A careful search of the Internet reveals many sites dealing with driving, as well as basic human behaviour. Unfortunately, much of what is written does not withstand careful scrutiny. This brings us to the subject of the difference between a self-appointed driving expert, whose advice is as likely to be dangerous as helpful, and an actual driving expert. I'm biased in this, having spent quite a few years teaching advanced driving, high performance driving, and coaching other racers, for the biggest and most prestigious companies in the field.

Working for a major player, when you are learning the craft of coaching driving skills, has one huge advantage. You are surrounded by professional racers and instructors, as well as exposed to a body of knowledge that has been tried and tested. This means that pet theories, voodoo physics, outdated information, and prejudice tend to fall by the wayside. What matters is performance, pure and simple. Go out on the skidpad and correct not one skid, but hundreds. Work against the stopwatch on the track, not once every third weekend, but every working day. Listen to other instructors deliver information, and learn from each other. Chances are that by the time you become a lead instructor you will have honed both skills and understanding.

I am strongly in favour of both national and international certification for advanced driving instructors. The British have had such a system for a while, with graduated levels, each requiring certain standard of performance.

This would cut down the level of rubbish we read in both newspapers and on the Internet regarding automobiles, vehicle dynamics, and driving skills. After all, if you haven't been able to demonstrate emergency braking, lane change, cornering, and skid control skills to a high level, why should you be writing about these things from a position of authority?


Check out our Driving Tips page from www.sidorovprecisiondrivertraining.ca. It was recently a featured pick on the Canadian Association of Road Safety Professionals website. (www.carsp.ca)