Advanced Driver Training

[MM03MOK]

I took a 4.5 hour advanced driver training course yesterday at our local military installation. The course is open to all drivers and young drivers are strongly encouraged to take the class. They also offer a winter driving school and a customized version for police. They're headed to Goodyear headquarters this fall to train employees.

The training provided 3 vehicles for the class of 11 to use. A professional driving instructor was always in the passenger seat. Their "classroom" is a car hauler for 5 cars and a motor home cab pulling it.

The focus of the course I took was emergency stops, tailgating and emergency lane changes. The piratical, hands-on part was an important part of the training. Also covered were proper adjustment of your seat, mirrors and hands at 9 and 3 on the wheel.

We did emergency stops at different speeds (slam on the ABS brakes and don't let up), slalom course at different speeds (hands never leave the wheel), trailing a lead car making an emergency stop to check our reaction time (most of us "died" in the simulation) and then a combined emergency stop/lane change to avoid the wall of cones.

Some insurance companies offer discounts on car insurance if you take the course. Safety Insurance offers their customers a 70% discount on the cost of the course. Great incentives!!

They also offer a Performance Driving Course, which continues the training with your own vehicle. I'd like to take that too.

I soon realized, after using the 4 cylinder Toyota, that I really appreciate my upgraded brakes, control arms and rear sway bar.

The experience will make me all the more aware of how I drive and how easy it is to be distracted. Paying attention and quickly responding can save serious accidents and lives.

http://www.incontroladt.com/

[wchain]

I thought they were 4 banger altimas?

[MM03MOK]

I thought they were 4 banger altimas?
Nope....only website pictures.

They go through tires every 6 to 7 days. Large local tire company is a sponsor.

[DeepSea117]

I took a similar course two years ago, offered by the Contra Costa sheriff's department. Seemed to entail the same things, except we did it with Crown Vics, which was why I took it. Manuvering through cones backwards and forwards, parallel parking (which a lot of people need practice with), and turn arounds in dead-end T-intersections. Those courses are well worth it, especially with big cars like ours. I didn't mine banging a few cones with their cruisers! :D

One of the students did a mean spin-out at 45mph during the emergency lane change, and when the car came to a stop, the officer jumped out of the car, shaking off his nerves and talking to himself. Got it on film and sent it to those guys. :)

[Aren Jay]

This sounds alot like my drivers ed course I took in highschool. Learning to backup by driving backward figure eights, Parking on icy hills and even trips into the city to practice in heavy traffic. 3 point reverse turns etc... Parallel parking in an empty field is fine, park between this cone and that, but when you want to test the nerve of the student driver, put them in rushhour on a oneway road and try parallel parking while a line of cars are honking at you and if you hit the other cars they are real cars with real owners. You learn fast, learn your limits and learn to calm down. Just what everyone needs to do, learn to calm down.

[Tom Doan]

Around here it is the BSR school at Summit point W Va. Lot's of fun, I did the class in my Roadrunner, the car was set up for road racing and was impressive on the wet skid pad, the instructor had to reach over and jurk the wheel, "I want this b*tch to spin". Tom

[airborne_mp84]

Around here it is the BSR school at Summit point W Va. Lot's of fun, I did the class in my Roadrunner, the car was set up for road racing and was impressive on the wet skid pad, the instructor had to reach over and jurk the wheel, "I want this b*tch to spin". Tom
Hey a attended the BSR(Bill scott raceway) course last year and boy was it fun..i believe its a one week course they also teach weopon tactics...its right on the boarder on(VA&W Va) towards winchester..whats funny is that my driving instructor is a pilot..when i went they still had those early to mid 90s caprices... i think the top guy name is gary

[Tom Doan]

Bsr has lots of different classes, I was going to the open track days and saw the SEAL's having too much fun on the wet skid pad, had to join in. I recommend any class to everyone who drives a MM, these pigs can be difficult to turn in the middle of a curve at too high of a speed. Tom