Should the advanced driving forum be renamed driving skills?

[R_U_LOCAL]

In the "Advanced Driving" forum, I recently asked the question What exactly is an advanced driver?

After quite a few differing replies, it became clear that "advanced" driving seems to have quite a serious image problem. I summed it up as follows:

In another thread Reg said:

We're on a motoring enthusiasts forum populated by thousands of petrolheads. There are countless threads from people asking what faster or better car they should get next, or how to modify their car to make it faster, or what high performance tyres to choose etc.

But have a look at the post counts on the "Gassing Station" page. There are more posts in the "Home cinema and hi-fi" and the "All creatures great and small" forums than there are on the advanced driving forum.

Are PHers actually more interested in surround sound and dog grooming than becoming better drivers? I'm sure, on the whole, that they are not, so there probably is quite a serious image problem with what is traditionally labelled as "advanced driving".

Now, my view is that there is nothing wrong with enjoying driving our cars just for the sake of it, and that's probably where "advanced driving" is letting itself down. It seems to be promoted as safe and serious and sensible, when it can also be enjoyable, challenging and spirited - exactly the things which should attract keen drivers and car enthusiasts.

The subject needs lightening up a bit - not without losing any of the key principles of course - but with a view to attracting more people, especially enthusiasts, to the idea that becoming a better driver is just as satisfying and enjoyable as getting a better car or improving your current one.

Aside from my road driving, I've become a (very amateur) trackday enthusiast in the last couple of years, so it would be nice to discuss track skills, racing tachniques, rally driving, off-road skills, auto testing and other, broader aspects of car control and motorsport techniques.

I know these different disciplines are discussed elsewhere on PH, but it would be nice to have a broader forum just for driving skills of all kind - including road driving - to be discussed.

So what do you think? Would you dip into and contribute to a "driving skills" sub forum? Are you put of by its current "advanced driving" title?

Any thoughts?

[soad]

Isn't there enough sub forums already?

[R_U_LOCAL]

soad said:

Isn't there enough sub forums already?

Sorry - should have made it clearer. I meant should the advanced driving sub forum be renamed as the driving skills forum. So not another new one - just a wider remit and a new title.

[Tickle]

I think I know what you mean...

The phrase 'driving god' gets thrown into threads when people discuss heel & toe, throttle position, trail braking etc.

But wont driver skill be be covered in the track day and advanced driving sections?

I did vote 'yes' BTW, as I think improving you knowledge or passing it on can only be a good thing, as this is apparently a motoring enthusiasts website.

[Benbay001]

Im on the fence.
I wont answer the thread because i dont want to hit "couldnt care less" thats not true.
I couldnt care more!
Id love to change the perception of advanced driving amongst car enthusiasts.

[kambites]

No there shouldn't be a sub-forum for it because it should be one of the larger elements of what the whole site is about. It's strange but there are a significant number of people on here who look down upon any sort of actual interest in driving, be it car control, road-craft, or anything else. I've no idea what such people are doing on a site like Pistonheads, but there's an amazing number of them.

I'm not convinced you can really be a car enthusiast without also wanting to be the best driver you can be. I find the sort of inverse snobbery that many on here attach to trying to improve one's driving both sad and rather worrying.

Edited by kambites on Sunday 18th May 21:54

[Kinky]

No.

[Blakewater]

I've come across snickering on here at the people on the advanced driving forum in the past as being a bit nerdish. If the forum is more about driving skills then more people will feel it's open to them and not just steering wheel shuffling pedants. If they then see that advanced driving courses can be fun and satisfying as well as beneficial, they may feel they want to have a go at taking part in one as well.

[GarageQueen]

I think thats a great idea and much more suitable

[Kinky]

Blakewater said:

I've come across snickering on here at the people on the advanced driving forum in the past as being a bit nerdish. If the forum is more about driving skills then more people will feel it's open to them and not just steering wheel shuffling pedants. If they then see that advanced driving courses can be fun and satisfying as well as beneficial, they may feel they want to have a go at taking part in one as well.

Exactly - got it in one

Which is exactly why there won't be any forum split

[Silent1]

Kinky said:

Blakewater said:

I've come across snickering on here at the people on the advanced driving forum in the past as being a bit nerdish. If the forum is more about driving skills then more people will feel it's open to them and not just steering wheel shuffling pedants. If they then see that advanced driving courses can be fun and satisfying as well as beneficial, they may feel they want to have a go at taking part in one as well.

Exactly - got it in one

Which is exactly why there won't be any forum split

i think he's just talking about a re-name?

[Kinky]

Where have you sprung up from?

No - he's asking for a sub-forum

[0a]

A great idea - the "advanced driving" title gives all the wrong signals when it should be about all of us improving our driving.

[R_U_LOCAL]

Silent1 said:

Kinky said:

Blakewater said:

I've come across snickering on here at the people on the advanced driving forum in the past as being a bit nerdish. If the forum is more about driving skills then more people will feel it's open to them and not just steering wheel shuffling pedants. If they then see that advanced driving courses can be fun and satisfying as well as beneficial, they may feel they want to have a go at taking part in one as well.

Exactly - got it in one

Which is exactly why there won't be any forum split

i think he's just talking about a re-name?

Got it in one. Just a rename in an attempt to encourage a little more interest from people who wouldn't normally visit the advanced driving forum due to an excessively flat cappish, beardy, pipe smoking image.

Driving skills - smoking tyres and pipes since 2014.

[Kinky]

In which case the poll title is mis-leading and therefore so are the results

[Riley Blue]

If you were seeking to improve your driving skills, wouldn't you ask for advice in a forum entitled Advanced Driving? It's not the name that's wrong, just (non) users' perception that needs changing.

[R_U_LOCAL]

Kinky said:

In which case the poll title is mis-leading and therefore so are the results

There is a limit on characters in the title/question box, so I foolishly thought that voters would read my post and understand the question before voting.

No sweat - just trying to generate a little more interest in driving from members of a motoring forum.

Edited to add - I've changed the title question as best I can. Not sure how that affects the validity of the poll result?

Edited by R_U_LOCAL on Sunday 18th May 22:35

[GarageQueen]

0a said:

A great idea - the "advanced driving" title gives all the wrong signals when it should be about all of us improving our driving.

+1

[Silent1]

Kinky said:

Where have you sprung up from?

No - he's asking for a sub-forum

From the seventh circle of hell it feels like!

[Kinky]

Silent1 said:

From the seventh circle of hell it feels like!

Knowing you, it won't be too far from the truth