Improving driving skills

Improving driving skills

Author
Discussion

clunkbox

Original Poster:

237 posts

139 months

Wednesday 12th September 2012
quotequote all
I've been driving for 8 years, and for the past 6 I've been clocking up a lot of miles (at lot of them Scottish highlands as opposed to motorway plodding). I've noticed in the past few years that my skills have started to plateau (if not get worse!), and I've picked up my fair share of bad habits too. I think I'm a reasonable driver, in terms of being able to drive quickly and safely but I don't have much frame of reference to assess it on, so I'm sure I'm not as good as I think I am!

What would be the best way to go about improving my driving? I'm not overflowing with time and money, but I would considering doing a course/assessment at some point in the future. Are there any inexpensive courses which would help? IAM / HPC? HPC interests me more but looks expensive? Not to offend anyone but IAM has always seemed to me like old guys in flat caps pottering around at 50 mph*. Not that I want to I want to drive recklessly on public roads, but I want to be able to drive enthusiastically without putting myself or anybody else in danger - whether this is quicker or slower than I currently drive I less important.

I've got the roadcraft book, which I haven't looked at for years but I'll dig it out of the box and give it another read. I've not done any track time, but would like to at some point, although since I drive an 320d estate it's not exactly a track monster. Saying that I'm more interested in improving my on road skills.

Edit * I'm sure an IAM course would be useful to me though.

Edited by clunkbox on Wednesday 12th September 13:39

S. Gonzales Esq.

2,556 posts

211 months

Wednesday 12th September 2012
quotequote all
Hello - you're in a common situation, but happily are in the minority that are prepared to look for help to improve. Unfortunately no driver can ever be perfect, but you can have a lot of fun trying to get as close as possible.

HPC membership is a good thing to aim for, but the entry course is fairly demanding. If you've not had any further training after the DSA test there's almost no chance of even being able take the course, let alone be recommended for membership.

Your best first step is likely to be either private coaching or an IAM / RoSPA course. Which is most suitable for you will depend on budget and location - IAM and RoSPA groups are run by volunteers and naturally vary in their level of 'enthusiast' input. You can use PH or ADUK to ask if anyone has local knowledge.

Rest assured that not all IAM members fit the stereotype, and that a very large number of HPC members are also involved with their local IAM / RoSPA groups.

clunkbox

Original Poster:

237 posts

139 months

Wednesday 12th September 2012
quotequote all
Thanks,

I think the best plan is to do an IAM / Rospa course in the near future, and depending on how that goes think about doing HPC in a year or so. Can anybody recommend a course / instructor in / near central Scotland?

DeadMeat_UK

3,058 posts

281 months

Wednesday 12th September 2012
quotequote all
I got to the same point (For me I think it was an age/complacency thing coupled with driving cars with less manual input and feedback).

An IAM course sorted me out.

clunkbox

Original Poster:

237 posts

139 months

Wednesday 12th September 2012
quotequote all
Yeah, that sounds about right. Between driving more capable cars and being more sensible (being on 9 points will do that) I found I'm not longer pushing myself or the car on the road. Not that that's a bad thing but it also meant I was no longer learning anything, and like you said, getting complacent.

trashbat

6,005 posts

152 months

Wednesday 12th September 2012
quotequote all
IAM can be all about making progress - going as quickly as safety and legality allows. In my experience it was like that some of the time, and then come the exam, quite focused on it. Your experience will depend on your local group and the observer(s) you are given.

In either case, you may get flat caps but certainly not a '50mph max' ethos. What you may find is it is centred around all sorts of other things you are less interested in.

Also there is no point reading Roadcraft without doing tuition; it appears to be a book of common sense and obviousness. You can read it tonight and think, 'but of course you would do this'. Its value only becomes apparent when (a) you understand where each bit fits on a scale of importance, and (b) someone assesses you and you discover you're not doing most of those things properly.

Edited by trashbat on Wednesday 12th September 16:22

clunkbox

Original Poster:

237 posts

139 months

Wednesday 12th September 2012
quotequote all
The more I think about it the fact that IAM may be more centred around things I'm not interested in may be a good thing - it stands to reason those are the things I could stand to improve the most! Urban driving is probably my weak point to be honest.

johnao

667 posts

242 months

Wednesday 12th September 2012
quotequote all
trashbat said:
...you may get flat caps but certainly not a '50mph max' ethos.
Exactly right. I would add that the examiners are tasked with ensuring that the candidate can quickly get up to the national speed limit and maintain that speed where safe to do so. Driving along at 50mph when it was perfectly safe to do 60mph would, if done throughout the test, undoubtedly result in a test fail.

Where does this perception of bimbling along at 50mph max come from?

clunkbox

Original Poster:

237 posts

139 months

Wednesday 12th September 2012
quotequote all
johnao said:
Exactly right. I would add that the examiners are tasked with ensuring that the candidate can quickly get up to the national speed limit and maintain that speed where safe to do so. Driving along at 50mph when it was perfectly safe to do 60mph would, if done throughout the test, undoubtedly result in a test fail.

Where does this perception of bimbling along at 50mph max come from?
Don't know to be honest!

Peng

17 posts

169 months

Wednesday 12th September 2012
quotequote all
If you are Central Scotland then the Group I am a member of will probably be your nearest IAM Group. http://www.forthvalleyiam.org.uk/

If you want a chat to see if an IAM course is for you (I'm sure it will be) and to learn more about our Group then drop me a PM and I can give you more info. Look forward to hearing from you.

anonymous-user

53 months

Wednesday 12th September 2012
quotequote all
RoSPA / IAM is a great place to start

Do consider mixing it up with something like a trackday with instruction. There is a lot to learn on the track that, whilst it can help improve road driving, isn't practical to practice / teach on the road.

clunkbox

Original Poster:

237 posts

139 months

Thursday 13th September 2012
quotequote all
Cheers Everybody.

Giving some serious thought doing Drivecheck / full with IAM.

DeadMeat_UK

3,058 posts

281 months

Thursday 13th September 2012
quotequote all
clunkbox said:
johnao said:
Exactly right. I would add that the examiners are tasked with ensuring that the candidate can quickly get up to the national speed limit and maintain that speed where safe to do so. Driving along at 50mph when it was perfectly safe to do 60mph would, if done throughout the test, undoubtedly result in a test fail.

Where does this perception of bimbling along at 50mph max come from?
Don't know to be honest!
I got congratulated for 3 overtakes during my test. My observer absolutely hated bimblers. They are the exact people they want to target to get through IAM to unclog the roads.

I am also much more efficient through roundabouts and hazards (and I don't mean in a track day leaning on the tyres sense)

R0G

4,984 posts

154 months

Thursday 13th September 2012
quotequote all
Peng said:
If you are Central Scotland then the Group I am a member of will probably be your nearest IAM Group. http://www.forthvalleyiam.org.uk/

If you want a chat to see if an IAM course is for you (I'm sure it will be) and to learn more about our Group then drop me a PM and I can give you more info. Look forward to hearing from you.
If that group is like ours then you will probably get a free assessment before paying anything

S2Mike

3,065 posts

149 months

Thursday 13th September 2012
quotequote all
Not wishing to dumb down this thread, but my son is currently learning to drive and has the Hazard Perception DVDs , that you can get from WH Smith or second hand off flea bay. I had a sneaky go when he wasn't looking. made interesting findings.
As driving skill ( actually controlling the car ) is only a small part of driving capability, perception of dangerous situations can make all the difference.
As we have been driving for several years, maybe the awareness of dangers decreases, a test like these is an inexpensive experience.
Hope this helps, and not intended to offend in any way.
I am an ex-driving instructor, but still got a few "tips" from this.

R0G

4,984 posts

154 months

Thursday 13th September 2012
quotequote all
S2Mike said:
Not wishing to dumb down this thread, but my son is currently learning to drive and has the Hazard Perception DVDs , that you can get from WH Smith or second hand off flea bay. I had a sneaky go when he wasn't looking. made interesting findings.
As driving skill ( actually controlling the car ) is only a small part of driving capability, perception of dangerous situations can make all the difference.
As we have been driving for several years, maybe the awareness of dangers decreases, a test like these is an inexpensive experience.
Hope this helps, and not intended to offend in any way.
I am an ex-driving instructor, but still got a few "tips" from this.
The HPT is not fit for purpose - that is a quote from the DSA heads when they came to a consultation meeting in leicester a few years ago

MC Bodge

21,552 posts

174 months

Saturday 22nd September 2012
quotequote all
johnao said:
Driving along at 50mph when it was perfectly safe to do 60mph would, if done throughout the test, undoubtedly result in a test fail.
That may be so, although driving along at 60mph where 'perfectly safe to do so' could result in a fine and points on your licence on many of the roads around here....


johnao said:
Where does this perception of bimbling along at 50mph max come from?
That's probably just an exaggeration to emphasise the point, but IAM and other groups can't condone exceeding the speed limit, even on roads with excellent surfaces and fantastic limits of observation. Driving around the Highlands could conceivably be done comfortably at significantly >60mph without any accidents.

I'd love to be able to do a high performance (& speeds in excess of the limit) road driving course, but other than by joining an emergency, law enforcement or military service, this is unlikely to happen.

I'm intrigued by HPC. I'm not sure what the criteria for entry actually are. Having experienced IAM/RoAdar and only having reservations about some of the very specific control methods, rather than the driving philosophy (and not having any glaringly obvious problems with my driving), I'd be interested in experiencing 'HPC' driving standards.

Edited by MC Bodge on Monday 24th September 11:28

johnao

667 posts

242 months

Saturday 22nd September 2012
quotequote all
MC Bodge said:
... I'd be interested in experiencing 'HPC' driving standards.
I would suggest that you put your name down for the next ADUK Driving Day near to you and ask to be paired with an HPC member and/or, have a look at the ADUK mentor list and see if there is a mentor in your area who is a member of HPC.

Shandy81

137 posts

153 months

Saturday 22nd September 2012
quotequote all
clunkbox said:
I've been driving for 8 years, and for the past 6 I've been clocking up a lot of miles (at lot of them Scottish highlands as opposed to motorway plodding). I've noticed in the past few years that my skills have started to plateau (if not get worse!), and I've picked up my fair share of bad habits too. I think I'm a reasonable driver, in terms of being able to drive quickly and safely but I don't have much frame of reference to assess it on, so I'm sure I'm not as good as I think I am!

What would be the best way to go about improving my driving? I'm not overflowing with time and money, but I would considering doing a course/assessment at some point in the future. Are there any inexpensive courses which would help? IAM / HPC? HPC interests me more but looks expensive? Not to offend anyone but IAM has always seemed to me like old guys in flat caps pottering around at 50 mph*. Not that I want to I want to drive recklessly on public roads, but I want to be able to drive enthusiastically without putting myself or anybody else in danger - whether this is quicker or slower than I currently drive I less important.

I've got the roadcraft book, which I haven't looked at for years but I'll dig it out of the box and give it another read. I've not done any track time, but would like to at some point, although since I drive an 320d estate it's not exactly a track monster. Saying that I'm more interested in improving my on road skills.

Edit * I'm sure an IAM course would be useful to me though.

Edited by clunkbox on Wednesday 12th September 13:39
Hi

I am a member of HPC based in Arbroath, so not that far from you, my father is also an HPC member. Either one of us would be delighted to meet with you for a drive to give you a flavour of what HPC is all about. If it were of interest, we can in a way, help prepare you for taking your entry course.

If you are interested, please do drop me a PM and we can take it from there.

Cheers

Scott

clunkbox

Original Poster:

237 posts

139 months

Monday 1st October 2012
quotequote all
Thanks for the may offers of going out for a drive smile I'll take one of you up on it when I have the time!