The most difficult aspect of Advanced Driving

Topics relating to Advanced Driving in cars
Gareth
Posts: 980
Joined: Mon Sep 28, 2015 2:44 pm
Location: Berkshire
Contact:

Re: The most difficult aspect of Advanced Driving

Postby Gareth » Tue Oct 06, 2015 6:58 am

jcochrane wrote:For me it makes no difference if I commute to London, pop down to the shops or on good roads in Wales every drive I try to drive my best and if things don't work out quite right I try to learn from the experience. I can never understand how a practice drive can be separated from any drive, so I would agree with SD on this.

OK, I'd better hold my hands up.

This coming weekend I shall be spending some time driving in Wales with my wife. For me the main purpose is to practise in an environment that will present different challenges to those I face in my every-day driving. There are other reasons that encourage me to go, including that it will be huge fun, and there will be a social aspect as we'll be meeting and driving with a few others, and maybe the meals will be good.

It's hard to separate the first two, the practising and the fun, since for me they go hand in hand - I probably wouldn't be fanatical about driving if I didn't find it lots of fun as well, but the fun won't and doesn't come from trying to go as fast as possible, from treating roads like race tracks, instead it comes from trying to drive as well as I can. The highs will be if I drive well, the lows if I don't.

I wouldn't bother going just for the social aspect, and I certainly CBA going for the food. I probably won't be drinking alcohol since I find even a small amount in an evening leaves me feeling slightly fuzzy the next morning, (and I don't want anything to interfere with my opportunity to practise driving), although I know some of my companions will take a different view.

I don't know why my companions will be there; each person will have their own reasons. For me, though, it's (almost) all about the driving.
Last edited by Gareth on Tue Oct 06, 2015 12:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
there is only the road, nothing but the road ...

User avatar
jcochrane
Posts: 627
Joined: Mon Sep 28, 2015 9:53 pm
Location: Surrey-Kent borders and wherever good driving roads are.

Re: The most difficult aspect of Advanced Driving

Postby jcochrane » Tue Oct 06, 2015 7:17 am

My reasons are pretty much the same as yours. The fun of driving is foremost with the added interest of driving on new roads. Speed in itself holds no interest for me and I most enjoy fast, technical roads requiring a good range of speed as I find them the most engaging and results in the wonderful feeling when you, the car and road come together and you drive with an almost out of body feeling. Totally absorbed in the drive.
Last edited by jcochrane on Tue Oct 06, 2015 7:51 pm, edited 3 times in total.

gannet
Posts: 184
Joined: Mon Sep 28, 2015 10:23 am

Re: The most difficult aspect of Advanced Driving

Postby gannet » Tue Oct 06, 2015 9:09 am

StressedDave wrote:
gannet wrote:
jont- wrote:A couple of years ago I was mostly using public transport or cycling to work. I'd go out to practice/drive for fun, because otherwise I wouldn't have been driving at all (and with wales on the doorstep, it would have been rude not to!).

apart from the Wales bit... that's me.

I do however try to drive my best regardless of journey - but it is still tailored to the passenger - mrs gannet likes to take in the scenery a little more that I do...

Yes, but she will get more scenery to view if you drive with a little more verve.

well that could be taken two ways...

you ain't seen my drive for a while either :P ...

User avatar
StressedDave
Posts: 428
Joined: Mon Sep 28, 2015 8:27 am

Re: The most difficult aspect of Advanced Driving

Postby StressedDave » Tue Oct 06, 2015 10:41 am

I was thinking purely of the temporal nature here. Provided you're pointing at the scenery rather than expecting Mrs G to be looking out of the side window all the time, then more will be visible in less of a blur.

I wasn't for one second suggesting that you were lacking in pace/progress/whatever the PC term is at the moment. Although that might be the case... :mrgreen:
All posts are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Do what you like with it, just don't make money off it.

Faboka
Posts: 12
Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2015 8:37 pm

Re: The most difficult aspect of Advanced Driving

Postby Faboka » Tue Oct 06, 2015 8:08 pm

Corner entry speed for slow corners such as junctions. Lately I find I'm always still braking going into the corner. "Technically"' I'm putting more weight of the front wheels and as a result increasing grip....assuming I'm not way past the grip levels :( but at 10mph I don't think trail braking is really needed.
John

Rick448
Posts: 56
Joined: Sun Oct 04, 2015 8:48 pm
Location: Hessle

Re: The most difficult aspect of Advanced Driving

Postby Rick448 » Tue Oct 06, 2015 9:03 pm

2 things really. One being that old chestnut of BGOL. After mastering not doing it I'm now very happy to do it when I feel like it, I don't feel the need to shout out "it was part of my plan" either. I think it's a skill which people can use if they wish but I don't really think it's anything majorly important compared with other elements of whatever system or part thereof people choose to use.

Secondly, the need of some people to massively over complicate and analyse simple elements of driving. There can seem to be an almost AD snobbery about how many elements are needed to do any simple thing. If driving was so hard we would have thousands of accidents a day, and we don't. And that's with 99% of people not even thinking about anything other than what's for tea or when do the kids need picking up. I for one love all the theory behind driving well but think that to a newcomer it can sound very elitist.

If you learn one thing every time you drive you are likely to be pretty good in the end. If you try to learn 100 things in one day you'll probably end up disillusioned and worse than ever.

Playtent
Posts: 209
Joined: Mon Sep 28, 2015 3:00 pm

Re: The most difficult aspect of Advanced Driving

Postby Playtent » Wed Oct 07, 2015 7:00 am

As long as the finished product is where you want it to be, does it matter how you got there?

I have a friend who has never had any additional training. Bgol means nothing to him, yet all on his own he has worked out about upsetting the balance of the car, positioning for the best view and stopping in the distance you can see it to clear. If you ask him a question, he will give you the same answer but in a different way from what I've heard before. He has a natural talent which can't be taught or learnt and that talent with an enthusiasm for driving has made him an excellent driver and rider and yet he's never read roadcraft.

User avatar
R_U_LOCAL
Posts: 21
Joined: Thu Oct 01, 2015 8:16 pm

Re: The most difficult aspect of Advanced Driving

Postby R_U_LOCAL » Mon Oct 12, 2015 9:33 pm

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!
Reg Local - author of "Advanced & Performance Driving" http://tinyurl.com/qbxwocx

WhoseGeneration
Posts: 374
Joined: Tue Sep 29, 2015 5:02 pm

Re: The most difficult aspect of Advanced Driving

Postby WhoseGeneration » Mon Oct 12, 2015 9:49 pm

R_U_LOCAL wrote: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!


In a nutshell, recognising one's failings and then attempting to eradicate them.
I often say "shite got that wrong".

User avatar
jcochrane
Posts: 627
Joined: Mon Sep 28, 2015 9:53 pm
Location: Surrey-Kent borders and wherever good driving roads are.

Re: The most difficult aspect of Advanced Driving

Postby jcochrane » Mon Oct 12, 2015 11:14 pm

R_U_LOCAL wrote: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!


The secret is all in the eyes. :D

1/Keep the centre part of the eyes looking 6ft above the limit point.
2/Use peripheral vision to determine lateral positioning.

But I suspect you may have already known that. :)


Return to “Advanced Driving - Cars”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 18 guests