IAM - brisk driving?
Discussion
Sorry for the long post.
Over the past few weeks I have been having observed drives in preparation for taking the IAM ‘test’. During this time I have started 3 related posts on PH.
The first post expressed my concern that my IAM observer was requiring me to drive too slowly. Although he encouraged me to drive at the speed limit when possible (not that I needed encouragement to do this) he criticised what he referred to as my ‘boy racer tendency’ to ‘race away’ from traffic lights and roundabouts. Although I dramatically reduced the amount of acceleration that I was using he occasionally felt I was ‘still too fast’. As I realised that to past the IAM ‘test’ I would have to adhere to their standards I kept my acceleration well in check. Incidentally I am 59 and drive a 2002 2 litre Accord, so hardly the typical ‘boy-racer’! I have a full head of (brown) hair and don’t wear a hat, so I don’t even look like the general perception of the older Honda driver.
My second post was regarding overtaking on single-carriageway A-roads and how rarely it is possible to overtake safely and also keep within the speed limit.
My final related post as whether there was any point in owning a fast car in Britain today. A predicable reply was “to drive fast!”. But where on public roads? The answer seems to be – only worthwhile if the driver is prepared to break the speed limits?
I am not a saint – I do keep to 30 & 40 limits, and most 50s, but have been known to ignore 60s & 70s. In 38 years of driving I have had a number of speeding convictions – all on dual-carriageways or motorways (never in road-works) in good conditions with little traffic. Maximum alleged speed has been 105mph on a deserted M11 at 5.30 on a dry summer’s morning in 1988 – I was banned for that. My last offence was in Nov. 2003 in an Audi A4 1.8T on an empty dual-carriageway in S.Wales – 94mph recorded by a mobile speed-camera. Never had more than 6 points at any one time though.
So what would I gain by buying a faster car than that which I own now? Certainly not reduced journey times. So just image and higher running costs? No thanks.
On Saturday I took my IAM ‘test’ and passed. I am both pleased and disappointed. As was once said (by Groucho Marx?) “I wouldn’t want to join a club that will have me as a member”. If my current standard of driving merits a pass then the standard is lower than I thought. Apart from using less acceleration and separating braking and gear-changes I have changed little in my driving style since starting with the IAM. Maybe I’m a better driver than I think, but that’s not a very male attitude!
During the de-brief after the test the ‘examiner’ mentioned my tendency to “rush away from lights, junctions and roundabouts”. WTF! I had deliberately kept my rate of acceleration VERY low and felt that I was holding up other drivers unnecessary. Indeed on two occasions these drivers felt that they had to eventually overtake me at unsafe locations despite the fact that I was then travelling at the prevailing 40 speed limit. I believe that ‘making progress’ should mean gaining speed briskly as well as driving at the speed limit where possible. The insistence on using ‘acceleration sense’ followed by gentle braking, followed by a separate gear change when entering a corner also frustrates following drivers. I still can’t see the problem, on a dry straight section of road, in combining braking with a downward gear-change before a corner. I am not suggesting hard acceleration away from every stop and harsh braking before every corner but a more ‘brisk’ manner of driving than was advocated during my contact with the IAM method of driving would seem to be in order.
Over the past few weeks I have been having observed drives in preparation for taking the IAM ‘test’. During this time I have started 3 related posts on PH.
The first post expressed my concern that my IAM observer was requiring me to drive too slowly. Although he encouraged me to drive at the speed limit when possible (not that I needed encouragement to do this) he criticised what he referred to as my ‘boy racer tendency’ to ‘race away’ from traffic lights and roundabouts. Although I dramatically reduced the amount of acceleration that I was using he occasionally felt I was ‘still too fast’. As I realised that to past the IAM ‘test’ I would have to adhere to their standards I kept my acceleration well in check. Incidentally I am 59 and drive a 2002 2 litre Accord, so hardly the typical ‘boy-racer’! I have a full head of (brown) hair and don’t wear a hat, so I don’t even look like the general perception of the older Honda driver.
My second post was regarding overtaking on single-carriageway A-roads and how rarely it is possible to overtake safely and also keep within the speed limit.
My final related post as whether there was any point in owning a fast car in Britain today. A predicable reply was “to drive fast!”. But where on public roads? The answer seems to be – only worthwhile if the driver is prepared to break the speed limits?
I am not a saint – I do keep to 30 & 40 limits, and most 50s, but have been known to ignore 60s & 70s. In 38 years of driving I have had a number of speeding convictions – all on dual-carriageways or motorways (never in road-works) in good conditions with little traffic. Maximum alleged speed has been 105mph on a deserted M11 at 5.30 on a dry summer’s morning in 1988 – I was banned for that. My last offence was in Nov. 2003 in an Audi A4 1.8T on an empty dual-carriageway in S.Wales – 94mph recorded by a mobile speed-camera. Never had more than 6 points at any one time though.
So what would I gain by buying a faster car than that which I own now? Certainly not reduced journey times. So just image and higher running costs? No thanks.
On Saturday I took my IAM ‘test’ and passed. I am both pleased and disappointed. As was once said (by Groucho Marx?) “I wouldn’t want to join a club that will have me as a member”. If my current standard of driving merits a pass then the standard is lower than I thought. Apart from using less acceleration and separating braking and gear-changes I have changed little in my driving style since starting with the IAM. Maybe I’m a better driver than I think, but that’s not a very male attitude!
During the de-brief after the test the ‘examiner’ mentioned my tendency to “rush away from lights, junctions and roundabouts”. WTF! I had deliberately kept my rate of acceleration VERY low and felt that I was holding up other drivers unnecessary. Indeed on two occasions these drivers felt that they had to eventually overtake me at unsafe locations despite the fact that I was then travelling at the prevailing 40 speed limit. I believe that ‘making progress’ should mean gaining speed briskly as well as driving at the speed limit where possible. The insistence on using ‘acceleration sense’ followed by gentle braking, followed by a separate gear change when entering a corner also frustrates following drivers. I still can’t see the problem, on a dry straight section of road, in combining braking with a downward gear-change before a corner. I am not suggesting hard acceleration away from every stop and harsh braking before every corner but a more ‘brisk’ manner of driving than was advocated during my contact with the IAM method of driving would seem to be in order.
Don said:
You may think it was easy. Chances are, for *you*, it was! Some people pass in just four Observed drives! There are many more who require ten, twelve and more drives and still remain "borderline".
Thanks for all your comments. I had 5 observed drives and the last one as at my request as the observer was happy after 4.
Perhaps thinking I am not good enough is the right attitude - at least it encourages me to carry on learning!
Don said:
Philbes said:
Perhaps thinking I am not good enough is the right attitude - at least it encourages me to carry on learning!
There is always more to learn. And the process of doing so is great fun!
Any suggestions from anyone as to any course I could now take to further improve my driving? I'm not interested in track driving I just want to be as good a driver as possible (by who's definition?) on the public roads.
quote "Teach people the skills they need to anticipate what may happen in the real world, not how to remain within the law. Speed limits are the law, they don't teach you how to anticipate."
The two aren't mutually exclusive. You can anticipate and stay within the speed limit. You don't have to break the limit to be a driver who can anticipate.
Damn, I sounded like VH then.
The two aren't mutually exclusive. You can anticipate and stay within the speed limit. You don't have to break the limit to be a driver who can anticipate.
Damn, I sounded like VH then.
Philbes said:
Don said:
Philbes said:
Perhaps thinking I am not good enough is the right attitude - at least it encourages me to carry on learning!
There is always more to learn. And the process of doing so is great fun!
Any suggestions from anyone as to any course I could now take to further improve my driving? I'm not interested in track driving I just want to be as good a driver as possible (by who's definition?) on the public roads.
I'm now considering RideDrive for further training. I thought their description of the IAM as Institute for Average Drivers was rather unnecessary though.
Gassing Station | Advanced Driving | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff