Taking driver training into the future we must have CCL - bold statement, but one that seems to appear a lot.
So must we?
Well that depends on the driver training industry. For years we have been sending safe drivers out to fight the battlefield alone and shockingly they survived. However we do know there are small group who were either blagging it - seriously? Or they just happened to have enough knowledge and car control to carry them through - most likely. Do they end up being the unlucky drivers though, well not necessarily, its long been known that educational background, financial background and criminal background plays a part too.
Are we led by the crowd, does our behaviour reflect our peer group, certainly it does but not necessarily when out of that environment. So playing with the crowd does not reflect a solo performance. How can the driver who is going to be a statistic be identified, well if we knew the answer to that we could intervene surely, actually it's not that easy. Teaching by rote can be a useful tool but there is no responsibility attached to that, so along came client centered learning which in fact is a dual tool. Client centered reflects value for money, the aim of the DVSA. Client centered also reflects client dominated learning. Transfer of responsibility from trainer to learner does in fact increase the tools for managing driving when alone. So by creating environment, time and real world driving scenarios during training the novice has an image of how they would deal with a situation post test, this involves more q & a than many previously used and it also involves more time parked at the side of the road. Unfortunately many see being parked discussing a situation with a pupil as 'not driving', so a negative, when in reality a visual image to aid learning and then developed is more effective in terms of appreciating responsibility and effect, a positive.
However when the driver cub plays with the driver lions they can get into deep trouble, one that inexperience cannot tackle, because the events happen so fast. Experienced drivers have more tools available to them, but their response to a potentially life threatening situation is based on two things, testosterone and oestrogen.
It is a fact that hormone surges do affect out behaviour, response time and understanding, when travelling at speed, using a 60 mph rural lane as an example, distance covered can be too great for reaction. Hormone surges do not affect everyone and age is a relevant factor.
So is CCL a reality?
Well yes an additional aid to keep someone safe has to be a reality, if one life was saved through the process that would make it worthwhile
Is CCL a fantasy?
The predominant age of those taking part in developing CCL for use in driver training were male over the age of 45 so not in the group affected by natural factors (hormones). So how much real life that is not nurture but nature was factored in to the decision to change driver training approaches?
The higher levels of the GDE are dealing with post test responsibility, however behaviour is also affected by consequence, if there has been no consequence then complacency will become part of driving and that involves autopilot driving, so the driver who feels that they are less competent than their friends or family will be more attentive to their driving, they may be less able to tackle risk so choose situations where their risk is reduced, so busy times rather than quiet ones.
A natural personal responsibility is noted to change with experience, when moving from teens into 20's and 30's after this point moving into 50's and later years drivers tend to have less daily pressure, their driving becomes more relaxed and so does their ability to deal with pressure from other drivers, hence the 40 mph in a 60 mph brigade. The risk in this group is potential health problems that affect mood and behaviour. Road rage can easily be borne from an un-diagnosed medical condition that affects the natural chemical make up of the body.
How can client centered learning help instructors move away from traditional methods of rote?
By taking control and not misunderstanding the watered down coaching methods that have come to the fore.
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