There should be a point system rather than the critical or non-critical errors. If you commit a critical error & I still do not know which are which, you fail even if the error did not endanger anyone’s safety.

Bull!

I must have missed something… your plates???

I’ve done 3 of the BMW training courses and i found them to be excelent. Maybe a little pricey but well worth it in my opinion. Here’s a link to their website:

http://www.bmw.com.au/scripts/main.asp?PageID=11803&PID=8&IID=21

My housmate has done the AAMI one and he thought that was a good starting point. Much cheaper too.

I’m a P-Plater – getting off them in May this year and the idea of taking a driving course is appealing to me more and more, so I can learn more about driving the easy way (As opposed to the hard / accident way)…

Thanks.

I’m sure most have a story to tell invloving losses or injuries of some type. As for me I shat myelf once driving my mums mini back in the 80′s being completely bloody stupid. In 27yrs of motoring nothing more than minor shunts and 4 points on the license.

AS for the effectiveness of these sort of campaigns, I reckon they certainly work. You asked whether people actually quit smoking after seeing those scary ads, Alborz?

I did.

You can bang on about driver training all you want, but the fact of the matter is that far more people will be reached – and influenced – by campaigns like this than there will be drivers who’ve been properly educated on a skidpan.

Twitter does work – I also got here via Twitter!

Agree with your thoughts and Gideon’s (the comment above mine). If you’ve ever read Tony Robbins’ book (I forget which one) he describes a scene in which he undergoes race training. Tony is flying around a track in a race car with an instructor in the passenger seat. Suddenly, the instructor pulls a lever which reduces traction in the wheel(s) on one side. The car goes into a skid and heads inexorably towards the barrier. A crash is imminent. The great Tony Robbins is fixated with the barrier wall and can’t stop staring at it as it draws closer and closer. At the last possible second, the instructor drops the lever again, restoring traction to the car. The car is no longer in a skid, but it’s still heading for the wall. A crash is imminent. The instructor grabs Tony’s head by the helmet and wrenches it 90 degrees so Tony is forced to look at the track and not at the barrier anymore. The car ‘magically’ pulls itself out of its death-arc and finds its natural circuit around the track. All is well. What you look at is what you get – same in driving.

See… Twitter works! I got to this page via your tweet!

Now, about your article…

I really hate all those “fear” ads. I’m a strong believer in whatever you focus on becomes a reality – it’s a bit like the part where you mention “don’t stare at what ever it is you don’t want to hit, because if you stare at it, you’re going to hit it!”

I reckon it’s the same with everything else – if one were to focus on sickness all the time for example, the subconscious attunes itself to sickness (reticular activation thingee in the brain kicks in), and then it “attracts” (not really attracts, but makes you “overly” aware of) all the sickness stuff.

This, in turn makes you more prone to sickness. That is, focussing on sickness (or accidents or whatever for that matter) will increase your chances of “hitting” it.

And this is no woo woo kinda stuff – it’s basic psychology.

So, I really like what you’re saying here about going on driving courses. That’s a great way of focusing on what you want, instead of on what you don’t want.

I haven’t been on a special driving course myself yet… but after reading your article, I am considering it.

But first, I need to buy a car! LOL!

Gideon Shalwick