waremark wrote:I am not sure but I think that Club Driving is no more. Club Driving was set up by Mark Kendrick of Bespoke Driver Training (a highly regarded driving coach, perhaps best known for selling excellent DVD's). He passed over operation of it because he was too busy to another driving coach, Ian Jeffs - who tragically died. I have not heard anything of CD since.
To a large extent, ADUK is fulfilling some of the objectives for which Mark set up Club Driving - to provide support for drivers wishing to develop in a more flexible structure than offered by IAM and Rospa, and with a recognition of how much further there is to go after passing 'Advanced'.
Thanks Steve for taking the time to share your experiences and thoughts. I'm sure your post has encouraged people to consider undergoing further training such as this. You certainly have sparked my interest in what to do post IAM and RoSPA. And thanks waremark, I couldn't agree more!
To their credit, my local RoSPA driving group are organising a skid control day but I still can't see why the 'life saving' techniques being taught on such courses and being discussed here, aren't a formal part of standardised driving tests for all, instead of being raised as a post-AD specialist pursuit only available to those who are either interested enough or who can afford it. How can anyone claim to be able to drive a car when they have no idea of how to control a skid? No mention of emergency braking or skid techniques in either IAM or RoSPA curricula other than 'stop in the distance you can see to be clear' and that's just the tip of the iceberg; a bit like saying 'don't skid' without teaching what to do if you do skid.
I would rather see changes to driving culture happen in this way, than the bloody-minded financial persecution we still have as a short-sighted 'deterrent' to 'bad driving'. Paying a fine does not ensure a better driver evolves as a result. I also don't see why 'Advanced Driving' isn't designed to be an essential training for every driver to undergo within a couple of years of passing their 'Standard' DoT test, not because it's really difficult rocket science that only geeks could or should understand (which it isn't though i've met folks on both sides of that fence who swear blind it is) but because it does encourage greater driving discipline and that can only be a good thing. I'm really looking forward to being able to share with and mentor anyone who shows an interest in being a better driver because what is taught as being AD, definitely should never be difficult to find or learn.
Thanks folks.
A wise man once told me that "it depends". I sometimes agree.