I have been driving a car since the late 80’s. On a scale of 1-10 I would say that my driving is an ‘8’. In all the years I have been driving I have had two minor rear-end shunts (my fault) a couple of near misses (not my fault) but no major accidents or incidents.
When you have a family, boot size and fuel consumption outweigh 0-60 timings and how much horsepower (whatever that is) your car has. When I was single, I used to charge around in an Escort Mark II 1.3 Ghia (the Ghia bit was important) which I put front lamps on the radiator grill to make it look like an RS Turbo (which it didn’t) but the chicks loved it (which they didn’t). I then got a soft top Suzuki Vitara with bull-bar, decals and fanny magnet (which was an optional extra). That actually worked (although my wife will tell you something completely different!).
I won’t bore you with the rest of my car history – but like most people of my generation, we have owned several different vehicles which have served purposes to fit our lives at the time. Each vehicle is seen as an upgrade on the old one (mostly) or is purchased to fit in with whatever is happening in your life at the time.
Why only an ‘8’ Phil?
Well despite the fact that I have been driving a while and had some cars with the latest technology etc – I am pretty crap at reversing. I don’t mind admitting it. I was rubbish at reversing around a corner in my test and if I ever need to reverse down a tight country lane to make way for another car – I am terrible. Not too bad in parking bays but long-distance reversing – not my thing.
Luckily you rarely have to do but it gets you out of trouble when you do.
A lot of the time I will plan my route so I don’t have to be in that situation but driving around the country lanes of Lincolnshire or Cornwall (which I do a lot of) you cannot avoid it.
There is definitely a gap in my driving skillset.
This gap in skills makes me plan differently and sometimes I may avoid it (and miss out in the process). The gap also means that I pose the risk of when the inevitable happens – I don’t perform well and it may cause other problems.
Technology helps a bit. Cameras and things that go beep to tell you that you are about to reverse into a tree but sometimes this is beeping overload and you don’t know if the threat is coming at you or behind you! Reversing cameras are great but it still doesn’t mean you can reverse in a straight line. So even with the use of technology you have to understand what it all means, when to use it properly and how to couple it with your fundamental skills to get proper use out of it.
If you don’t have good fundamental skills in the first place – technology just amplifies your gaps.
Garbage in, garbage out – was the motto of my IT teacher. You may have heard that before as I am certain he didn’t invent it.
Systems that use AI, machine learning, cloud computing, virtualization (in its many beeping forms) all help as long as you have, at the very least, the fundamental skills and knowledge in the first place. And you are clever enough to apply them alongside the new technology.
Being able to drive is all about having physical skill, technical knowledge and understanding the rules and regulations of the road. So Physical, technical and procedural controls are all sitting side by side as you take the risk and hit the road.
If you are competent and confident in all three aspects – the road wont hold you back.
It would be lovely to think that I would ever be a 10 out of 10 driver – but even the greatest F1 drivers are not that. So that’s not achievable. I would settle for a ‘9’ and I know where my gaps are – so it’s not a bad idea to practise and get some experience even if it is for that ‘just in case’ moment and it may also open up a whole new world of opportunities for you.
Good training allows you to apply the theory, practice and test yourself to show that you are confident and capable of whatever skillset you are aiming for.
The impact of good training helps to remove some of the risk and opens up opportunities for you and the people you look after.
Who knows, learning how to go backwards may make going forwards even more enjoyable and safer. And when the inevitable happens you are ready for it and it doesn’t impact your onward journey too much.
Beep long and prosper!
