akirk wrote:Pontoneer wrote:I'm equally content to just bimble along at lower speeds
I am not sure that Bimbling along constitutes AD - or even actively driving
Pontoneer wrote:From the above , I would contend that speed does not equal progress , and that going fast does not equal being more advanced .
I think that there is very often a mis-understanding of advanced driving.
It is not about going fast
Making progress is not just about speed
If you are bimbling along you are not actively engaged in driving the car and the situation - AD is about being actively involved, not a passive driver and all too often sitting back and relaxing in a queue of traffic involves switching off and following the herd - that is not AD
AD can involve sitting in a queue and not choosing to pass, but that doesn't mean lack of engagement.
The top level AD is relaxed and calm in whatever move they are taking - whether they are patiently waiting, or actively passing
the problem is that the phrase 'making progress' is often assumed to refer to that boy-racer style driving of sitting on the bumper of the car in front - taking every opportunity of a mm spare to overtake, of seeing the car in front as a target to be hunted down and despatched... that is not AD - the advanced driver sits happily in a queue, but the mind is constantly aware of what is going on - if an opportunity arises they take it, if not then life is good and they carry on - as I was told by a high up coach - the AD drives faster than others, but also drives slower than others and that is key - a lot of people don't understand that in overtaking a string of 8 cars as I did last week on a long open road with no-one else bothering to overtake, I was equally happy a few miles later on to sit at 35 for 2 miles behind a 1931 Model A Ford
It is a total misconception that 'making progress' means driving as fast as you can - it means that you drive to the situation and take opportunities when they present themselves... a simple example:
there is a queue of cars ahead (3 cars) nice long road - do you join it sit back and chill for 15 minutes adding to the queue and now making it longer at 4 cars - or do you pass, keep yourself out of the queue and ensure that it is not so long a queue for others? If you make progress and have the opportunity - pass, if the other two cars behind the slower vehicle had also done the same, then there would be no queue, just one slow car for others to overtake - by not making progress you are building a worse scenario for others... it is not about driving like a nutcase it is about intelligent driving...
so you are right, speed does not equal progress
fast does not equal AD
but progress may require speed at times
AD may involve speed / going fast at times
and AD does mean making progress
Alasdair