Trying out IAM

[blearyeyedboy]

Me thinking to myself:
Wide right hander. Open up a bit. I can see a SLOW mark on the road, a sign indicating a series of sharper bends and the road disappearing round to the left. Blimey, it's a bit odd being observed. Hold on, I should act, shouldn't I? Bugger, in the time I've been thinking that, I should have acted that couple of seconds ago. Quick, scrub a bit of speed and try to enter the corner at some sort of sensible speed. OK... that was about as smooth as a bumpy porcupine!

S. Gonzales Esq. said:

If there's any PHer who's curious / sceptical about 'Advanced Driving' and can get to Bristol, I'll happily give up a couple of hours for a chat and a drive.

The only cost would be to write a PH post about it afterwards.

So here is the post that 2 hours of Mr Gonzales' time cost me! I think his main concern is to break down the perception that IAM is seen as a system of stifling rules by some PHers. I certainly didn't see it that way after meeting him. Actually, I found it was a very positive experience, which you'll read about in a minute.

The minute you meet Tony, he comes across as a very nice bloke indeed. He's clearly proud of his own wheels and takes an interest in mine, and we get on pretty well. We get into my car and he asks me to drive normally.

Within 30 seconds Tony starts talking about things he can see that I've not considered.

"If you come out a bit wider from those parked cars early, you can see what's going on earlier and get back up to speed sooner."
"Traffic coming from that junction on your right while you're on his side of the road won't be looking in your direction."
"See the way the telegraph poles move in the distance? You can see that something will be coming off the main road there."

They're not commands but friendly comments about what he's seen that I haven't. I find myself a little under the microscope but no more than carrying a friend in the car really. I find you're not really being taught so much as being shown how to teach yourself.

After internally criticising myself for a few cack-handed moments, I realise that they're not cack-handed; they're cack-minded. Most of the things I learn today aren't manual skills. They're ways of thinking. I find myself looking for ways of sensibly making progress, giving running commentaries and actively learning to think about what I'm doing. My main issue isn't observing things but acting on what I've observed early enough to avoid doing things in a rushed way a few seconds later. After thinking about what I'm doing more, I eventually don't change gear as often and I try to let things flow. I've always tried to look at the furthest bit of road I can see but now I find myself looking at the skyline for telegraph poles, the brake lights of cars disappearing round a bend and reflections in shop windows. I'm beginning to look for clues for what's around the bend that I can't see yet. Slow in, fast out... and it begins to make sense. You make better progress through engaging your brain more than by trying to display more manual skill.

It's rewarding but I'm aware that watching my driving improve probably appears like a 5 year old playing chopsticks a bit more quickly than they did before: You can see the improvement but it's only the start.

I'm keen to do more after today, that's for sure. I've always been interested in cars but now I think it's time I actually learned to drive one better. Even if you're sceptical, I'd encourage any PHers to try this sort of thing at least once. It's a real eye opener if you bring an open mind with you.

What's just as enlightening is watching Tony drive. He's very modest and keen to point out his own (very rare) mistakes too. He makes far fewer than I do but you can see it's something he's keen to change and improve further himself. He doesn't portray himself as a perfect driver and is a great role model of someone who tries to continually improve himself. I learn just as much from watching him pilot me about for a bit as I did from letting him observe me. It's not how much he does that impresses me but how little. He spreads his driving work across a greater time than I do, making better progress than me where he can but not sacrificing safety in the process. Even in dense traffic, he's still looking for ways of making (legal) progress and encouraging me to do the same- you almost always can't in a city centre but it keeps you in the habit of looking for things around you and keeps you wired into what's going on around you.

Tony is a very, very nice bloke who freely gives of his time to show interested people like me how they can teach themselves to drive more smoothly and with better progress than before. I'd like to use this post to thank him and other observers like him. I've taken away a different mindset and a renewed enthusiasm for driving today, and I owe him a lot of thanks for that.

And I can now thoroughly recommend Brunel Buttery in Bristol for a good bacon butty!

[Vladimir]

Sounds great! Been a member for 13 years now and really rate the extra training.

I used to walk past the Brunel Buttery going to work every day - often nipped in for a pre work sarnie!

Edited by Vladimir on Wednesday 22 February 19:30

[Baryonyx]

Never done IAM myself but did a course at work teaching Roadcraft and it was excellent. Really enjoyed it, three of the best weeks of my life (did it in the heat and rain of August). Great times.

[Six Fiend]

Could you actually get past all the coppers and the bikers to get served at the Buttery?

Good write up too

[andy-xr]

Great post, thanks!

[johnao]

dibbers006 said:

I honestly don't mean this to sound condescending or negative. But ... I can't help but wonder what your observation and action levels were at prior to your day out though.

Is it just me, or does anyone else think this comment is condescending and negative, despite dibbers006 protestation that it's not meant to be; and that it's patronising; supercilious; mean spirited; unnecessary; thoroughly dispiriting and exactly the sort of comment that could put someone off having a go at advanced driving and trying to improve themselves?

Why do you feel it appropriate to deflate someone who has had a really good driving experience and who is now keen to improve his driving?

[blearyeyedboy]

dibbers006 said:

I can't help but wonder what your observation and action levels were at prior to your day out though.

No offence taken dibbers. Perhaps I didn't articulate what I've written that clearly. Please don't take my willingness to improve to imply that I've been driving for ten years with my eyes shut. There's a difference between being to admit that I have some room to improve and saying that I have no observational skills at all.

It's not a case of black and white. You don't go from having no observational skills when you first learn to suddenly having them all polished. It's a case of having knowledge and some skill before you go on an observed drive but learning to apply them a little bit better.

The revelation isn't that these things help, otherwise I shouldn't be on a road at all. The revelation is how much better I can be at it with a bit more effort and thought.

And for those who asked- the queues for the Brunel Buttery are (apparently) better on a rainy midweek than they are at weekends, according to Tony!

Edited by blearyeyedboy on Wednesday 22 February 22:58

[wst]

dibbers006 said:

I'm not trying to take away from the comment or experience. I am trying to ascertain the driving level of the OP. Perhaps I formed my response in the wrong way.

ETA. Also, I'm not having a go. I'm just surprised at the key points that he raised on what he most noticed.

Edited by dibbers006 on Wednesday 22 February 20:39

It's more about how it is eye opening how you notice the thing as an actual thing, instead of doing it subconsciously like many drivers do. It's pretty obvious if you think about it, but many drivers don't think about it and that's the one thing that is undeniable about the IAM, despite the iffy rep it does have for being old men in flat caps with adenoidy voices, it does teach you to think about the smallest things (as the actress said to the Bishop, and he replied "Well ahead of you there love") such as "if I am further away from these cars I can see better".

If you start thinking about things like this, that improve your driving a tiny bit, but start thinking about a lot of them, then you're on the right track to improve as a driver! Tadaa.

I think you just read OP's original point with the wrong tone, and took it as a statement of "I took the paper bag off my head when I went to drive today", rather than "I learned to actually think about what I am seeing consciously"

[S. Gonzales Esq.]

Thanks for the write-up - even if there's a little bit more in it about me than I'd like. It doesn't help my efforts to let go of any ego about my driving.

There are lots of people who could do what I did to explain about Advanced Driving though. Even if someone was to enrol with the IAM (or RoSPA) and get an observer with a less than PH mindset, all it takes is a bit of critical thinking to sort the wheat from the chaff and decide which bits work for them.

I think you've absolutely nailed the key points here though - if I can paraphrase a bit:

blearyeyedboy said:

...they're not cack-handed; they're cack-minded. Most of the things I learn today aren't manual skills. They're ways of thinking...

...try to let things flow...

...It's a real eye opener if you bring an open mind with you...

...not how much he does... but how little...spreads his driving work across a greater time...making better progress...but not sacrificing safety in the process...

It's a bit of a shame this thread has been moved to the Advanced Driving subforum - I can see why it's happened, but I can't help thinking that we're preaching to the converted here.

[S. Gonzales Esq.]

dibbers006 said:

I honestly don't mean this to sound condescending or negative. But these things are eye opening for you?

...I can't help but wonder what your observation and action levels were at prior to your day out though.

I think you might be giving a particular part of the post more importance than it deserves - that list of observation links was actually me talking (coaching failure #1 - start by listening, not talking ).

Without wishing to turn this into a mutual appreciation society, I'd say the OP's observation is actually better than average. As he describes though, there's potential to extend and make better use of that observation - developing anticipation and planning gives you more time to react, and every driver can use more of that.

[blearyeyedboy]

Thanks for the feedback, Tony.

I've "flagged" my original post to the mods and asked them if they'd consider moving things back to General Gassing (for the reasons you've described). Guess we'll have to see if they agree.

(Dear Mods: Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease? Pretty please, with sugar on top?)

EDIT: I guess they said no!

Edited by blearyeyedboy on Thursday 23 February 22:30

[anonymous-user]

I have spotted another important difference when 'observing'

Some people simply don't see things as far ahead as others - with a few suggestions and examples, you can see the shift as they do start to look further / wider in most cases

Some people see all sorts of things but are not able to prioritise as well as others and don't add to the observation the implication of what they have seen and, therefore, do not do anything in response. Again, some can make the shift with a few suggestions and examples.

We all know the classic example of a ball rolling out from behind a parked car... which means a kid might follow... so we are on the brakes / moving out / checking others around us have reacted etc.

But there are many more, some of which are more subtle, that I certainly didn't incorporate into my driving plans before I took some 'advanced' training. It is that element of observing, thinking of the implications of what can be seen and developing options to deal with what could happen that makes the biggest contribution to being safe on the road IMO

[MC Bodge]

Interesting stuff.

Good observation and acting upon it definitely makes a big difference to driving.

As has been pointed out, some people appear to be more observant than others and some people appear to have a very narrow range of vision: in town, on motorways and on good driving roads. With different things to look out for in each.

In my experience, the difficult part of trying to give a spoken commentary (to myself) is to filter out the things that are quick to think about, but take too long to articulate.

Having done the bike version in the past, I'm intending to go for an observed drive with an examiner. I should get a round to it.

Edited by MC Bodge on Thursday 23 February 17:21

[wst]

dibbers006 said:

So in some respects it is the purpose of Commentary. Not to comment on the things you subconsciously notice as a risk or danger but that you are allocating an intelligent response which you can verbalise into an action that you are consciously taking in reply to whatever situation is arising.

Hah, it's funny you should mention commentary. I'm terrible at that. I don't really assign full words to things. At a roundabout if I was commentating exactly what my thoughts were, it'd be like "blue red grey hesistant gap go" not "There's a blue car coming... red car coming... grey car is hesitant, there's a gap, go".

Which is no good for an observer to judge whether or not I'm actually commentating!

[MC Bodge]

wst said:

At a roundabout if I was commentating exactly what my thoughts were, it'd be like "blue red grey hesistant gap go" not "There's a blue car coming... red car coming... grey car is hesitant, there's a gap, go".

That sounds quite familiar.

[blearyeyedboy]

Funnily enough, I had a few bits where my running commentary tailed off. I find it hard to spend brain energy on articulating my thoughts *and* actively thinking about what I do. I'm hoping that will come with practice.