Desription of a Gold driver

[waremark]

What would people like to add to this description of Gold drivers from new Rospa guidelines, or what would you like to change?

'They will drive in a calm controlled manner, without fuss or flourish. It is important to realise that this is the result of a conscious decision making process and not just an automatic application of a set of ‘rules’. The Gold standard driver will consistently demonstrate good observations together with consideration for, and sound assessment of, other road users and situations, being courteous yet taking control as appropriate.
In obtaining this grade the candidate will have consistently made safe, legal, smooth, planned progress within the vehicle’s capabilities whilst giving passengers and other road users the impression of being completely calm and relaxed.'

[true blue]

Hmm - rather topical as I'm contemplating taking a RoSPA test in the near future (in fact intend to discuss with my tutor tomorrow afternoon!)

The description that RoSPA currently give seems a little 'grey' - words like 'good' suggest a relatively mediocre standard (though hopefully the examiners wouldn't give gold for anything less than 'excellent' observations), and there might be a bit more said about individual style and flair. I should think that, for example, 'insightful use of observations' as a phrase might give a stronger impression of the importance of thought process, experience and ability to plan than I read at the moment.

[JamesAllport]

I'm less fussed about the use of "good" rather than a more powerful superlative like "excellent" to describe the standard of observation required. The examiners are police drivers, whose consistent strength as a group is the depth and detail of their observation. So "good" on that scale is a high standardr compared to the average driver. Excellent, or some other word like it, would suggest the kind of really gobsmackingly good observation displayed by the likes of the HPC gatekeepers, who having trained police drivers for years at high speed, are so far ahead of me on my best day it's always rather humbling.