“Driving safely would not should be boring”

Ask folks in the event that they suppose the final customary of driving has improved or acquired worse, and the reply is at all times that it’s method worse than it was. Should you then ask folks if their driving has acquired higher or worse, everybody says they’re both higher drivers or about the identical customary. So who’s it whose driving is so poor?

Through the years, I’ve been fortunate sufficient to be coached by former Auto Categorical contributor Paul Ripley, who’s also called the Driving Physician. Paul not solely taught me find out how to drive rapidly on a monitor, however much more importantly, he taught me find out how to be protected on a street.

However right here’s the important thing: driving safely doesn’t should imply much less enjoyable. Certain, velocity limits might have been lowered and the variety of velocity cameras has elevated, however there’s nonetheless nice pleasure available from driving effectively, and also you don’t should drive quick to drive rapidly.

Relating to driver coaching, for most individuals it’s a once-in-a-lifetime factor. As soon as we’ve handed our exams, that’s it – we’re off. Think about that within the airline trade; would you be pleased in case your pilot final had coaching many years in the past? I’d be off the aircraft like a shot.

Even for individuals who handed their driving take a look at not that way back, they’ll admit that driving, the roads and the foundations have already modified. And don’t fear, I’m not about to develop into an advocate for necessary retests.

However what I want to see is extra encouragement and incentives for individuals who take further coaching. IAM Roadsmart, previously the Institute of Superior Motorists, has been pushing this concept for years.

As has Paul Ripley, and he’s simply launched his newest enterprise with tech guru David Edmonston, who began car-enthusiast web site Pistonheads. Driving Masters is geared toward making driver coaching extra fascinating and accessible. As somebody fortunate sufficient to have had further steerage, I can say that not solely will it make you safer, it should additionally make you take pleasure in your driving extra.

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