For the rest of this article, I will refer to the program as 'Advanced Driving' as an umbrella term.
What is advanced driving?
Advanced driving delves into the finer dynamics of driving. It is the next step up from your K53 Driving School but can be taken at any age. Advanced driving teaches you to understand your vehicle better in how it handles and behaves within particular situations in a controlled environment. Such situations you may find yourself in would be managing with other drivers on the road, if a vehicle enters a skid at different speeds, how to drive in the rain, braking distance and most importantly, fixing bad habits you may have picked up. There are even hijack-prevention courses available.
What are your options?
Do you want to feel a beast rip on Zwartkops Raceway and know-how F1 drivers remain so composed? Maybe you like the 4x4 Course variety, bashing the bundus. Or perhaps you're not into zoom-zoom action & prefer to keep it to safety essentials on the road to make you more vigilant. I'll bullet point a few courses to consider:
- Defensive Driving - To aid you in managing everyday and not-so-everyday hazards on the road along with proper road etiquette.
- Hi-Jack Prevention and Management-Teaching you the best practices in a Hi-Jack situation.
- Track Precision - Performance-orientated courses teaching you racetrack etiquette and vehicle control.
- 4x4 Course - How to manage off-road situations and use your car's technology to do so.
- Some companies even offer youth-specific programs.
With a plethora of companies and programs out there, you can pick whichever course speaks to you. Many are a Google search away. You also get vehicle manufacturer-specific advanced driving courses. So, if you have a dream car in mind that you'd like to feel and at the same time learn about, you know what to do. Birthday present maybe? *Wink wink.
A course will usually take a day to complete. They range from half-day to full-day depending on the company that offers them. Generally, you participate at a racetrack or an open space since they have to be controlled environments. It's just safer that way in case things go wrong.
Related: Become a better driver with the Jaguar Driving Experience
Why should you consider an advanced driving course?
Apart from the entertainment value and team-building potential, advanced driving is a good way to build your confidence on the road and can potentially help you avoid a bad situation. While the prospect is very fun to partake in, especially for the younger, adrenalin-filled crowd, instructors immediately ground you and get you into an appropriate mindset. That being said, the takeaways from the courses are worth their weight in gold. What's that gold you ask? Safety on the roads and you being a better, more confident driver.
I cannot stress this enough for younger drivers & I urge everyone to take up the courses as well. It doesn't matter who you are, these courses will definitely help you one way or another.
