Advanced driving Amber Valley region
Discussion
Hi all. I’m looking at taking advanced driving but struggling to find many car groups. Plenty of Motorcycle, but few car in my area.
I was due to have an assessment drive in Derby pre covid, however that soon changed...
I follow Reg on YT and have both car and mc road craft books which I have been reading through. I have also recently acquired a dash cam so I can review drives and take note of things that crop up during my drives.
Has any got tips on reviewing personal driving? Such as methods to work through and correct errors etc?
It may be a while before I can take an assessment and I want to get my driving better prior. I’ve got the time to put work into it, and don’t want to waste my free time when I could do something beneficial.
I was due to have an assessment drive in Derby pre covid, however that soon changed...
I follow Reg on YT and have both car and mc road craft books which I have been reading through. I have also recently acquired a dash cam so I can review drives and take note of things that crop up during my drives.
Has any got tips on reviewing personal driving? Such as methods to work through and correct errors etc?
It may be a while before I can take an assessment and I want to get my driving better prior. I’ve got the time to put work into it, and don’t want to waste my free time when I could do something beneficial.
Fundamentally you have to be honest with yourself. Don't beat yourself up over mistakes made but take note of the things you didn't like, such as anticipation, rushing control inputs, be it gearchanges, braking, steering inputs and so on. Then, once you've identified the areas you want to improve upon, it's worth going out and practising them - much as your instructor probably did with you when you had your L plates, go and do the things you struggle with, but in the way you know you should be doing them.
If you're not in the correct seating position, try to find one which works. I used to sit really hunched up at the controls because I'm short and neither of the instructors I had (nor the examiners, for that matter) ever picked up on it. I only changed when I read about an 'ideal' position in Roadcraft and found it a night and day difference. My steering inputs became a lot more measured, as did my footwork.
What I'm currently trying to achieve is 'switched on driving'. Occasionally I spot a developing situation or anticipate something but fail to act upon it at that point, leading to harsh braking or rushed control inputs. I nearly killed myself last year because of it (a story for another time, I think).
It sounds like you're doing the right thing. You've got the book, you're watching videos of how it's done by someone who knows what he's doing and you're monitoring and assessing your own driving. That's a good thing; the willingness to learn is what marks advanced driver material out from merely mediocre drivers. People who think they've got nothing left to learn don't learn anything.
If you're not in the correct seating position, try to find one which works. I used to sit really hunched up at the controls because I'm short and neither of the instructors I had (nor the examiners, for that matter) ever picked up on it. I only changed when I read about an 'ideal' position in Roadcraft and found it a night and day difference. My steering inputs became a lot more measured, as did my footwork.
What I'm currently trying to achieve is 'switched on driving'. Occasionally I spot a developing situation or anticipate something but fail to act upon it at that point, leading to harsh braking or rushed control inputs. I nearly killed myself last year because of it (a story for another time, I think).
It sounds like you're doing the right thing. You've got the book, you're watching videos of how it's done by someone who knows what he's doing and you're monitoring and assessing your own driving. That's a good thing; the willingness to learn is what marks advanced driver material out from merely mediocre drivers. People who think they've got nothing left to learn don't learn anything.
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