The most difficult aspect of Advanced Driving

[akirk]

It is something i also find difficult, partly because we have so much damage to road edges around here from gravel lorries... You can have a foot or so of damage on the corners...
Alasdair

[Adamxck]

That is the very thing in going to be looking at on my next coaching session.

Pun may or may not have been intended.

[Horse]

Staying nearside long enough on right handers.

I can do it perfectly if I concentrate 100%, but the second I think of something else I drift towards the centre line too early.

I'll master it one day!

Without wanting to sound as if I've nicked SD's crib sheet, but 'slow down more' might be the answer

From my own experience, and 'analysis' of how I assess bends - and the incorrect assumptions resulting - I think it's sometimes a case of being 'suckered.

In particular, 'open' bends which have good view through - but the bend itself is more of two straights linked by a tight kink, rather than a wide radius. The result of the early initial view is an 'open bend' assessment, so higher speed selected. However, that results in the approach being too fast for the 'kink' bend, requiring an early turn-in.

Here's an example: https://goo.gl/maps/mv3RFPqAQvP2

Heading N from Overton, there's often a good view over the hedges to see the first half of the sequence of bends as the road heads out of the 30 into NSL, then downhill to the first RH bend, with a view across to the next straight and following left. Suckered.

Look at the overhead view - it's actually a 'kink'.

speed selection for a bend - unless you have full view of the entire road and environs - must be low enough that you can travel through the bend tracking parallel to the left verge.

IMHO anyway

[R_U_LOCAL]

Thanks for the advice chaps, but I know what the problem is.

I know where to look, how to assess the bend and where to position. I know where to turn in, apply the throttle and how to stay on the correct line.

It's a concentration issue more than anything. If I give it my full attention my line will be bob on, but move some of my attention on to something else and my cornering line will suffer. It doesn't happen with anything else (except, perhaps occasionally with my following position), and it doesn't happen on left-handers.

But for some reason my natural "default" line for right handers is more similar to a traditional racing line than the accepted best line for cornering on the road. Give it my full attention and it'll be textbook. Start thinking about something else and I fall back to my default line.

A couple of years ago I almost decided not to bother trying to change the habit any more, but I know the benefits of the road line and I teach it myself, so in the end I decided to try to stick with it. I'll have been driving for 30 years in just over 12 months. Maybe I'll have mastered it by then!

[Horse]

. . . but I know what the problem is.

It's a concentration issue more than anything. If I give it my full attention my line will be bob on, but move some of my attention on to something else . . . Start thinking about something else and I fall back to my default line.

So it's a common problem for you: you're distracted. Isn't it a bit odd that - presumably - that happens so consistently on bends?

There's a bike racing instructor called Keith Code who, about 30 years ago, introduced the idea of your $10 of concentration. Like all of our financial dealings, we can only have a limited amount of cash and at best get to choose where to spend it.

You're making the wrong choice. So what's distracting you? Well, you certainly don't have enough concentration to monitor and maintain both lateral position while looking ahead. JC has talked about using both foveal vision (central eye, detail) for looking through the corner and peripheral (edge, shapes) vision to monitor your lateral position.

But you're spending too much on foveal vision and direction, you don't have any $reserve to use monitoring and maintaining the ideal line.

And the simplest way of reducing mental workload is to spread it out. Well, the road won't do that for you, it's a fixed distance, width and number of hazards. The only thing you can do is to change the speed at which you encounter it all, so do the same amount of concentration over a longer period of time. That, of course, is achieved very easily.

Slow down.

[R_U_LOCAL]

Slow down.

No chance.

Death before deceleration!

[Horse]

Slow down.

No chance.

Death before deceleration!

Quite often (though strictly rationed to one event per person) the death is a result of violent deceleration; )

[Horse]

& PS: I do get the irony of giving you advice

[R_U_LOCAL]

& PS: I do get the irony of giving you advice

Not at all - there's always more to learn.

I am aware of Keith Code though - I've read some of his stuff about improving peripheral vision. Very interesting.

[waremark]

& PS: I do get the irony of giving you advice

So you do know who (in terms of driving background ) you are talking to?