Jackie Willis, a driving instructor and founder/director of Care Motoring, a Norfolk-based driving school, has come up with an innovative new way to help learner drivers beat the credit crunch by learning to drive with the help of a parent, or other qualified driver, together with a series of audio lessons, delivered by Jackie and called Virtual Driving Instructor.

“Many learner drivers have either put off learning to drive altogether, or are taking lessons with a driving instructor, but can only afford to pay for them once every 2 or 3 weeks, sometimes longer. If they are lucky, they will have the chance to practise in between, but sadly many do not,” said Jackie

According to a recent survey from an insurance company, applications to have learner drivers added to parents’ policies has increased by around 23% and it is this group of learner drivers that Virtual Driving Instructor is targeting. A survey by Churchill insurance in 2007 showed how much damage can actually be done when parents attempt to teach their children.

Virtual Driving Instructor takes away the responsibility of what to teach and how to teach it from the unqualified instructor, by ‘instructing’ the learner through these audio lessons. Jackie explains:

“The parent, or other supervising driver, and the learner, listen together before going off and practising, as instructed in the audio lesson. They then stop again after this practise and listen for further advice. And of course, if the instructions have not been fully understood first time, then the audio can be rewound and listened to again”.

Certainly the lessons seem to be very thorough. There are 25 in all, which includes 5 manoeuvres lessons, and each lesson is accompanied by a set of lesson notes to help the supervising driver. Each lesson contains the instructions for the skill being practised, encouragement for the learner to assess their own progress and set their own targets for improvement, risk management techniques, Highway Code references relevant to that lesson, and links to various websites for additional help and information, as well as recommended reading material.

As Jackie, an experienced teacher and classroom practitioner, points out, whatever a person is learning, success is achieved quickest and best when the subject can be learned through visual, auditory and kinaesthetic means. So, in the case of learning to drive, watching training videos and good role-model drivers, coupled with listening regularly to the audio lessons and getting as much driving practice as possible, will lead to accelerated learning which is of a much higher standard.

It is also recommended that the learner backs up this ‘diy’ training with some lessons with a ‘real’ driving instructor, who may then be able to focus their training on higher level skills, producing novice drivers who possess advanced driving skills as soon as they obtain their driving licence.

Now wouldn’t that be a novel idea?

The full course of 25 lessons is sold in modules of 5 lessons, each costing £5.95, or the complete course can be purchased for a reduced fee of £24.75, by downloading them at Virtual Instructor

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Contains the 5 lessons associated with Module 1, plus 3 free modules and all associated lesson notes.
  

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Use of MSM routine and managing risks; turning L & R; mini-roundabouts and the emergency stop. Tutorial notes included.
  

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Crossroads, Roundabouts, Busy Junctions, Speed Awareness, Dual Carriageways
  

Buy Manoeuvres Now for only £4.95
Contains all driving test manoeuvres plus tutorial notes
  

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City centre driving, driving in busy urban areas, use of mirrors and signalling, legal responsibilities, mock test.
  

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This was to have been an article about the false beliefs that live in the minds of young people and obstruct their path to safe driving. But that will have to wait a while.

Discussion with instructors and drivers has brought to the surface one single belief that casts such a long shadow that it merits separate attention. Especially now, as the Driving Standards Agency is considering major reforms in driver training. This belief has been uttered by so many people for so long that it seems to just exist. Surprisingly though, its damaging effect comes not from it being false, but because it is so true.

The Stubborn Truth
It is of course, the relentless old adage, “You really learn to drive after passing the test”. This saying has been nestling deep in our driving culture for so many decades that we no longer see it as a nonsense and a verdict of failure. Instead, it just sits heavy as a lead weight astride the process of learning to drive.

But why do people say it anyway? There are two main ‘proofs’ in the public mind. First, novice drivers have a notorious and persistently high crash rate. And by definition, if we are unhappy with the carnage, then drivers are not being well prepared for being set free on the roads. Second and much stronger, is that ‘test driving’ is so totally different from the ‘real-world driving’ that ambushes novices after passing the test.

So learners will often hear this maxim said. From their peers, friends and family – especially when having private practice. Instructors might also make comments that distinguish between driving before and after the test. But most powerful is the shock that novices get as they suddenly drive without supervision.

Unfortunately, none of the changes made to driver training over the years have managed to dent this Stubborn Truth. It persists as true today, and entrenched in the public mind, as it ever was.

From the viewpoint of the learners, we should expect them to feel confused. How can they accept that the act of passing the test has the effect of throwing them headlong into the highest risk category of driver? Why would anyone create a situation like that? Predictably, they prefer to imagine that crashes happen to drivers who choose to be deliberately reckless – this seems to make much more sense. But in reality, things go wrong across the full spectrum of novices – including the ones who want to be safe.

Let’s look at the effect that this maxim has on the learning process.

Consequences
Some recent research adds to our insight into the driving minds of young people, and especially how sceptical they are of the learning process (1) . We know that many believe that passing the test has little to do with actual competence, and a lot of their thinking is a vivid reflection of the Stubborn Truth:

• Learning to drive is about passing the test - “The test is an obstacle to being allowed to drive, so I want to get through it as soon as possible.”
• Preparing for the test does not teach ‘real’ driving – “Apparently I have to pick that up afterwards, and just hope not to crash in the process.”
• Pre-test training is irrelevant to good driving - “After the test I can forget the unnecessary things and drive how I think it should be done.”
• Driving ability is a matter of ‘natural talent’ - “If this is all they teach, then the rest must be down to whether you’ve just got the talent or not.”
• Passing the test has a lot to do with luck – “I want to try the test as soon as I have a chance of scraping through, and hope nothing tricky happens on the day.”
• Crashes are inevitable – “We’re bound to make mistakes with so much more to learn after the test.”

Alongside the clear implications for safety, there are broader consequences in this picture too:

• There are strong signals that many new drivers, especially young males, quickly feel they know more about driving than the system that taught them. This is a critical condition, but not surprising.
• There is a bias against instructors who want to raise the game. Trying to lift a pupil above being able to just pass the test can be akin to defying gravity. There might also be accusations of ‘unnecessary’ lessons. Many instructors bow to the pressure for a quick pass, simply to keep the client happy.
• For most people, the Stubborn Truth is a major part of the reputation of the driving instructor industry, and it works to undermine the value that they feel is being provided.
• Any negative views that new drivers hold about their pre-test training are likely to also rub off onto their respect for road safety more generally. For most of them it all comes from the same source. And a lack of faith and trust is natural if the training system is failing to deliver what it should.

Realistically, new drivers will always have a lot to learn from their experience after the test. But the problem lies in the scale of what is left untaught. This huge vacuum also gives grounds for the ‘talent model’ of good driving to arise, which denies the role of training, but will continue to thrive until it is proved to be wrong.

All of this means that if the magnitude of novice casualties is unacceptable, then in the same breath so too must be the existence of the Stubborn Truth and its consequences.

What are novices learning?
A strong image of new drivers taking to the road is that they are more likely to crash than the rest of us. But something very successful happens there too.

Their risk of crashing falls very sharply during the initial two years of driving (2) , and this raises a vital question. How do they do that? What exactly are they learning by themselves that makes this happen? Asking them does not help much. Even experienced drivers struggle to explain what is really going on when they drive, so it is impractical to expect sparkling insights from our novices.

Let’s look first at some common assumptions that are actually not responsible for this effect:

• Just experience:  We have a long tradition of saying that novices simply ‘gain experience’. This lets us hide behind the dubious claim that, “You can’t teach experience”. There may be some comfort in keeping the responsibility weighted towards the novice, but complaining at them while leaving them stranded helps no one. And ‘gaining experience’ is too vague to have any meaning.
• Better car control:  The weight given to physical control for the test can give the impression that this must be the thing to continue improving afterwards, but this is not the answer. Most learners master vehicle control quite easily to the level required for public roads, and novices do not start avoiding crashes with extreme physical actions. This is also not how experienced drivers stay safe either.
• Motorways, darkness and bad weather:  There are advocates of rolling into the pre-test stage what are effectively some of the Pass Plus modules – motorways, driving in the dark and driving in poor conditions. However, official studies have found a lack of evidence that Pass Plus reduces a driver’s crash risk  (3). It seems unlikely therefore that gaining this sort of experience on their own could result in a sharp increase in novice safety.
• Better attitudes and behaviour:  A definite surprise in recent research is that key behaviours get slightly but steadily worse during the first three years of driving  (4). This is about specific ‘driving violations’ and ‘hazard involvement’ that have been linked to crash liability. Clearly, these behaviours are vital to safety, but improving them is not a route that novices are using to help themselves.

So what are novices doing? The answer is that by being forced to think for themselves, they are beginning to manage risk. With the safety net of a supervising driver being suddenly removed, the brain gets quite a jolt. Decisions are now truly life-and-death events, and a deep instinct kicks in to cope with the new danger.

Linking with the debate on frontal lobe development, we could even say that novices are beginning to exercise and develop this vital area of brain function – and perhaps after years of under-use in childhood.

In some chaotic fashion specific skills are being gained which are about hazard control – making risk safe. And this is how novices achieve the falling crash curve. Crucially, though, this area of competence on the road is currently neglected in learner training, and this is the core weakness that creates the casualties.

Reform of driver training
Declaring the Stubborn Truth to be unacceptable is long overdue. As well as being a severe criticism of our training regime, it is in itself an active barrier to raising standards. The expectation of weak training leads people to behave in ways that also cause it to come true, such as treating the test as just an obstacle.

It is worth noting too that the idea of placing restrictions on novice drivers (on passengers, night driving, etc), would serve to reinforce the maxim, and appear to mark an unhelpful surrender to poor training.

How could this barrier be removed? The obvious answer is to start teaching learners what the novices are picking up on their own. And this is no longer as difficult as it was before, because the problem and the solution are now better understood. The hurdle today is in making the decision to update the training.

From the new driver’s perspective, we should recognise that:

• They have a deep sense themselves that ’something important’ is missing from their training. But they struggle to explain what they mean by ‘real driving’ or to define ‘good driving’. This is precisely what they have not been told about, and they rightly expect the trainers to have the answers.
• Novices get no meaningful guidance about their period of self-learning after the test – what it should contain or how to do it. This ensures a process of experimental trial-and-error.
• The ‘real world’ post-test experience should be a smooth continuation of their test preparation. The feeling that going solo involves a daunting disconnection is a critical symptom.
• When pupils blame failing the test on bad luck and factors beyond their control, it shows that they cannot imagine how to take more responsibility for the result. And this is because they have not been given the skills that would let them do so.
• Young people have a genuine appetite for learning how things really work. It captivates them in the task, and they normally welcome the opportunity. In driving, they want the real skills to be explained. The joy of learning is a natural and powerful energy of youth, unless we press it out of them.

Taking the training point of view, we must stop pretending, and realise that many of the key skills that experience builds can most definitely be taught. Introducing even three topics into pre-test tuition would dramatically reduce novice risk and the disconnection in post-test driving:

• Mental skills – explain why safety is mainly about using mental skills. Describe how these skills work alongside the traditional focus on vehicle control and the Highway Code to achieve real, good and safe driving. This extends far beyond proposals to introduce training on ‘attitude’.
• Risk management - teach the active control of danger. Use a realistic model of how risk behaves and can be controlled (such as the Speed, Surprise, Space model). The current Hazard Perception Test falls far short of this, but could be developed to make a much better connection to real driving. Using a practical structure for their thinking also simplifies the driver’s task and helps avoid overload.
• Learning from experience - teach pupils how to learn from their experience. This is a skill in its own right, and is readily teachable to improve the speed and usefulness of learning. Vitally, it places the mechanism for lifelong learning within the drivers themselves. Most drivers, of all ages, waste their experience by only learning (if at all) from obvious severe events, such as crashes or near-misses.

These are some of the critical ‘revelations’ that new drivers are struggling to work out for themselves in a stumbling voyage of discovery. But drivers should be using these tools and skills from the start, not trying to reinvent them. If they were properly taught, it is even possible that new drivers could be safer than the current average on the road. And that would really change the reputation of the training system!

In conclusion
Today, the most important thing about the Stubborn Truth is that it could be removed. It should no longer, therefore, be shrugged off or ignored out of discomfort or momentum. In the total strategy for road safety, this deep-seated maxim describes a cavernous hole below the waterline that really should be plugged. Along with the casualty figures, it stands as a clear beacon of failure.

It is time to take responsibility for what feeds this public perception, and to stop regarding it as inevitable. Genuinely breaking this belief sits at the heart of what we should set out to achieve.

Yes, it is a bold ambition, but a necessary and overdue one. And only by accepting the explicit objective will it stand a chance of getting done. The Driving Standards Agency must square up to this relic of history, and recognise the deadly omissions in training. The missing safety skills could be taught, and making a start should be an urgent aim as they define the new training syllabus.

Continuing to withhold the skills of safe driving is simply neglect. It is already illogical to blame novices as generally as we do for their crashes. Our anguish of not knowing what else to do no longer makes sense.

The industry’s vision of “Safe Driving for Life” is an unattainable mirage for as long as people continue to say, “You really learn to drive after passing the test”.

Stephen Haley runs The Skilldriver project and is author of the book “Mind Driving” and can be contacted at shaley@advanced-driving.co.uk

References

1. “The Good, the Bad and the Talented”, DfT Research Report 74, Jan 2007,
   “Young People’s Forum on Learning to Drive”, DSA/SHM, Jan 2008,
   “Feeling Safe, Itching to Drive”, DfT Research Report 86, May 2008
2. “Cohort II: A Study of Learner and New Drivers”, Vol 1, DfT Research Report 81, May 2008, p131-2
3. “Cohort II”, Vol 1, p110, and “Monitoring and evaluation of safety measures for new drivers”, TRL Report TRL525, 2002
4. “Cohort II”, Vol 1, p123-5

A PDF Copy of the article can be downloaded from: The Stubborn Truth

New data from the IAM Motoring Trust shows it takes an average five year old car a minute and a half for the engine to warm up and the most efficient way to warm it up is by driving it. Reversing out of a space when the car’s engine is cold uses around 20 to 25 times more petrol in the first few seconds than it does when warm. If you do this 10 to 12 times a week that adds up to a cost of about ?100 a year, not to mention the increased wear on the car’s engine.

Reverse parking is also usually safer and is advised in The Highway Code. Reversing into somewhere you can see (a parking bay) rather than reversing out into somewhere you can’t see (often a line of moving traffic) is much safer. It is also easier to control a car going forwards than backwards when it is first started, and attempting a potentially high risk manoeuvre such as reversing when you have just entered a car and are not concentrating fully, is more dangerous.

From a security point of view, reversing close to an object such as a wall can make it more difficult for thieves to gain access and, if you need to leave a parking space quickly for personal security reasons, driving forward provides you with better acceleration and improved vision.

Many drivers find it helpful to lower the left (nearside) mirror to provide a guide to your lateral position. Another option, where all the parking spaces run in parallel rows, is to line your car up with the space in front and reverse back in a straight line. This should automatically position you in the centre of the space – but do remember to look where you are going!

This article has been reproduced with the permission of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists)

An 11 year licence endorsement is just one of the many consequences of a drink offence, although this isn’t widely known.    There is no foolproof way to check your Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) limit before you get behind the wheel, so the IAM’s message to motorists is: if you’re going to drink, don’t drive.  And if you are going to drive, don’t drink.

Previous surveys have shown a staggering 50 per cent of Britain’s 32 million motorists have owned up to driving after drinking alcohol.

“Just one” is often followed by another, especially if people are buying rounds of drinks. And a generous round-buyer may get you a large wine or a double measure of spirits without you realising. This may be a well-meaning gesture, but it could put you over the limit.

Your ability to drive can be affected by even a modest amount of alcohol, at any time of year. Even if you are actually within the limit, alcohol still affects your judgement.

If you’re driving abroad on a summer holiday, alcohol limits vary for each individual country, with some countries even having a zero alcohol limit. But the general rule to be safe no matter where you are driving remains: don’t drink and drive.

Why not offer to be the (non-drinking) designated driver?   You’ll save money and you’ll be popular with everyone else you’re giving a lift home to.

If you drive at twice the legal limit, you are 30 times more likely crash, and a long sleep or a large cup of coffee after drinking the night before may not be the quick fix you expected to allow you to safely get behind the wheel.

There could be sufficient alcohol in your system to still push you over the legal limit for many hours after you have stopped drinking. So remember to leave at least twelve hours between the “bottle” and the “throttle”.

This article has been reproduced with the permission of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists)

Regardless of your choice of vehicle, there are techniques you can use to save fuel and at the same time minimise your impact on the environment. These techniques are part of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) course, which has delivered eco-benefits through fuel efficiency methods since the IAM was established in 1956.

Ask yourself: “Do I really need to drive?”: Short journeys that are generally less than two miles cause the most pollution and are inefficient in terms of fuel consumption. A straining cold engine will produce 60 per cent more pollution than a warm one. Walk or cycle where possible instead.

Plan your route: Take the most direct route and go at off-peak times if possible to save fuel and time. Sitting in congestion means you are often doing zero miles per litre. Consider car sharing, Park and Ride schemes or public transport.

Have your vehicle serviced regularly: Inefficient, under-serviced engines can reduce fuel economy by 10 per cent or more. Catalytic converters are environmentally friendly – but only if they are properly maintained.

Check your tyres: Correct tyre pressures reduce wear and helps fuel economy. Under-inflated tyres need replacing more often (itself an environmental problem) as well as being dangerous. Make a point of checking them at least once a week.

Obey the speed limits: Try to ‘feather’ the throttle when you reach your cruising speed. Doing 56mph uses 25 per cent less fuel than 70mph and a smoother driving style can bring significant fuel saving.

Reduce the drag factor: Remove roof racks and carriers when they’re not in use as well as unnecessary boot luggage and heavy accessories.

Driving with the window open and using air conditioning increases drag and lowers fuel economy, so use the vent settings instead.

Buy green fuel: And use less of it. If you get stuck in traffic, switch off the engine. Find out if you can buy low sulphur diesel (city diesel) or cleaner petrol (low sulphur/aromatics) locally.

Use “accelerator” sense: Save fuel by planning ahead and reading the traffic in advance to gently join a queue rather than braking suddenly as you hit traffic.

Reverse when you park: The engine will be cold and at its most fuel inefficient when you start it. If you can drive away without having to reverse when the engine is cold, you will save fuel and have better
visibility.

Watch your levels: If you fill your fuel tank up to the brim, you may be carrying around additional fuel which in turn means that you have more weight on board than is necessary and this will itself reduce fuel efficiency.

This article has been reproduced with the permission of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists)

The A pillar is the engineering term for the area dividing the windscreen and the windows. In recent years the A pillars have become sturdier in a bid to improve the structure of the car as a whole.

In response, car designers have made them thicker. But the A pillar has created a blind spot which campaigners have pointed out obstructs the vision of thousands of drivers.

A study commissioned by the Department for Transport (DfT) from the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) found that, while the A pillar can obscure vision, there is rarely only one factor that contributes to an accident.

The study therefore found that there was not enough evidence to suggest that changes to current legislation regarding A pillar design would be of benefit. That means the onus is on drivers to cater for possible A pillar restriction. So what should we do?

More than 90 per cent of the information from the car’s external environment is viewed by the driver through the windscreen and windows. So, firstly, you should be aware of the potential restriction the A pillar may cause in your ability to scan the road ahead.

It is vital to check that nothing is hidden from view by the A pillar before making a manoeuvre. Pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists are easy to “lose” in the space behind a pillar. Make sure you take time to look around the pillar, not just take a quick “snap-shot” look which could allow a cyclist to be hidden from view.

As you are driving in a straight line in approach to a junction, look further ahead, and scan to the left and right on your approach. That way you will see things through the windscreens before they become “lost” behind the pillars.

Remember – good, all round vision is vital. The onus is on you, as the driver, to see what is there.

More information about the DfT study Click here <http://www.dft.gov.uk/rmd/project.asp?intProjectID=11835>

This article has been reproduced with the permission of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists)

Unfortunately, some drivers over-react to emergency service vehicles travelling on “blues and twos” (blue lights and two-tone horns). This is often because they don’t hear or see the emergency vehicle until it’s too close, and then take drastic action to get out of the way.

The IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) says that good driving practice will alert you early to emergency vehicles: regular mirror checks (side and rear) for example, and keeping the windows slightly down around town, so you can hear sirens approaching.

Don’t panic and just brake. It’s natural to want to react. But instinctively putting your brakes on immediately in front of an emergency vehicle doesn’t help: it slows the progress of the emergency vehicle and jeopardises other road users.

Think about where you are on the road. You should deal with the problem in the same way that you deal with any other potentially hazardous driving situation. What is the safest option available to you?

Don’t cross red traffic lights or speed to get out of the way. The emergency driver has training and legal exemptions that you don’t have. Bus lanes and box junctions can be problems too, but let them resolve the problem of breaking the rules – not you.

If you are moving it may well be that you can continue at a reasonable pace and the emergency vehicle can follow you out of a pocket of congestion (such as a blocked one way system). In that scenario, attempting to pull over too soon, or slow down, might just cause a needless obstruction and so hamper the progress of the emergency vehicle.

Indicate your intentions clearly Don’t pull in opposite other obstructions, such as centre bollards. If you are thinking about pulling over across an entrance to a school or factory, you may be unwittingly preventing the emergency vehicle reaching its destination. And do think about where you are asking the emergency driver to overtake you – on the brow of a hill or a blind bend can be placing him or her in a very difficult position.

Get out of the way as soon as you can do so in safety.

This article has been reproduced with the permission of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists)

Remember too that some cyclists, particularly younger ones, have never driven a car, and so don’t recognise the problems that they can cause car drivers. In an accident involving a car and a cyclist, whoever is to blame the cyclist will always be the more vulnerable to a serious injury.

These tips for motorists were prepared by the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) with the National Cycling Strategy Board to avoid adding to the many cyclists killed or seriously injured each year.

- Cyclists don’t have steel armour round them like we do. Passing them at speed within a foot of their elbow may feel perfectly safe from where you are, but it is very disconcerting when you are the cyclist.

- In traffic, make sure that you don’t cut up a cyclist who is about to pass you on the near side. Don’t try to cut across a cyclist when you need to turn left at a junction. Wait behind the cyclist until the cyclist has either turned left or passed the junction.  And before you turn left after sitting at a red light, check your nearside mirror to make sure there isn’t a cyclist moving down the inside.

- Park with care and prevent any passengers from opening a door until you are sure that there is no cyclist coming up on either side. Likewise, check over your shoulder to see there’s no cyclist approaching before opening the driver’s door.  There might be one in your blind spot.

- Cyclists often ride at some distance from the kerb to avoid drains and potholes.   Remember that their ability to signal is limited compared to ours, so try to anticipate what they might do from the position they have taken on the road.

- Advanced stop lines are for cyclists alone and should be respected, so leave the space between the two sets of stop lines empty, whether or not cyclists are occupying it when you arrive. If you see a cycle lane ending, road space is more scarce and that in turn can make a cyclist more vulnerable.

- Remember to use all your mirrors with extra care before changing direction when there are cyclists.  Pay particular attention on roundabouts, where many accidents involving cyclists happen.

This article has been reproduced with the permission of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists)

Many drivers tend to brake too late and too hard. Or arguably less dangerous, but equally annoying, some drivers have the habit of “comfort braking ” – touching the brakes to enable themselves feel better, even if they have no intention of slowing the car to any measurable degree. They do so in the belief that they are being careful drivers.

It is better by far to learn to read the road ahead. Not only do you get early warning of developing hazards, you can respond by adjusting your speed using only your throttle.

Have you ever seen a “cascade” of brake lights ahead of you? An advanced driver will judge the speed and distances involved and, having left a decent gap, be able to follow in safety by letting the speed “fall away” and so avoiding the need to brake.

Think too about your positioning on the road. Can you maximise your forward view by putting the vehicle in a slightly different position on the carriageway? This should not be an abrupt repositioning, but a smooth change in your line to enable you to see ahead that little bit better. Careful adjustment of road position improves the view ahead, particularly through corners.

Applying these techniques will also help save fuel.

This article has been reproduced with the permission of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists)

You can improve fuel consumption and gain the environmental benefits of advanced driving by lifting off the accelerator earlier on your approach to traffic lights etc, and therefore reducing your braking at the end,because you have already lost speed.

Acceleration sense is about how you vary your foot pressure on the accelerator pedal so you don’t have to brake as often or as hard.

Surprisingly to some, one of the pillars of fuel efficient driving is accelerating briskly to a safe cruising speed and then taking the highest gear.

The longer you can avoid braking, the more you are using the momentum you’ve built up. It means thinking a bit further ahead of where you are. Most drivers tend to go straight from accelerator to brake – and that is when fuel consumption suffers.

Plan your arrival at roundabouts so that you decelerate for a longer period in a higher gear.  That way you may not have to stop by allowing other traffic to clear before you get there.

And lastly, think long and hard about that overtake. Not only do you have to be entirely sure you can get past safely (important, to put it mildly) there is also the possibility that you are not gaining much in journey time. Advanced driving is all about thinking ahead, sometimes further than you can see.

This article has been reproduced with the permission of the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists)