Advanced driving forward in Haynes Manual ========================================= Many people see the words 'advanced driving' and believe that it won't interest them or that it is a style of driving beyond their own abilities. Nothing could be further from the truth. Advanced driving is straightforward safe, sensible driving - the sort of driving we should all do every time we get behind the wheel. An average of 10 people are killed every day on UK roads and 870 more are injured, some seriously. Lives are ruined daily, usually because somebody did something stupid. Something like 95% of all accidents are due to human error, mostly driver failure. Sometimes we make genuine mistakes -everyone does. Sometimes we have lapses of concentration. Sometimes we deliberately take risks. For many people, the process of 'learning to drive' doesn't go much further than learning how to pass the driving test because of a common belief that good drivers are made by 'experience'. Learning to drive by 'experience' teaches three driving skills: - Quick reactions. (Whoops, that was close!) - Good handling skills. (Horn, swerve, brake, horn). - Reliance on vehicle technology. (Great stuff this ASS, stop in no distance even in the wet...) Drivers whose skills are 'experience based' generally have a lot of near misses and the odd accident. The results can be seen every day in our courts and our hospital casualty departments. Advanced drivers have learnt to control the risks by controlling the position and speed of their vehicle. They avoid accidents and near misses, even if the drivers around them make mistakes. The key skills of advanced driving are concentration, effective all-round observation, anticipation and planning. When good vehicle handling is added to these skills, all driving situations can be approached and negotiated in a safe, methodical way, leaving nothing to chance. Concentration means applying your mind to safe driving, completely excluding anything that's not relevant. Driving is usually the most dangerous activity that most of us undertake in our daily routines. It deserves our full attention. Observation means not just looking, but seeing and seeking out the information found in the driving environment. Anticipation means asking yourself what is happening, what you can reasonably expect to happen and what could happen unexpectedly. (One of the commonest words used in compiling accident reports is 'suddenly'.) Planning is the link between seeing something and taking the appropriate action. For many drivers, planning is the missing link. If you want to become a safer and more skilful driver and you want to enjoy your driving more, contact the Institute of Advanced Motorists at www.iam.org.uk, phone 0208 996 9600, or write to IAM House, 510 Chiswick High Road, London W4 5RG for an information pack.