Advanced Driving Hub

I remember asking him, in a conversational way, what his background was. He didn't mention police, although of course he might have formerly been.

The RoADAR website still says "all" but it was my understanding - as suggested by Chris, that there might be a few from other Emergency Services, and perhaps even the odd civilian creeping in. Certainly the standards are changing - the ES requirement used to be Police Advanced, but I was actually present on the occasion when the new standards were explained to the former Chief Examiner, and that section of the wording on the website has now changed ...

I stand corrected. Not sure how I feel about it, but corrected nonetheless. Is this just another example of declining standards? Or is it simply pragmatic because the pool from which to choose is that much smaller?

My examiner wasn't just a advanced police driver, he was also a examiner for the police driving & motorcycling, he retired 4 yeas ago, my test was a 90 minutes drive.

The pool is getting much smaller. Traffic sections are being cut, and driving schools all over the country are closing. Wiltshire used to be one of the biggest and best known - now gone. Standard response is a better standard than it used to be, so fewer advanced courses are taking place (slight conjecture on my part, but we know who we can ask...), and more and more coppers view driving as just a job rather than a pleasure, so less likely to put time in outside the job to help others.

Mr Cholmondeley-Warner wrote:The pool is getting much smaller. Traffic sections are being cut, and driving schools all over the country are closing. Wiltshire used to be one of the biggest and best known - now gone. Standard response is a better standard than it used to be, so fewer advanced courses are taking place (slight conjecture on my part, but we know who we can ask...), and more and more coppers view driving as just a job rather than a pleasure, so less likely to put time in outside the job to help others.

I think that pretty much hits the nail on the head , when I was driving in the 70's 80's and 90's there was always a "jam sandwich " to be seen and normally on my rear bumper and appearing from nowhere, not any more...A bit of a rarity now.

I stopped posting on the forum, but just an update and some closure for those who cared and followed the start of my journey. I had my first test today finally (more kidney surgery and the birth of daughter number 2 intervened in the last few months). I'm pleased to say the result was a Gold. I shan't share the examiner's comments but suffice to say I'm a very happy chap today after the feedback I received. Onwards and upwards...

I was wondering how you had done - well done, you must be thrilled!

Alasdair

akirk wrote:I was wondering how you had done - well done, you must be thrilled!

Alasdair

Thanks very much Alasdair, all the hard work paid off.

Very well done.