What did you learn on a speed awareness course you didn't know before?

[rondo]

Or I suppose you had forgotten?
Or what were you surprised other people did not know?

Me too!!! I have been happily driving faster on them ever since ! 😂

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I know. People are fucking nobheads on here sometimes. Those lanes are colloquially known as the slow lane, middle lanes and fast lanes. Nothing to do with speeding at all. I call them that and I don't speed! Calling it a fast lane doesn't mean people will use it to speed. Everyone knows that there's a speed limit. We've all done a driving test. Just some people choose to ignore it, and some people make mistakes and speed. It's nothing to do with what people call the lanes!!

What?!

That don't as a family member had to take the course when pregnant and vomiting again and again throughout the course in a loo where everyone can hear everything.

If you come to visit us in Wales assume nothing. We've dual carriageway 40mph speed limits now

Absolutely nothing. I generally don't speed and thought limit was 40 but it was 30. Totally my fault and accept responsibility.

Same. I was a bit irritated by the part when they were going on about the difference in stopping time between, say, 30mph and 35mph as though this made it obvious why the speed limit is 30. Surely you could say exactly the same about the difference between 25 and 30, so why not make the limit 25?

That you’re less likely to register another road user when it’s not a threat to you ( in a car), so it’s easier to mentally “miss” a cyclist than a truck because of how your brain works. Your eyes see the cyclist but your brain just kind of goes “ whatever” because it knows the cyclist won’t harm you if it hits you. She also taught us some techniques for active focus. It was quite good.

That it is apparently common for people who switch to electric automatics to get their first speeding ticket - you can't "hear" the engine creeping over 30 - got a 33mph ticket in the first month of owning the car. 2 other people in my group had also switched and we all said how frustrating it was.

I've not been on one but I have wondered about the "50" electronic signs on motorways (roadworks I guess but I've seen them when there's been nothing obvious in the road?) and literally no-one else does below 65. So you feel like you're the problem if you're sticking to it (yes, on the inside lane). Anyone else find this?

That you're more likely to speed the closer you are to home (I was 500m away). You apparently slip into a different psychological state, and stop thinking about your driving. Also there's an impetus to get in your front door.

I also learned that I wasn't going to be judged or lectured at, and that the course was actually really interesting and kept my attention. The guys who ran it were really excellent.

They're weren't any idiots on mine (an in person course). But the difference between the sexes was kind of amusing. The men were almost all silent and looking like they'd rather be anywhere else. We women were smiling and chatting and wryly sharing our speeding stories.

@LaPalmaLlama I find that really interesting, as I am far more scared to try to overtake a cyclist, largely because they wobble, the speed isn't constant and they might hit a pothole and land in front of me. I am also aware of how little protection they have. I am a bit "alert" when I drive though and my dad gets annoyed that I care what is going on behind me, etc.

I learnt 'tyres and tarmac'. That when you pull up at lights/junction you should stop far enough back from the car in front that you can see their back tyres and a bit of tarmac. Then if a car goes into the back of you, you won't then shunt the car in front as you're far enough back.
I also just found it a generally helpful refresher two decades after doing my test.

2 cars, 1 doing 100mph, 1 doing 70mph. If both break at the same time, how fast is the 100mph car going when the 70mph car stops? The answer is that it's still going at 70.

That's shocking. I don't think I was told that on mine. But jeeze.

Why have you not been keeping up with the changes to the highway code, because if you had you would of known it was updated to say overtake with 1.5m gap which is just over a car door width if you are at 30mph. The fast you go thr more gap to leave.

Or I don't know how about slow down to 10 or 20mph if there isn't room to leave that gap and overtake then.

@Spectre8 My point was I don't like overtaking them, not that I am reckless around them. I think your second sentence was telling me to drive behind them at 10 or 20mph, which they can rarely achieve where I live - atop a very long hill with parked cars either side. So thanks for the advice but I do not think it is very safe.

Since doing the course, I've been diligently keeping to under 20 in the 20 zones, but have had so many drivers flash, hoot or overtake me now.

Well if your not confident driving why are you driving in the first place

My driving instructor taught me that

I was very thankful to him when I was stopped in a queue on the motorway - I had left space in front and also put my handbrake on
White van rear ended me, and although I was shunted, I didn't hit anyone else

Although I did also learn that day how fucking selfish people are. Nobody would move over for a good 5-10 mins to let me into the hard shoulder despite all having seen the accident, just drove around me

That the many/majority of people rate themselves as 'above average' drivers.
Statistically not everyone can be above average....

Maybe you could ask yourself why you'd rather risk a cyclist's life in an unsafe area to overtake?

I'm a very confident driver, I was commenting on someone else's point about the apparent poor psychology around cyclists being un-threatening causing them risk, which it sounds likely could be an issue you yourself have.

another tip from a driving instructor is when on the road try to see as far ahead along x road as best as possible incase of any jams, accidents etc so you can turn off in advance when poss

That the average length of time before a stationary car on the hard shoulder gets hit by another vehicle is 30 minutes and that that’s why everyone should be out of the car, behind the crash barrier and to the rear of the car. That’s the one piece of information I remember.