PistonHeads doesn't like the AD message.

[vonhosen]

SVS

2,099 posts

149 months

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Yesterday (07:46) quote quote all
The OP is clearly a car driver. My sense is that advanced riding is more popular than advanced driving (perhaps because bikers tend to be enthusiasts, plus the consequences of a mistake are often life-changing).

A crucial difference between the car and bike sides, however, is that motorcycling journalists have been largely won over by advanced training. Unlike car journalists. The majority of bike magazines promote advanced riding in some form, such as BikeSafe or Rapid Training. One 'Ride' magazine journalist is a RoSPA Diploma holder and another wrote a series of articles about his IAM experience. If cynical bike journalists can be convinced of advanced training, surely some car journalists could be too?

Apologies for thread resurrection but this post from the AD forum on PH seems to echo my view from sometime ago.
Just what is it about the car journalists that they won't promote AD?
Oh and poster better be careful with such views on PH.

Or what is about advanced driving clubs as opposed to advanced riding clubs that turns journalists off?
The people?
The content?
The delivery?

[michael769]

Or what is about advanced driving clubs as opposed to advanced riding clubs that turns journalists off?
The people?
The content?
The delivery?

What leads to the conclusion that they are being turned off?

Could it just be an awareness issue? Perhaps the car side do not promote themselves as well?

Certainly my experience is that the bike sides tend to me more active beyond the simply tutoring/observing, and there is a community around biking (which can be used to spread the message via word of mouth) that does not exist on the car side.

Or could it just be indifference or apathy, we should perhaps also be asking what is there about the advanced riding clubs that turns journalists on?

Community?
Sense of vulnerability?
Accident stats?
Interest from their audience?

[waremark]

Some random thoughts:

I believe many influential car journos have had advanced training - including JC. They just don't think it is sexy to promote it.

Car groups absolutely cannot muster the enthusiasm which is common among riding groups. I believe this is down to the completely different attitude most have to driving than to riding. People regard riding as a hobby which they want to do as well as possible. They regard driving as a way to get somewhere - which the slightly more interested think they already do well.

What is the age profile of people who join riding groups? Does it appeal more to those who have learned to ride at an older age?

Biking gives a sense of vulnerability, whereas driving gives a sense of security. Bikers are naturally as well as rationally going to want help to stay in one piece while still enjoying adrenaline from the activity.

[Zebedee]

I believe it's experience of top professional coaching that's persuaded many of the bike journalists: http://rapidtraining.co.uk/press.html

Many of the bike journalists' positive experiences come from Rapid Training (i.e. instructors like Andy Morrison). In contrast, the Ride magazine articles gave a mixed review of the journalist's Skills for Life experience. Bike magazine has been negative about the IAM a few times, but very positive about Rapid Training and other professional instructors. Bike devotes a page per month to an article by a professional advanced instructor.

Evo once did a series of articles about advanced car driving, based on a journalist's experience of being trained by John Lyon. (John was the HPC Gatekeeper at the time.) The Evo articles praised the advanced training.

In short, top notch instruction is what's persuaded journalists.