thomas_cho said:Why do you see a need for a driver to handle their vehicle at high speeds? Is there a need to travel at 80km/h across a roundabout? Negotiating bends at 100km/h using the throttle to keep traction? I think the emphasis should be knowing the dangers of driving at high speeds, and appreciating the need to slow down, and drive defensively.
I do not see a need in drivers being able to handle vehicles at high speed in cities, although it is a good skill to have if you do alot of country driving. Good roadcraft is also about judgement about appropriate speed for the current road conditions (eg. if there are no footpaths along a roadway and there are lots of pedestrians walking on the shoulders, and the posted speed is, say 60km/h, doesn't mean you hack along at 60km/h, just because that is the posted speed.).
(Long answer)In the late 70's there was one of the best advanced driver training facilities in Australia(Western Australian Safety Council). It had a 'skid pan' and class rooms and my understanding is that most of time was spent in lectures. They trained the Police, Ambulance drivers, Firefighters and for a small fee, 'Joe or Jill Citizen'.
In 1977 I passed my drivers licence. I will be the 1st to admit that I could not drive. 3 months after getting my licence I wrote off a car, on a gravel country road, in a roll over, and was lucky enough not to write off my brother and myself. This bought home the fact that I needed to improve my driving skills.
About the same time a new state government decided in its 'infinite' wisdom to cease funding to the safety council. Of coarse an organisation with no funding soon evaporates into thin air. One of the dubious reasons given by the authorities, for removing the funds, was that people with these skills would become over-confident and drive too hard. A bit of same rationale that stopped authorities legislating seat belts in cars earlier.
At the same time I gravitated towards car rallying. This is where I learnt vehicle control.
I learnt road craft by reading books on the subject written by/for prominent racecar drivers of the era.
It is only recently, in WA, that I have heard of Driver Awarness Courses. They have been offered to employees of large organisations like Telstra, BHP and State Emergency Service WA (Designated Drivers only)to cut down insurance costs.
If some one like me, who wants to learn about roadcraft, has difficulty finding appropriate training. What hope has the ordinary mug punter, who thinks a drivers licence is a right, not a privilage, got in getting this training.
