EasyShifter wrote:I does seem strange that so many people complain of not enjoying driving and yet advanced driving is not perceived as a way of addressing that. If I have to do something every day and I find it stressful, then surely finding a way of making it at least tolerable if not enjoyable is worth trying?
Another possibility - that I've recently suggested to IAM Roadsmart in an email but await a response - is to try and appeal to the large number of drivers (and their employers/managers) whose work routinely requires them to make progress safely but without the exemptions of emergency service drivers. There are many such drivers in, for example, the NHS, Social Services and other areas where urgent needs arise and community staff attend in their own vehicles, often under real pressure to get there quickly.
I was one of those staff (community mental health) and as far as I'm aware none of the others I knew had done any advanced training - but the skill of maximising legal and safe progress certainly stood me in good stead on numerous drives through town and country to attend patients in urgent need.
A course such as this would obviously look at the planning and anticipation aspects, but also the human factors like red mist and noble cause risk taking.
I can't help thinking that the IAM and RoADAR should be exploring areas such as that as part of their workplace training packages.
everything you say here makes sense...
but...
it just doesn't gel with current perception and thinking:
- speed is seen as evil - the very fact that we have twisted the English language so that speed / speeding is seen as a negative word - to have negative connotations - in reality, if I am driving at 3 mph I have speed / am utilising speed (speeding) - the correct use of the word has been ditched to give a very strong negative which makes it difficult to reclaim the word...
- so we use the word progress instead as a way of communicating our philosophy - but that has issues in that it implies priority / making progress at the cost of others making progress - and sounds selfish and entitled...
I think that is why the IAM is rapidly moving to an organisation which is all about road safety as it feels that it is the only thing it can talk about out in the open - if you look at their facebook posts it is all about winter tyres and car mechanics and driving safely - totally and completely dumbed down - yes, those are valid, but virtually nothing in their current stream of social media is promoting actual advanced driving - there is very little on observation leading to being able to manage the road better / to handling corners better / to making better progress...
It is a very defensive attitude - advanced driving is now becoming about not crashing / avoiding issues - rather than pushing forwards skills etc. - hence the big change to ADUK ownership... Personally I don't see that as being the correct angle for IAM - but it seems that they are going that way in their public brand / profile - and they are increasing their 'driver training' while annoying their traditional membership etc. - in 10 years, will they simply be a commercial driver training organisation rather than an AD charity? Very possible!
Alasdair
