Making for a safer drive (From Hereford Times)

Making for a safer drive

5:07pm Monday 1st December 2008

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YESTERDAY I went driving as part of my advanced driving course. Once you’ve signed up for this course, run by the Herefordshire branch of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, you are assigned an observer who will give you advice as you make your way to take the advanced driving test.

One aspect of this is to do commentary driving, which means you tell your observer what your thought process is as you drive. It’s quite unusual at first but you soon get into the swing of things.

The sorts of things you mention are passing a junction, seeing an approaching vehicle or one behind, noticing pedestrians, and realizing there is a speed limit ahead.

You also tell the observer when you have looked in your mirror – something it’s vital to do every time you turn on to a new road.

Not surprisingly, once you’ve done this for a while you start to do it when you’re driving on your own. It’s definitely a good habit to get into as it can only improve your observation and limit your chances of having an accident.