uncle Albert], students were expected to commentate for 10 to 15 minutes during both of their final drives (which are both generally 40 - 45 minutes long). Back then, you'd be expected to point out upcoming hazards, both actual and potential, talk through the five phases of the system as you applied them to those hazards, point out road signs, describe the actions of other drivers, etc, etc. On top of that, at relevant points, you were expected to introduce various definitions from Roadcraft, which required us to literally learn them parrot-fashion, from the book every evening. Many of them have stayed with me today.
Acceleration sense is an easy one "the ability of a driver to adjust the speed of the vehicle to meet changing road and traffic conditions by accurate use of the accelerator".
Braking sense took me a couple of nights to get spot-on "the ability of a driver to appreciate a situation correctly and apply the brakes in a gradual and timely manner, to stop, or reduce the speed of the vehicle, where this cannot be achieved by deceleration alone."
For some reason I've never understood, we learned the old and new definitions of the system of car control (it used to be a system or drill, and then it became a method of approaching and negotiating hazards), the definition of concentration, the full description of the tyre-grip trade off, the rules for gearchanging, the four principles of safe cornering and a shed-load of other minor definitions.
Our instructor, Dicko (bless him) also insisted that we learned, verbatim, several rules from the highway code, including the rule number. I can recall to this day that rule 172 of the highway code used to be that in built-up areas, you should give priority to buses which are signalling to pull away from stops - it's rule 198 now, before you correct me, and yes - I know the wording has changed.
Did learning all this stuff parrot-fashion make us better drivers?
I don't think so, no.
In fact, part of me thinks that it detracted from the most important aspect of the course - learning to drive at an advanced level.
Does this mean that I don't approve of commentary?
No - it just means I think it should be different from when I did my advanced course, and fortunately, the majority of Police driving schools these days agree with me and have relaxed the requirement for a definition-centred driving commentary in exchange for a slightly more relaxed, but more relevant commentary.
These days, certainly in my force, and in many others, a student on test will still be asked to commentate for 10 to 15 minutes during a final drive. The difference nowadays is that an examiner just wants to know what problems the driver has seen or anticipated, and what they are going to do about it.
Crucially, the students need to remember this - if their driving is up to standard, they won't fail if they give a poor commentary. In addition, having tested at advanced level myself, a good commentary can lift an average drive.
So then, Reg, how should an advanced-level commentary go?
It's traditional, and appropriate for the driver to start with a description of what they can see in the far distance, and then work back through the middle distance, the foreground, then the sides and finally to the rear.
As they describe what they can see, they should also be talking about what their plans are - this is very important as it shows the examiner what their mental processes are, and allows them to see the thinking behind the drivers actions.
"Looking into the distance, I can see that the road bends to the left, out of sight, so I'm looking to the left of the road, along the hedge-line, to see if there are any hazards. I can see a couple of triangle warning signs for double bends, the first to the left, which we've already seen, and for a junction to the right, for which I might need to adjust my position for safety."
"In the middle distance I can see that we're approaching a slow-moving HGV, for which I'll have to slow to get into a following position. I'll be looking to overtake it when appropriate, and as the left-hander is followed by a right-hander, I'm planning to look for an opportunity to overtake off the right-hander."
"In the foreground is a cyclist, for whom I've already moved towards the offside to pass safely."
"To the sides are fields and hedges, it's a rural area, so I'm anticipating there might be tractors pulling onto the road at some point."
"To the rear is a fast-approaching motorcycle, which is something I'll have to consider when I'm looking to overtake the truck."
So, no definitions - just a straightforward description of what you can see and what you're going to do about it.
It's not easy at first - any instructor will tell you that if they've got a student who's getting ahead of themselves, the easiest way to slow them down is to ask them to commentate. Because they're concentrating on what they're saying, their speed drops almost instantly.
With practise though, commentary can come quite naturally, and even with all the bumph I had to learn on my advanced course, I was disappointed when the examiner told me to stop commentating.
In a nutshell then, keep your commentary simple, [catchphrase]say what you see, [/catchphrase] and say what you're going to do about it.
A commentary on commentary.
Commentary is one aspect of advanced driving that students seem to dread, mainly because there are some unnecessary pre-conceived ideas about what commentary is and how it should be applied.
Let's look at it from the perspective of a Police driving course - I'll use an advanced course as an example, but in most forces, some commentary is also required on standard courses too.
Back when I did my advanced car course [Uncle Albert] during the war [/Uncle Albert], students were expected to commentate for 10 to 15 minutes during both of their final drives (which are both generally 40 - 45 minutes long). Back then, you'd be expected to point out upcoming hazards, both actual and potential, talk through the five phases of the system as you applied them to those hazards, point out road signs, describe the actions of other drivers, etc, etc. On top of that, at relevant points, you were expected to introduce various definitions from Roadcraft, which required us to literally learn them parrot-fashion, from the book every evening. Many of them have stayed with me today.
Acceleration sense is an easy one "the ability of a driver to adjust the speed of the vehicle to meet changing road and traffic conditions by accurate use of the accelerator".
Braking sense took me a couple of nights to get spot-on "the ability of a driver to appreciate a situation correctly and apply the brakes in a gradual and timely manner, to stop, or reduce the speed of the vehicle, where this cannot be achieved by deceleration alone."
For some reason I've never understood, we learned the old and new definitions of the system of car control (it used to be a system or drill, and then it became a method of approaching and negotiating hazards), the definition of concentration, the full description of the tyre-grip trade off, the rules for gearchanging, the four principles of safe cornering and a shed-load of other minor definitions.
Our instructor, Dicko (bless him) also insisted that we learned, verbatim, several rules from the highway code, including the rule number. I can recall to this day that rule 172 of the highway code used to be that in built-up areas, you should give priority to buses which are signalling to pull away from stops - it's rule 198 now, before you correct me, and yes - I know the wording has changed.
Did learning all this stuff parrot-fashion make us better drivers?
I don't think so, no.
In fact, part of me thinks that it detracted from the most important aspect of the course - learning to drive at an advanced level.
Does this mean that I don't approve of commentary?
No - it just means I think it should be different from when I did my advanced course, and fortunately, the majority of Police driving schools these days agree with me and have relaxed the requirement for a definition-centred driving commentary in exchange for a slightly more relaxed, but more relevant commentary.
These days, certainly in my force, and in many others, a student on test will still be asked to commentate for 10 to 15 minutes during a final drive. The difference nowadays is that an examiner just wants to know what problems the driver has seen or anticipated, and what they are going to do about it.
Crucially, the students need to remember this - if their driving is up to standard, they won't fail if they give a poor commentary. In addition, having tested at advanced level myself, a good commentary can lift an average drive.
So then, Reg, how should an advanced-level commentary go?
It's traditional, and appropriate for the driver to start with a description of what they can see in the far distance, and then work back through the middle distance, the foreground, then the sides and finally to the rear.
As they describe what they can see, they should also be talking about what their plans are - this is very important as it shows the examiner what their mental processes are, and allows them to see the thinking behind the drivers actions.
"Looking into the distance, I can see that the road bends to the left, out of sight, so I'm looking to the left of the road, along the hedge-line, to see if there are any hazards. I can see a couple of triangle warning signs for double bends, the first to the left, which we've already seen, and for a junction to the right, for which I might need to adjust my position for safety."
"In the middle distance I can see that we're approaching a slow-moving HGV, for which I'll have to slow to get into a following position. I'll be looking to overtake it when appropriate, and as the left-hander is followed by a right-hander, I'm planning to look for an opportunity to overtake off the right-hander."
"In the foreground is a cyclist, for whom I've already moved towards the offside to pass safely."
"To the sides are fields and hedges, it's a rural area, so I'm anticipating there might be tractors pulling onto the road at some point."
"To the rear is a fast-approaching motorcycle, which is something I'll have to consider when I'm looking to overtake the truck."
So, no definitions - just a straightforward description of what you can see and what you're going to do about it.
It's not easy at first - any instructor will tell you that if they've got a student who's getting ahead of themselves, the easiest way to slow them down is to ask them to commentate. Because they're concentrating on what they're saying, their speed drops almost instantly.
With practise though, commentary can come quite naturally, and even with all the bumph I had to learn on my advanced course, I was disappointed when the examiner told me to stop commentating.
In a nutshell then, keep your commentary simple, [catchphrase]say what you see, [/catchphrase] and say what you're going to do about it.
R_U_LOCAL said:
It's not easy at first - any instructor will tell you that if they've got a student who's getting ahead of themselves, the easiest way to slow them down is to ask them to commentate. Because they're concentrating on what they're saying, their speed drops almost instantly.
As I understand it commentary serves two useful purposes:-i) as a teaching aid to teach a co-driver what to look out for when demonstrating
ii) as a reassurance to comfort a co-driver and (as above) for the wiley instructor to slow the driver down who is driving like a hooligan.
It was pointed out to me that the very pinnacle of commentary driving was therefore to be able to do commentary whilst driving like a hooligan, so that aforementioned wiley co-driver would be easily thwarted.
I think the most important aspect of my commentries was simply to focus the mind. Keeping it relevant, timley and conscise helped make sure that my mind was on the task at hand (arriving safely) without wandering or provaracating....
For those of us who find driving an escapist act commentry can be invaluable as a way of ensuring that we remain safe at any (appropriate) speed and always planing, anticipating and observing the world around us.
To keep the commentry relevant and not historic here are a few of my favorite phrases (right or wrong! Run them past your own instructor and see what they think of them!)
"In the distance I can see" ... resets your vision to the horizon, makes you plan ahead.
"options ahead" shows you have seen the "hazard" and means you are planning for your own drive and for the other road users.
"Mirrors" whenever you're not doing something more useful, check your mirrors! Before a hazard, mirrors. Before a change in position, mirrors. Before a change in speed, mirrors. For the full whammy, give it "mirrors, one, two, three" and check all three.
Give a good commentry on the world around you. "one towards" or "fast one towards", "looking for the solo" or "I can hear a solo, I'm looking out for it" tells the instructor you're thinking not merely reacting, and planing and anticipating on the traffic conditions.
Add a bit of humour: "looking for the racing snake on a roller skate" as you come around bend with a low crest or "the one behind looks eager, better denonstrate the racing line" can show you're calm and in control at 8/10ths where others might be using all their faculties to stay on the ragged edge.
"Cruising not using" tells them that you can make the decision between progress and restraint, and you know when it's not sensible to be in 2nd at 45 mph.
Add a good dose of common sense: "I can see houses, the overtake is not appropriate at this time" or "Signs for a car boot sale today, I'm going to hold back" say that you're able to take in the range of informtion available, and you can apply it to the situation. No point "making progress" on muddy roads whe your instructor has seen warings that you've seen but ignored....
But I think the best part of a commentry occurs at the very start:
"I am driving a BMW M3, It is a high performance vehicle driven through the rear wheels via a 6 speed semi automatic gearbox. It is equipped with traction control which will remain engaged through this drive, and safety features including seatbelts and air bags. Looking down the swage lines of the vehicle I can see that all the doors are shut. I have completed a full inspection of this vehicle prior to this journey, and I know that the tyres are in good condition and the pressures are correct, the oil and fuel levels are adequate, and that all the lighting is in full working order."
There's nothing better that knowing that there's a good chance of you surviving the drive ahead!
For those of us who find driving an escapist act commentry can be invaluable as a way of ensuring that we remain safe at any (appropriate) speed and always planing, anticipating and observing the world around us.
To keep the commentry relevant and not historic here are a few of my favorite phrases (right or wrong! Run them past your own instructor and see what they think of them!)
"In the distance I can see" ... resets your vision to the horizon, makes you plan ahead.
"options ahead" shows you have seen the "hazard" and means you are planning for your own drive and for the other road users.
"Mirrors" whenever you're not doing something more useful, check your mirrors! Before a hazard, mirrors. Before a change in position, mirrors. Before a change in speed, mirrors. For the full whammy, give it "mirrors, one, two, three" and check all three.
Give a good commentry on the world around you. "one towards" or "fast one towards", "looking for the solo" or "I can hear a solo, I'm looking out for it" tells the instructor you're thinking not merely reacting, and planing and anticipating on the traffic conditions.
Add a bit of humour: "looking for the racing snake on a roller skate" as you come around bend with a low crest or "the one behind looks eager, better denonstrate the racing line" can show you're calm and in control at 8/10ths where others might be using all their faculties to stay on the ragged edge.
"Cruising not using" tells them that you can make the decision between progress and restraint, and you know when it's not sensible to be in 2nd at 45 mph.
Add a good dose of common sense: "I can see houses, the overtake is not appropriate at this time" or "Signs for a car boot sale today, I'm going to hold back" say that you're able to take in the range of informtion available, and you can apply it to the situation. No point "making progress" on muddy roads whe your instructor has seen warings that you've seen but ignored....
But I think the best part of a commentry occurs at the very start:
"I am driving a BMW M3, It is a high performance vehicle driven through the rear wheels via a 6 speed semi automatic gearbox. It is equipped with traction control which will remain engaged through this drive, and safety features including seatbelts and air bags. Looking down the swage lines of the vehicle I can see that all the doors are shut. I have completed a full inspection of this vehicle prior to this journey, and I know that the tyres are in good condition and the pressures are correct, the oil and fuel levels are adequate, and that all the lighting is in full working order."
There's nothing better that knowing that there's a good chance of you surviving the drive ahead!
Heebeegeetee said:
The thing that bothers me about commentary, is that I can't talk as fast as I can see, once I'm out of the 30/40 zones. And if i'm in a busy high street, even with a 30mph you can forget it.
Omit needless words. Don't say "There's a bend to the right with a concealed entrance on the left.." when
"Bend right with an option left" conveys exactly the same information. (the fact that the entrance is "concealed" doesn't matter if you've seen it - it's just an option for you and other road users)
Or "pressure from the one behind, Off gas" when someone's right up your chuff. rather than "The audi behind is far too close, I'm releasing the accelerator to increase my available stopping distance"
One of my bug bears was a colleague who used to continually say "Checking my mirrors, my mirrors are clear, therer is nothing behind me...." when he could have been talking about something much more useful. A simple "mirrors" will suffice and only mention something else if it's worth mentioning.
I take great heart from Reg’s posting as I feel too many people still strive to achieve a ‘police-speak’ commentary, which detracts from their individuality and does little more than demonstrate the ability to use ‘stock’ phrases appropriately. Bearing in mind that originally commentary was the way in which the instructor/examiner got inside the mind of the driver, to establish what mental processes were taking place – it’s good to see some flexibility replacing dogma. Cutting out verbosity is also important – it’s no use giving a 30mph commentary in an NSL. Most of it will be history by the time your tongue has got round the phraseology.
I also think we can cut down the ‘cockpit drill’ substantially when on demonstration or test. IMHO, the reason for a full description in ‘the good old days’ was because police drivers drove a wide range of vehicles and within that range, a great number of similarly shaped, but not necessarily with the same specifications on board. By giving a full description, they were identifying that “Ah! Today I’m in a manual “X” rather than the tiptronic “Y” they’d been in the shift before and therefore fully familiarising themselves before going on duty. The majority of civilian drivers rarely change between more than two family vehicles, although I’m lucky enough to change regularly between a lot more.
I’ve also ‘discussed’ the question of the use of the word “mirrors” on numerous occasions. When I first met Mr Sevener, I was criticised for just saying something like, “One behind, well back…” when what I should have done was preface the statement with the “M” word. My argument was that it’s impossible for most people to fully see anything that’s going on behind without the use of the RVM, so why say it? Wheat, chaff and all that!
Regards
Sevener
I also think we can cut down the ‘cockpit drill’ substantially when on demonstration or test. IMHO, the reason for a full description in ‘the good old days’ was because police drivers drove a wide range of vehicles and within that range, a great number of similarly shaped, but not necessarily with the same specifications on board. By giving a full description, they were identifying that “Ah! Today I’m in a manual “X” rather than the tiptronic “Y” they’d been in the shift before and therefore fully familiarising themselves before going on duty. The majority of civilian drivers rarely change between more than two family vehicles, although I’m lucky enough to change regularly between a lot more.
I’ve also ‘discussed’ the question of the use of the word “mirrors” on numerous occasions. When I first met Mr Sevener, I was criticised for just saying something like, “One behind, well back…” when what I should have done was preface the statement with the “M” word. My argument was that it’s impossible for most people to fully see anything that’s going on behind without the use of the RVM, so why say it? Wheat, chaff and all that!
Regards
Sevener
sevener said:
I take great heart from Reg’s posting as I feel too many people still strive to achieve a ‘police-speak’ commentary, which detracts from their individuality and does little more than demonstrate the ability to use ‘stock’ phrases appropriately....
Well I was taught at Hendon, an institution not reknowned for encouraging individual thought! But a nice simple commentry using 'police' phrases does tend to keep it timely and brief. Oh, and I was 8 pints down the line when I typed the top post, so I'm not going to try and defend anything I wrote in it!sevener said:
I take great heart from Reg’s posting as I feel too many people still strive to achieve a ‘police-speak’ commentary, which detracts from their individuality and does little more than demonstrate the ability to use ‘stock’ phrases appropriately....
Stock phrases are of little consequence if they are not correctly applied to the situations at hand.Sevener's comments are interesting-there's a retired police instructor (MetPol. trained) involved with the local RoADA group who has exactly that view on cockpit drill.
He also has some 'observations' on the influence of the former regional driving school on local RoADA examiners on some matters. My 20 year old memories of a (standard) course at a different regional school are slightly different again.
On commentary (cockpit drill aside) there weren't any differences. Reg's comments on how commentary is evolving are also useful to someone like me trying to observe/tutor/whatever it's called this week.
He also has some 'observations' on the influence of the former regional driving school on local RoADA examiners on some matters. My 20 year old memories of a (standard) course at a different regional school are slightly different again.
On commentary (cockpit drill aside) there weren't any differences. Reg's comments on how commentary is evolving are also useful to someone like me trying to observe/tutor/whatever it's called this week.
One advantage of learning a cockpit drill parrot fashion is that it gives a student a few minutes of "settling in" time in the car when they're on test. It allows them to go through a well-rehearsed routine which ensures that they don't miss any essentials through nervous forgetfulness before heading out on test.
I don't for one minute think that students carry on doing a full cockpit check after finishing their course, but hopefully they'll consider a few more things when they get in the car than the traditional CID starting drill of "we're in, we're off".
I don't for one minute think that students carry on doing a full cockpit check after finishing their course, but hopefully they'll consider a few more things when they get in the car than the traditional CID starting drill of "we're in, we're off".
Point taken. Does it matter which parrot? Presumably not. I can still remember the 20 year old one I learnt.
My local group adopted the local regional school (now of course defunct) one which was rather more impressive and detailed. I now have that one ingrained as most of the examiners round here are from/influenced by that regional school. I believe their motto was "Attention to detail." Which sounds like good advice to me.
My local group adopted the local regional school (now of course defunct) one which was rather more impressive and detailed. I now have that one ingrained as most of the examiners round here are from/influenced by that regional school. I believe their motto was "Attention to detail." Which sounds like good advice to me.
standards said:
Point taken. Does it matter which parrot? Presumably not. I can still remember the 20 year old one I learnt.
My local group adopted the local regional school (now of course defunct) one which was rather more impressive and detailed. I now have that one ingrained as most of the examiners round here are from/influenced by that regional school. I believe their motto was "Attention to detail." Which sounds like good advice to me.
When I did my car instructors course, we had to give a demonstration drive with full start-to-finish instructional commentary, which differs from advanced level commentary in that you should talk about what you're going to do, rather than what you're doing.My local group adopted the local regional school (now of course defunct) one which was rather more impressive and detailed. I now have that one ingrained as most of the examiners round here are from/influenced by that regional school. I believe their motto was "Attention to detail." Which sounds like good advice to me.
The starting drill we had to learn was two full pages of A4 in a small font, incorporating a full description of not only what I was doing, but also why.
I can still remember it now if it's of any interest to anyone...
"I've just completed an exterior check of the car, during which I've checked that all doors, boot and bonnet are secure, all four tyres appear in good condition and inflated and there is no recent damage to the car. I'll now carry on with the interior checks."
"First I'll check that the handbrake is on. I check the handbrake because I'll be putting the car in neutral shortly and I don't want the car to roll."
"Then I'll check that the drivers door is securely closed by first pulling it, and then pushing it - I won't start with a push as I don't want to accidentally open the door into oncoming traffic."
"Next I'll adjust the drivers seat. I'll adjust the seat base so that my leg is still slightly bent when the clutch is fully depressed. Then I'll adjust the seat back and steering wheel so that, with my arms out straight, my wrists rest on the wheel rim."
"Then I'll put on my seatbelt and make sure all my passengers are wearing theirs."
"I'll then adjust my interior mirror. Keeping my right hand on the steering wheel, so that my head remains in the correct place, I'll adjust the mirror with my left hand holding the edge of the mirror so as not to mark it. I'll line up the top edge of the mirror with the top edge of the rear window."
"Next I'll perform a static brake test. I'll press the brake pedal firmly and there should be plenty of resistance in the pedal. If the pedal is spongy or goes to the floor, that could indicate a serious fault with the brakes and I won't take the car any further."
"I'll now press the clutch, put the car into neutral, and start the engine with the clutch depressed. I keep the clutch down whilst starting because this removes the weight of the gearbox from the engine and makes it easier for the starter motor to turn the engine over, especially if it's cold. It also ensures that the car doesn't jump forward or backward if I haven't taken it out of gear properly."
"Then I'll check the instruments and warning lights. I'll make sure there is enough fuel for the journey, check the engine temperature and other gauges, and make sure all the warning lights go out, except for the handbrake light."
"The next items to consider are the vehicles auxiliaries. Starting from left and working across to the right, I'll adjust the nearside mirror, set any heater or air-conditioning controls, consider wipers and headlights, and finish off with the offside door mirror."
"I'm now ready to move off, so I'll check my mirrors, select first gear, check my mirrors again, give a right shoulder check and move off when it's safe."
"I should always remember that no starting drill is complete without a moving brake test. I'll accelerate up to 20MPH, check my mirrors, make sure nothing is close behind and stand by... I'll brake firmly down to 10 MPH, checking that the brakes are pulling firmly and evenly, and it's safe to continue."
The instructors demonstration drive would then continue with full commentary.
A student's starting drill would be exactly the same, but just accompanied with brief or even one-word descriptions...
Exterior check complete
Handbrake
Door
Seat
Seatbelt
Mirror
Static brake test.
Clutch down, into neutral
Start engine with clutch pressed
Check instruments and warning lights
Auxiliaries from left to right
Mirror check, first gear, mirrors and shoulders
Move off when safe
Moving brake test.
Yep that full version is along the lines of the 'narrative' used around these parts.
The former instructor is fascinating to listen to during that instructional commentary you refer to. I never had too much trouble talking-student commentary-but his version and of course his driving (especially when he's making progress)are a league or 2 above my efforts.
Still keep learning and know your limitations works for me.
The former instructor is fascinating to listen to during that instructional commentary you refer to. I never had too much trouble talking-student commentary-but his version and of course his driving (especially when he's making progress)are a league or 2 above my efforts.
Still keep learning and know your limitations works for me.
As long as we always keep up an internal commentary.
Which may indeed become subconscious, yet should not be to such an extent that we can't refer to it, especially if we might have made an error.
That is what marks the proactive rather than reactive driver.
As in so many other areas of life and skills.
Which may indeed become subconscious, yet should not be to such an extent that we can't refer to it, especially if we might have made an error.
That is what marks the proactive rather than reactive driver.
As in so many other areas of life and skills.
Personally I would say that th cockpit drill is useful as a mindset device.
You've just been heavily involved with _____. insert any typical task here, complicated negotiation, argument with the Mrs / Girlfrend /Hell maybe even a loved one! Yes that joke does have whiskers.
However the cockpit drill allows you a few moments to say subconciously to yourself, right, put that behind me, NOW I'm going to drive.
Re commentary while driving like a hooligan, anyone else on here remember the one when a car on training was hooning past an RAF base keeping pace with a C130 Herc which was indulging in some low flying and the presence of which which was included in the commentary?
You've just been heavily involved with _____. insert any typical task here, complicated negotiation, argument with the Mrs / Girlfrend /Hell maybe even a loved one! Yes that joke does have whiskers.
However the cockpit drill allows you a few moments to say subconciously to yourself, right, put that behind me, NOW I'm going to drive.
Re commentary while driving like a hooligan, anyone else on here remember the one when a car on training was hooning past an RAF base keeping pace with a C130 Herc which was indulging in some low flying and the presence of which which was included in the commentary?
Another great post, Reg. I think your posts have done more for my driving over the past few months than anything else. A couple of questions if I may:
1) I notice that your cockpit drill above doesn't include a handbrake test. This is something that we've always included as part of the drill in our group, and its purpose was explained to me once, but I can't remember what it was. I usually just tell associates that they're listening for any strange "boings" or other indications that the cable's about to do something nasty, but that doesn't feel right. Any thoughts?
2) The sequence far-middle-near is fine most of the time, but how do you adjust commentary when you're in fairly heavy traffic, and there's no real far (or even middle) distance view? I find it a particular problem, being low down in the MR2, so how would you adjust the commentary if you were in, say, rush-hour traffic in the Eunos?
1) I notice that your cockpit drill above doesn't include a handbrake test. This is something that we've always included as part of the drill in our group, and its purpose was explained to me once, but I can't remember what it was. I usually just tell associates that they're listening for any strange "boings" or other indications that the cable's about to do something nasty, but that doesn't feel right. Any thoughts?
2) The sequence far-middle-near is fine most of the time, but how do you adjust commentary when you're in fairly heavy traffic, and there's no real far (or even middle) distance view? I find it a particular problem, being low down in the MR2, so how would you adjust the commentary if you were in, say, rush-hour traffic in the Eunos?
Major Bloodnok said:
1) I notice that your cockpit drill above doesn't include a handbrake test. This is something that we've always included as part of the drill in our group, and its purpose was explained to me once, but I can't remember what it was. I usually just tell associates that they're listening for any strange "boings" or other indications that the cable's about to do something nasty, but that doesn't feel right. Any thoughts?
Cockpit drills vary from force to force, but that's the one my force has used for years. It's altered slightly as cars have changed - the centre mirror section, for instance, used to be all three mirrors, but as electrically-adjustable mirrors became more commonplace, and need the ignition to be on before they work, the side mirrors had to be adjusted with the auxiliaries, after the engine had been turned on.It's slightly different for automatic cars, and I'm sure that it'll continue to evolve as cars themselves evolve.
I was going to suggest that a handbrake failure was too obscure an event to include in a starting drill, but then I read this...
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2002410000-2007...
...and reconsidered!
Major Bloodnok said:
2) The sequence far-middle-near is fine most of the time, but how do you adjust commentary when you're in fairly heavy traffic, and there's no real far (or even middle) distance view? I find it a particular problem, being low down in the MR2, so how would you adjust the commentary if you were in, say, rush-hour traffic in the Eunos?
When you're in a busy, built-up area, there is so much going on that you'd have to be some kind of freakish speed-talker to fit in everything. Instead, just concentrate on what is the most relevent. Far distance stuff isn't as relevent in city-driving, but it can be useful in identifying junctions or other situations that might cause you problems in the future. Most of your commentary, however, will centre around what immediate hazards you've got to deal with. Which pedestrians are going to step into the road, which van is going to cut you up, which cyclists are going to be a problem, which delivery vehicle is going to stop with little warning, etc, etc.Just identifying observation links, pointing out the immediate hazards and stating what your plans are should keep your commentary flowing nicely.
BOF said:
Reg,
I have 4 good reports about my RoSPA commentary...now thinking about the IAM Special Assessment.
Any thoughts on the expectations of the Examiner?
I realise that you have had a different preparation...but your comments would be welcomed.
BOF.
One thing that examiners certainly appreciate is an ability to "talk system" through a hazard. Take a straightforward left turn into a minor road, for instance.I have 4 good reports about my RoSPA commentary...now thinking about the IAM Special Assessment.
Any thoughts on the expectations of the Examiner?
I realise that you have had a different preparation...but your comments would be welcomed.
BOF.
"I'm planning to turn left into the junction ahead. I'm taking in information by looking at the junction, the traffic and any warning signs for the junction and by checking the mirrors for following traffic. I'm using that information to formulate a plan and I'm giving information by putting on a left signal for the vehicle behind".
"I'm now adjusting my position towards the best part of the nearside, staying out of the grids."
"I'm now on the speed phase, reducing my speed with progressive, smooth braking."
"Now the speed's correct, I'm selecting second gear."
"I'm now turning into the junction, giving a quick mirror check and applying the correct amount of smooth acceleration to leave the junction."
"In the distance I can see..."
It's often good to throw in a quick 5 phase commentary for simple hazards like a parked car. Remember that the 5 phases of the system only have to be considered for each hazard...
"I'm taking in information about the parked car on the left, looking for feet movements underneath it and for anyone who may open a door, and checking my mirrors."
"I'm adjusting my position out to the offside, leaving at least a doors length between the parked car and me"
"I'm considering my speed and gear, but they're already correct and there is no need for any acceleration."
Another nice flourish to commentary is to make some observation links. They don't have to be immediate, either. If you drive into a rural area, mention that you're expecting to see slow-moving agricultural vehicles or animals in the road. 10 or 15 minutes later, if you see a tractor, mention it "ahead is a slow-moving tractor, as anticipated earlier".
If a car joins the road in front of you, mention that it may turn off in the next mile or so. If it doesn't, then there's no harm done. If it does, then remind the examiner "The car in front is now turning right, as anticipated." Junctions are always a good opportunity for a little link, especially if you're in a line of traffic. "Ahead is a primary route board indicating a junction to the right. I'm anticipating some of the vehicles will turn off." A pound to a penny that at least one will turn off and even if they don't, nothing is lost.
On one of my advanced final drives, *Harumph* years ago, I remember seeing some big dusty tyre tracks on the road, which I linked with a quarry entrance and slow moving tipper trucks. Sure enough, there was a laden tipper round the next corner.
Above all, don't bore them - keep them interested, and don't be afraid of introducing a little humour every now and again.
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