I must be a terrible driver
 

I passed my test in 1978 and had a 50-50 crash in the snow winter 78. Since then no car accidents/collisions etc. where I have been at fault.

A few years ago the company sent me on a 1 week driving course where it was noted on the critique back to HR that I was a motorcyclist and had excellent observation and positional awareness.

However, we have had to fill in a recent questionnaire on our driving attitudes and I have been assessed as high risk.

I am classed as high risk because of the following categories :-

Situational factors:-
High Mileage
Hours driving.

I would have thought both the above went hand in hand.

Behavioural factors :-
Aggression
Driving Excitement
Driving Focus
Self Evaluation

So, the truth. I answered their questions honestly, but about me on the road. Many of the things that scored to me being aggressive are because I answered them from a bikers perspective. yes I will overtake slower moving traffic, yes I cross into the opposite carriageway to improve my visibility, yes I enjoy twistie roads etc.


Well I have to now do another driving course. Yippee

Re: I must be a terrible driver
 

Tell them you'll work hard to reduce the number of hours you're driving...

:driving:

;)

Re: I must be a terrible driver
 

May I ask why you answered a questionnaire based on your driving a car with answers based on your riding a bike?

Re: I must be a terrible driver
 

I don't think thats entirely what he means.

When you are taught to drive a car, you are not necessarily encouraged to use the road and move out into the opposing carrageway to get a clear view of the road ahead, however, on a bike, it tends to be something you do frequently, hence the bikers perspective comment.

Tim, I don't see how that makes you an aggressive driver though? Surely just progressive? I knw that we are taught those techniques on our advanced courses and we were always told that they were "progressive" without being perceived as "aggressive".

Re: I must be a terrible driver
 

That's why questionnaires are of limited use. If you'd answered those questions having never ridden a bike it might be logical to conclude that you were aggressive. But because of the extra awareness biking brings, you know how to drive progressively but safely.

Typical H&S attitude. Apply a one size fits all approach and assume the worst case all the time.

Re: I must be a terrible driver
 

The questions in these things are generally loaded anyway. It's in the interests of the training body.

If your replies show you to be assertive, you will be deemed aggressive and in need of training.

If your replies show you to be cautious, you will be deemed timid and in need of training.

Somewhere in the middle and you will be deemed indecisive and in need of training.

See where it's going?

Re: I must be a terrible driver
 

interesting - if you were being tested on PlayStation Driving you'd hav eprobably scored top marks!

(I'm really convinced that the reason driving's so bad these days is because so many people spend so much time driving virtually - which is why it's always a race and everyone tailgates. even hit-and-runs are OK as there are no real consequences)

Re: I must be a terrible driver
 

Hang on, aren't these the same chaps that have just asked to start driving into the office everyday? Surely their concern for your high mileage should have influenced that decision :rolleyes:

Re: I must be a terrible driver
 

we had a driving simulator at work the other month... a beta design I beleive.

I had a go and the Master driver watched...

I went from driving a car then to a truck, then to an Artic.
the last one was a Chally2 (CR2) ...

when I had ran over several cars that cut me up...he stopped the test and asked me why I had ran over said cars...

I answered " it was the only legal way as a biker I could get away with it" He then restarted the simulator and sat back....

Re: I must be a terrible driver
 

You don't like working in the office. Work are paying for you a day out of the office. I do believe the technical term for such a situation is win/win isn't it? ;)

Re: I must be a terrible driver
 

The truth of the matter I suppose is that what was taught years ago, what is taught now, and what people perceive are entirely different. I am one of those that used to ride bikes on the 6 monthly provisionals, and with the odd break in between this could have gone on forever; until the law was changed, and rightly so. My "Road Training" and test came with cars and what we were taught then and now is very different, and could in earlier times also be different depending on your location. (In London we were allowed to block the nearside carriageway to turn right as the roads were so busy it was the only way to get across. I must admit I was gob smacked at this even in them days.) So if peoples perceptions are based on earlier times or a completely different set of factors then the most appropriate answer may appear inappropriate.

I am currently back to square one and undertaking my DAS and finding a lot of the things we are taught completely different to what we were taught in earlier times, all be it one was in a car and the other is on a bike. We are taught as before to keep our speed up to the speed limit, conditions permitting, but to break much later for junctions, roundabouts, etc. Having said that my old driver instructor, a member of the IAM, would have considered a slow moving car as a hazard and he would have told me to "get your speed up and overtake" to the speed limit as long as conditions permitted you to do so. (Of course you would have overtaken the other vehicle, hopefully :-) ) So the answer to overtaking should be qualified by the circumstances, either by the person/questionnaire asking the question or the provision provided to qualify the response.

Bikes are different to cars; they are faster, narrower and more manoeuvrable, but if you were only a car driver and put a question to a biker would you expect to get the correct response or the car drivers response? Me thinks the latter would apply.

Re: I must be a terrible driver
 

simple tim its offical your carp at everything :)

Re: I must be a terrible driver
 

you mean Cage drivers can answer questions?

I thought they could only just about bash rocks together.

Re: I must be a terrible driver
 

:winner: I'd feel happy if I was sent off on one of those days out too!!! Even if I had done one before.