Hiijinx wrote:Next question - I have been asked if I would like to become an observer in my area - which I would, but don't know just how well it would be taken from an older drivers perspective, taking advice from a 2 year old newbie. Past experience from family and older friends have not been taken too well, to say the least... "You learners are all the same, think you know everything, don't tell me how to drive.... I've driven for 30 years etc etc etc" My initial response was I should wait a year or so until I have more years under my belt.
What are your thoughts?
Firstly, well done on the test.
Secondly, don't let anyone give you that crap about "you're not old enough to know anything" or "I've been driving for 30 years". It's bollocks and it winds me up no end.
Unmoderated experience -- just driving day to day without intent of improving or the resources to do so -- is a very poor learning mechanism. Through immitation of others and trial-error-scaring-the-crap-out-of-yourself, people manage to work their way up to the average standard of driving. Which is dire.
Conversely, training and focussed self-improvement allows provides a completely different level of driving. I've just had two associates pass their IAM test, both in their 20s and I'd rather be in a car with either of them than 99% of untrained 50 year old drivers.
The problem is that they think they're better. They think that because they've binned all those "stupid" things from the driving test (like using mirrors or holding the steering wheel properly), that now they're doing it better. They've got away with it for 30, 40, 50 years, never had an accident. But going forward, their risk is far higher than yours.
Never forget that you've taken the exact same RoSPA test as anyone else. You didn't take a special "young person easy test". You've met the exact same bar. (This is what infuriates me about the fact that insurance companies won't recognise this. Even if I get a distinction for IAM Masters, I'm still classed as a £2000 a year risk, while some bumbling idiot pays 10% of that because of their age).
It's easy to get in a car with someone older and "more experienced" and bumble around with your words because you're worried they might disagree, and you might not have the "experience" to back up why you're right. But so long as you have the theory knowledge to explain
why we do what we do as advanced drivers, you shouldn't back down. I don't mean that you should be agressive, but sometimes as observers we do need to be assertive and confident in what we're saying.
On the other hand, you might be pleasently surprised. My first associate was an older gentleman and the fact that he had been driving since long before I was born, he was quite receptive to my advice. The truth is, if people want to learn, they will, and if their prejudices stand in the way of that, then screw 'em.
Certainly, from a group perspective, it's always good to have younger observers, to prevent the group becoming an aging population.
Okay, rant over.