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In the last six issues of One Way, starting in March 2004, we have introduced the System of Car Control and then discussed all its five phases – Information, Position, Speed, Gear and Acceleration – in some detail. We now need to take a step back and consider the System as a whole and how we should use it in all our driving.
There is an opinion that the IAM is very set in its ways, preaching a standard set of driving dogma that stifles any individuality among members. This misconception arises from the attitudes of some members, even some observers. It is counter-productive, detracting from our real task and dissuading potential new members from joining us. So why does it happen?
When you first learn to drive you learn to follow a set of driving rules. As you prepare for the driving test these rules become, if not second nature, at least ingrained, so that you approach a given situation in the same way every time. An example is ‘Mirror, signal, manoeuvre’, that you say to yourself, and carry out, before any change of direction. Because you are a novice, you have to follow rules like this: you are not experienced enough to deviate from the mantra.
Some people treat advanced driving in a similar way. But the nature of advanced driving is such that there is very seldom a ‘standard’ way of doing things. It all depends on the situation at the time. Sometimes associates will ask their observer questions like: ‘Which lane should I use on the approach to a roundabout if I want to go straight on?’, or: ‘What gear should I be in to negotiate a busy city street with parked vehicles on both sides?’ There can be no definitive answer to such questions – the only sensible answer is ‘It all depends...’ It depends on the particular circumstances at the time – road layout, other traffic, weather conditions and so on.
Those members (and there are some in the Newbury Group!) who try to lay down rigid rules for specific situations in advanced driving are doing the IAM a disservice. They are the ones who get the Institute its pedantic image, which causes potential new members to reject the IAM. They are more concerned with preparing for the IAM test than with advanced driving skills, and see trivial matters like correct push-pull steering as more important than big-picture issues such as intelligent observation, planning and anticipation.
Advanced driving is not solely about passing the IAM test. It is primarily concerned with providing a toolbox of skills that will allow you to make the best decision to cope with any given driving situation. You need to be able to detect approaching hazards early, and then apply the System of Car Control in the most appropriate way to negotiate them safely. If you expect a checklist that will enable you to deal with a given road layout in the same way every time, you are not yet an advanced driver.
Of course, the System itself is a kind of checklist – IPSGA – but you need to apply it flexibly. The journey to work, following the same route every day for a week, can lead to five quite different ways of negotiating the same hazard, depending on the particular circumstances on each occasion. That's what differentiates an advanced driver from a mere mortal.
Roadcraft acknowledges this in Chapter 2. Under the heading ‘Using the System flexibly’, it says:
‘The key point to remember is that the System depends on your using it intelligently and responsively. It is not an automatic mechanism but has to be adapted by you to the circumstances that arise. Used intelligently, it provides a logical but flexible sequence for dealing with hazards:
You should consider all the phases of the System on the approach to every hazard, but you may not need to use every phase in a particular situation;
The information phase spans the whole System and entails a constant reassessment of plans;
If a new hazard arises, consider whether you need to return to an earlier phase of the System.’
A very good way to keep an open mind and to avoid the ‘checklist’ mentality is to constantly ask yourself ‘What if...?’ when you are driving. ‘What if a child runs into the road from between those parked cars?’; ‘What if someone in that van opens a door just as I am passing it?’; ‘What if there is a stationary vehicle or other large object just round this blind bend?’, and so on. Then, of course, you need to take the appropriate action to deal with the ‘What if...?’ situation that you have just invented. In this way, you will continually assess possible hazards and revise your driving plan to take account of them – that is the mark of a true advanced driver.