Maybe you can help. 

 

A few years back my mate bought a Civic Type R brand new.  At the time, Honda gave you a free day course with an ex advanced police driver and he still uses the advice he received to this day.  The chap - Ray Bradbury - took you out in your own car and spent a good few hours assessing your skills and suggesting improvements along the way.  It sounded like a really good experience and one that could help anyone who likes driving and for those who occasionally make good progress when the conditions allow.

 

I've always wanted to experience a day like this and wondered if any of you have had a similar day?  I have tried to Google Ray Bradbury but it would appear that he no longer works.

 

Cheers,

 

Andrew.

 

p.s. I did find this chap and although he fits the bill, he's nowhere near me up here in Scarborough.

http://www.advanceddrivingtraining.co.uk/

Check out Aduk forum. Attended a few of the driving days. They will also be able to advise of profession tutors.

Have you thought about joining IAM or Roadar?

You could try IAM I think they use ex-police for their assessments.

Try googling "drive and survive" not sure if they just do corporate stuff though

Go to www.iam.org.uk and look up skills days. We had one at Croft recently.

Try googling "drive and survive" not sure if they just do corporate stuff though

 

D&S are now part of IAM.

Correct my Assesment was done by a ex local traffic officer.

Both IAM and Roadar/rospa are based and roadcraft, the police drivers handbook. Well worth a read.

I'm a class 1 advanced police driver. Sounds like I could make few bob here! ;-)

Seriously though, any sort of advanced tuition is well worth it. A lot of people are under the illusion that police advanced drivers are taught how to drive quickly and nothing more but there's a hell of a lot more to it than that.

Anticipation, smoothness, vehicle sympathy and many more subjects are covered and go a long way to making you a safer and more defensive driver. You too can obtain these skills by attending a course like you mention or by becoming a member of your local branch of the Institute of Advanced Motorists.

Anything that promotes safer driving can only be a good thing.

Good luck with your search and when you do find one, enjoy it!

I've been through the IAM bike and car tests as well as having been lucky enough to have been out on some specific training and assessments with police riders.

An intense training day of one to one or two to one training is great form craming a lot in but it will be very tiring, mentally and physically, and probably expensive for the amount you will ultimately take away, you will also probably not get a formally recognised qualification. That said they are great days for giving you the bug and can be really enjoyable as well as something quite different. There are various people out there who do the type of course you are talking about so I'm suprised a google search didn't throw up more for you.

The Club route such as IAM, which is the only one I have experience of, is a longer journey and won't give you the intense hit, but what you will get is access to a mass of people in your local group with significant experience to help you through your journey towards your test. The test is (or was) examined by an police class 1 driver, serving or retired (you don't get to do the blue light stuff!) but before that you will have regular drives with an observer. Depending how the group works either at further intervals or when the observer recommends it you will go out with a senior observer for a drive and they will assess your progress. When they are happy they will recommend you put in for the test.

Read Roadcraft first.

Read Roadcraft first.

It's a great cure for insomnia!

Maybe so, but it is the manual your police driver is working to.

I also bought a new civic r (in '04) and had the same day out with instructor

Spent an afternoon driving round the wood head pass with a guy, most useful

Was doing great at first,driving like Jesus and receiving plenty of praise

Then wifey announced the classic 'he doesn't normally drive like this'

Good fun,but as said a few drives with local iam is probably your best starting point

and be quick, as the joining fee of £139 goes up to £149 on the 1 October.

Thanks for the replies folks.  I've looked into the local IAM here in Scarborough and attended a meeting to find out a bit more.  It sounded very interesting and well worth joining up at some point.  My only issue is the time I have (or lack of it) to commit to it all.  It's all very boring and work/family related but I couldn't say for definite that I could even find one Saturday morning a month right now to indulge my personal interest in driving, let alone once a week.  That's why I was thinking of a day with an instructor as opposed to the drip fed option.  I agree that a day is  probably a bit intense and that it takes more time than one session can allow to become a better driver but I figured something is better than nothing.

I have found a chap in Harrogate who might be suitable. 

http://www.uptwospeed.co.uk/pages/about.htm

All I need to do now is save up!

I had one of those when I bought my Civic Type R in 2003, was called MAC, still got the certificate somewhere.  Was a good day out spanking round north wales.

Thanks for the replies folks.  I've looked into the local IAM here in Scarborough and attended a meeting to find out a bit more.  It sounded very interesting and well worth joining up at some point.  My only issue is the time I have (or lack of it) to commit to it all.  It's all very boring and work/family related but I couldn't say for definite that I could even find one Saturday morning a month right now to indulge my personal interest in driving, let alone once a week.  That's why I was thinking of a day with an instructor as opposed to the drip fed option.  I agree that a day is  probably a bit intense and that it takes more time than one session can allow to become a better driver but I figured something is better than nothing.

I have found a chap in Harrogate who might be suitable. 

http://www.uptwospeed.co.uk/pages/about.htm

All I need to do now is save up!

The IAM route can take a bit of time. When i did mine it was an evening a week for a few months during the winter for some classromm sessions to cover the roadcraft stuff, not sure if all groups do this, then when that was over you got assigned an observer and arranged mutually convienient, generally weekely meetings to go for a drive, didn't have to be a set day, to get you up to standard.

Does take a while and is a reasonable committment but not overly onerous in reality as it was not a dedicated slot outside of the classroom sessions and didn't have to make all of those in reality.

If all you want out of it is to get rid of some bad habits and improve your skills then a day or half day may be a better option, but remember it will take time and effort to change your habits outside of the course which is where the long and slow approach can be more useful.

I had one of those when I bought my Civic Type R in 2003, was called MAC, still got the certificate somewhere. Was a good day out spanking round north wales.

These guys.

http://www.macdrivertraining.com/driving-tips/

My company sends out workers who do more than 2000 business miles a year with these guys for a day of defensive driving tuition in pairs, every 3 years.

Chris Gilbert does driving days. He's a former class 1 and hendon instructor. Also taught william and harry to drive.

Chris Gilbert does driving days. He's a former class 1 and hendon instructor. Also taught william and harry to drive.

I wouldn't be advertising myself as a hendon driving instructor since the met often don't follow the CoP curriculum. The met always do things their own way.

Try googling "drive and survive" not sure if they just do corporate stuff though

If it's the same company, the original 'Drive & Survive' was set up by an ex Traffic-Officer, in the mid-late 80's

There was a feature in either 'Car', or 'Performance Car', magazine, where he was instructing one of their writers in an Astra (mark 2) - that's just going from memories

 

I used to drive 1000 to 1400 miles a week around the Lake District when I was a commercial traveller, so I think I got into a few bad habits!

I decided, when I moved to Tyneside, that it would be a good idea to go down the IAM route.

I had three trips out with one of the volunteer observers who told me I wasn't as bad as I thought and he put me in for the test. The examiner was a retired class 1 police driver. We went out on various roads for about an hour and I felt so chuffed that I passed.

The only disappointment was it doesn't seem to make any difference to my insurance... I was told if I'd taken mr Pass Plus (I believe this is aimed at new drivers) I would get 10%.

OK no advantage for insurance but a great feeling that your driving standards are up to scratch.

This is something that interests me too.  I consider myself to be of average ability behind the wheel but will freely admit I've been driving a few years now and have probably got into some bad habits during that time.  I'd like someone who knows way more than me to tell me what habits to keep and which ones to ditch in favour of better practice.

It's a while since I took my IAM test and am seriously thinking of taking the course and test again.

It will ensure I'm not getting any bad habits I haven't realised!

I used to drive 1000 to 1400 miles a week around the Lake District when I was a commercial traveller, so I think I got into a few bad habits!

I decided, when I moved to Tyneside, that it would be a good idea to go down the IAM route.

I had three trips out with one of the volunteer observers who told me I wasn't as bad as I thought and he put me in for the test. The examiner was a retired class 1 police driver. We went out on various roads for about an hour and I felt so chuffed that I passed.

The only disappointment was it doesn't seem to make any difference to my insurance... I was told if I'd taken mr Pass Plus (I believe this is aimed at new drivers) I would get 10%.

OK no advantage for insurance but a great feeling that your driving standards are up to scratch.

 

It depends on yours insurer. I'm with Admiral and get a decent discount with my IAM qualification. Its not really about that though, it's being able to handle a vehicle better, safer and being in control 100% if the time with no "that was a bit close" moments and gives you a better chance of avoiding incidents over an 'average' driver.