Young driver - extra skills tuition etc.

dmpzsn

When you're considering advanced training don't forget RoSPA, with the IAM you pass your test once that's it, with RoSPA you have to take a retest every  3 years to keep your grade, thus ensuring that at least you're having your driving checked at a regular interval.

The Dreamer

OK, so I’ve taken a look at both, and he’ll still be too young to do the Ford thing next year, as the minimum age is 18 - but could be a possibility the year after, although I’d like to think he’d have started with the IAM by then.

And your mate Paul’s company looks like a lot of fun, but again, maybe in a few years time, though I might get in touch and see if he can offer something bespoke.

——————

Aside from the highway driving skill advancement, which the IAM will give him, I want him to not just appreciate how weight transfer happens when accelerating/decelerating/cornering, but to experience it and understand how it affects traction and grip. Not necessarily to drive fast, but to understand how, given certain road conditions, how slowly you can be driving, and still lose control - and so what you can do to a. avoid it, and b. what to do if you haven’t avoided it!

I see so many people on the roads that obviously have little, or no understanding of what’s happening to their car - they’re effectively passengers in something they’re supposed to have control of. I used to see the same thing when teaching people to fly, they’d let the aircraft take them somewhere instead of being it’s master. And it’s why I encouraged all my students to at least undergo spin training, and preferably complete a short aerobatic course - not to turn them into aerobatic pilots, but to show them that no matter how bad the situation appears to be, YOU are the one in control, and YOU had better do something to recover the situation - no-ones going to do it for you!

So, this is the sort of training I want for my son - albeit relevant to car-driving; this is why I want him to experience skid training, and possibly high speed training - not to turn him into the next Damon Hill - but to make sure that he is in positive control of his car at all times, and not afraid of it.

Sure, I understand that many people, young kids, are quite cocky about their supposed driving skills, many adults too, and it’s difficult to reign these people in from basically being a car crash waiting to happen. And I’m not, despite trusting my lad, exempting him from this potential flaw. But if he has seen, and experienced, the consequences of arriving at a bend with excess speed on a track, then maybe he won’t do it on the road.

Avoid
Trap
Mitigate

Are the three corner stones of how we apply our skills in flying, and they’re equally valid, I’d suggest, when driving.

Avoid the problem in the first place - don’t arrive at the corner too fast.
Trap - you’re going too fast, but realised it - take action and slow down.
Mitigate - you’ve failed to slow down in time, you’re now into the corner - what do you do? Panic, freeze? Neither of these are good options, but there’s often a way out, if you know what to do (of course, you can’t always mitigate, but not trying to is never going to end well).

So. I’d like him to be taught how to Avoid the problems in the first place - reading the road, appropriate speed, position etc.

I’d like him to be able to Trap his mistakes (and we all make mistakes), understanding the consequences of failure to do so.

And finally, Mitigate - I’d like him to learn some skills, of what to do when it actually goes Pete Tong.

But the thing is, I actually want him to experience all of the above in a controlled environment, not just read about it in a book, or find out the hard way on the road!

The IAM will basically provide the first bit, hopefully. But the 2nd and 3rd bit need to be done on a track, or on a skid-pan, so Thomas can actually see what’s going on and get some hands on instruction on what to do.

That is what I’m after for him, and as I say, I’ll probably join in and learn something too - if I can find the right sort of training.

(Having just re-read all of the above, I appreciate it seems I’m just talking about cornering, but I was just using that as a single example - basically, I want him to be trained in driving in the same way as we are trained in flying - the complete package, not just the sub-set of skills that most of us get by with - if that makes sense)!

Gavin_Hall

I would contact your local IAM as they may hold free events. Both my sons, now 20 and 18 attended a free skid handling session last year at the local Police centre which was run by the IAM. The car was in a cradle and they had such a great time and learnt a lot from it.  The instructor was also an advanced police driver and he said that he wished all new drivers would undertake this training.

Full respect to all parents that want to ensure their kids are safe on the road. Any and all training can be a life saver.

noiseboy72

I totally agree with these comments.

From what I've seen from my daughter's friends who have passed their tests, the main areas of concern are around the following:

Misjudging the speed of other road users - pulling out in front or crossing traffic when the gaps are too smallSpeeding and inappropriate speed - it's a limit not a target...Poor anticipation of hazards and not maintaining a good level of observation leading to heavy last minute braking and maneuvering  Being distracted by things within the car - phones, music, passengers, eating, drinking etc.Not maintaining the car adequately, with worn tyres causing reduced handling in emergency conditions the biggest issueNot giving HGVs enough space - pulling in close in front of trucks and not giving them enough braking room, sitting next to the cab, so the car is essentially invisible to the truck etc.
For me, making drivers more cautious and learning the limits of their abilities is of more importance than regaining control during a skid. In I estimate around 500 000 miles of driving in everything from cars to 4x4s, vans and trucks, I can count on the fingers of one hand when I have had to control a skid or been in danger of losing control - other than when I have deliberately induced some oversteer for the fun of it!

There have however been numerous occasions when I've had to allow for another driver's actions when they have braked late or very heavily or jumped into tiny gaps etc. and avoiding these incidents in the first place is the trick.

Learning good road manners like not cutting in front, tailgating, impatience, observation, anticipation and avoiding in-car distractions are the important lessons to learn and reinforce IMHO.

The Dreamer

All very good points too. And hopefully the instructor we’ve already picked to teach Thomas (ex Army instructor, HGV, Motorcycle, etc.) will impart enough of that to get him to the next stage.

Absolutely agree that avoidance of getting oneself into a situation in the first place is the primary focus - it’s just that so many people seem to run out of ideas once that bridge has been crossed, and this is where the further training would come into it's own.

Lee

Some of my sons mates, who've not long passed their tests, have found out most of those to their cost. Not the speeding one as they've had black boxes, one lad though did go on a mad one on the motorway and had his insurance cancelled due to the speed he traveled at. I used to moan about the ridiculous prices the youngsters paid for insurance but now I can sort of see why it's so high.

Mine was a Citreon 2CV so I was always going to be safe

IronGiant

"Safe"
Within weeks of getting the Capri I was rammed up the arse by a Police car who wasn't looking where he was going .  The Police car was written off, the Capri needed minor work on the bumper and paint work That's when Capri  bumpers were made out of steel

                                                                                                                                       

Lee

Safe wasn't maybe the best word . If a police car had  done that to me it would've gone over the top and squashed me flat. It was a good car for not speeding though

IronGiant

I remember sitting in the back of a 2CV in Snowdonia and it was the scariest ride I've ever had.  It was like a roller coaster

mjn

i think everything has been covered, nothing to add. But if your son wants to test his new skills, get him to head down to Italy