When I passed my Police Advanced Driving Course the final drive assessment was just over 2 hours. Front wheel drive Volvo S70 T5 then Rear Wheel Drive Vauxhall Omega 3.2V6, including commentary and 999 response runs.
Brilliant! Very useful and enjoyable! Your brain definately has a lot of spare capacity to commentate and drive in such horrible weather conditions so nicely! Thank you, Reg!
Recently joined my local traffic unit and have only done my standard response course about 5 years ago. Passed my refresher recently as well as my assessment drive to drive traffic vehicles but I have an intermediate course coming up soon to prep me for my advanced course when it's available. I'm finding your videos very useful and trying to get my head back into proper use of systems. Thanks Reg.
Always love these videos Reg. Great landscape too! Didn't know your MINI was amphibious. Thanks for mentioning the single flash of the hazard lights. As you say, it's not official although it is common practice. I was worried that, if I did that on an IAM Roadsmart Masters Test, it would be a fail.
Great video, thanks Reg - this has been a really good series. At the end of a retest a few years ago I was confronted with three marked Met police cars in the car park of the motorway services - it turned out they were from the driving school at Hendon and they were on an advanced car course. I was quite pleased I managed to reverse into a bay without hitting any of them!
Thanks for all the videos, I know that my driving has improved because of them. As a trainee driving instructor, I hope it has a halo effect on my pupils.....who am I kidding, I know it does. Keep up the work.
For various reasons I haven’t driven since the first Covid lockdown. The videos have been the perfect solution to ease me back behind the wheel, with confidence. Thank you for this series - perfect timing for me, happy motoring, with some new knowledge with observation and care of course 🤗
I know this is an old video, that I like, but how would you deal with a couple of cars coming out of a junction close to gather, so to stop, or causing oncoming traffic to slow abruptly ?
At 6:57 I disagree about pressing the button to apply the handbrake. The ratchet mechanism is designed so that's not required. In most modern cars the Owners' Manual advises to just pull it straight up. Awareness of the number of ratchet clicks can point to adjustment being needed. The button is only required to take off the handbrake. (Overuse of the button might lead to unwanted wear of the spring?)
Unwanted wear of the spring is more likely due to metal fatigue as the spring is oscillated through several rapid compression/decompression cycles due to "ratcheting" of the pawl across the ratchet teeth, a process which must lead to some discernable pawl wear over many years even if not to a critical degree these days. Owners manuals have never said to press in the ratchet release even pre-war days, but presumably enough mid 20th century experts (mechanics & journalists) had enough bad experiences (whether first hand or apocryphal) to disparage the practice. For me avoiding the sound of someone with inflamed haemorrhoids passing wind anally is good enough reason. Other points would be 1; It is harder to apply the brake whilst holding in the button as you don't have the ratchet preventing slip back - this means your less likely to over apply which might make it hard to take off (an embarrassing test fail) or sprain the linkage. 2; fairly obvious if adjustment required if you had to pull the lever up by nearly 90 degrees! - one can always slowly ratchet on counting clicks as an occasional test. 3; all becomes irrelevant with electric parking brakes.😊
I don't know what this says about me; I've always found it very difficult to have any sort of conversation when driving, let alone a commentary. They both seem to impinge on the bandwidth that I need to drive competently. I could, for example, be having a conversation which would tail off as I approached an unfamiliar multilane roundabout, complete with worn, partially legible road markings, and never be resumed. I believe Sir Alec Issignosis believed that car radios were a distraction which detracted from a driver's ability to concentrate.
I would not worry. When I did my Advanced Test, I apologised at the end to the examiner for the times my conversation tailed off. He said he expected that: it showed that I was aware of potential hazards and was prioritising them.
I need to admit I'm slightly surprised about Eco-Driving comment... I always thought advanced drivers are supposed to be able to do everything and anything, eco-driving included.
You do, but it is not emphasised. I suspect the Eco driving priority will be raised in the coming years. For example, consider speed. To reduce fuel consumption a speed of about 50 mph is right for most single carriageway B or C roads. But one is expected to make good progress, so the Examiner would expect to see you doing 60 mph in an NSL (provided it is safe).
Early observation, anticipation and planning, smoothness and mechanical sympathy will all save bucket loads of fuel. Advanced drivers have always done a form of 'eco driving' - but with the emphasis on test being to make progress when safe and do a brisk drive, as its a test of your abilities. You can always adapt your skills and take opportunities to save fuel in everyday driving when there isn't an examiner sat next to you, whilst still following the principles of the system and always prioritising safety.
I believe because "Eco" driving is assessed on the DVSA "L" test,It is included on advanced test's since IAM /ROSPA are now DVSA approved & accredited. A bad mark here will not prevent you passing any test, L or advanced, as your eco grade (a stand alone rating) is disregarded in the final reckoning. If you were cynical (heaven forbid) you might say it was just a "woke" add on just for the sake of green appearances.
When I passed my Police Advanced Driving Course the final drive assessment was just over 2 hours. Front wheel drive Volvo S70 T5 then Rear Wheel Drive Vauxhall Omega 3.2V6, including commentary and 999 response runs.
really useful tip about avoiding parking next to the examiners car! What a brilliant road to drive :)
Brilliant! Very useful and enjoyable! Your brain definately has a lot of spare capacity to commentate and drive in such horrible weather conditions so nicely! Thank you, Reg!
It's interesting how every new video from Reg is full of useful information. I don't live in the UK but these tips always help me. Thanks!
Recently joined my local traffic unit and have only done my standard response course about 5 years ago. Passed my refresher recently as well as my assessment drive to drive traffic vehicles but I have an intermediate course coming up soon to prep me for my advanced course when it's available. I'm finding your videos very useful and trying to get my head back into proper use of systems. Thanks Reg.
Always love these videos Reg. Great landscape too! Didn't know your MINI was amphibious.
Thanks for mentioning the single flash of the hazard lights. As you say, it's not official although it is common practice. I was worried that, if I did that on an IAM Roadsmart Masters Test, it would be a fail.
Great video, thanks Reg - this has been a really good series.
At the end of a retest a few years ago I was confronted with three marked Met police cars in the car park of the motorway services - it turned out they were from the driving school at Hendon and they were on an advanced car course. I was quite pleased I managed to reverse into a bay without hitting any of them!
Thanks for all the videos, I know that my driving has improved because of them.
As a trainee driving instructor, I hope it has a halo effect on my pupils.....who am I kidding, I know it does.
Keep up the work.
For various reasons I haven’t driven since the first Covid lockdown. The videos have been the perfect solution to ease me back behind the wheel, with confidence. Thank you for this series - perfect timing for me, happy motoring, with some new knowledge with observation and care of course 🤗
Really nice video. What is the vertical bar on which your central camera is affixed? Any link to where I could find it?
Another brilliant video Reg, aided by the stunning scenery👍🏻
I know this is an old video, that I like, but how would you deal with a couple of cars coming out of a junction close to gather, so to stop, or causing oncoming traffic to slow abruptly ?
At 6:57 I disagree about pressing the button to apply the handbrake. The ratchet mechanism is designed so that's not required. In most modern cars the Owners' Manual advises to just pull it straight up. Awareness of the number of ratchet clicks can point to adjustment being needed. The button is only required to take off the handbrake. (Overuse of the button might lead to unwanted wear of the spring?)
Unwanted wear of the spring is more likely due to metal fatigue as the spring is oscillated through several rapid compression/decompression cycles due to "ratcheting" of the pawl across the ratchet teeth, a process which must lead to some discernable pawl wear over many years even if not to a critical degree these days. Owners manuals have never said to press in the ratchet release even pre-war days, but presumably enough mid 20th century experts (mechanics & journalists) had enough bad experiences (whether first hand or apocryphal) to disparage the practice. For me avoiding the sound of someone with inflamed haemorrhoids passing wind anally is good enough reason. Other points would be 1; It is harder to apply the brake whilst holding in the button as you don't have the ratchet preventing slip back - this means your less likely to over apply which might make it hard to take off (an embarrassing test fail) or sprain the linkage. 2; fairly obvious if adjustment required if you had to pull the lever up by nearly 90 degrees! - one can always slowly ratchet on counting clicks as an occasional test. 3; all becomes irrelevant with electric parking brakes.😊
I just don’t like the noise!
Another great video. Thanks.
Which driving course would you recommend, IAM or Rospa.
Either Philip - the standards required and the quality of training is the same in both organisations.
I don't know what this says about me; I've always found it very difficult to have any sort of conversation when driving, let alone a commentary. They both seem to impinge on the bandwidth that I need to drive competently. I could, for example, be having a conversation which would tail off as I approached an unfamiliar multilane roundabout, complete with worn, partially legible road markings, and never be resumed. I believe Sir Alec Issignosis believed that car radios were a distraction which detracted from a driver's ability to concentrate.
I would not worry. When I did my Advanced Test, I apologised at the end to the examiner for the times my conversation tailed off. He said he expected that: it showed that I was aware of potential hazards and was prioritising them.
6:46 what every police driver does in TV shows/audits.
I need to admit I'm slightly surprised about Eco-Driving comment... I always thought advanced drivers are supposed to be able to do everything and anything, eco-driving included.
You do, but it is not emphasised. I suspect the Eco driving priority will be raised in the coming years. For example, consider speed. To reduce fuel consumption a speed of about 50 mph is right for most single carriageway B or C roads. But one is expected to make good progress, so the Examiner would expect to see you doing 60 mph in an NSL (provided it is safe).
Early observation, anticipation and planning, smoothness and mechanical sympathy will all save bucket loads of fuel. Advanced drivers have always done a form of 'eco driving' - but with the emphasis on test being to make progress when safe and do a brisk drive, as its a test of your abilities. You can always adapt your skills and take opportunities to save fuel in everyday driving when there isn't an examiner sat next to you, whilst still following the principles of the system and always prioritising safety.
I believe because "Eco" driving is assessed on the DVSA "L" test,It is included on advanced test's since IAM /ROSPA are now DVSA approved & accredited. A bad mark here will not prevent you passing any test, L or advanced, as your eco grade (a stand alone rating) is disregarded in the final reckoning. If you were cynical (heaven forbid) you might say it was just a "woke" add on just for the sake of green appearances.