The world and the job market keep score – hence, don’t you think that you should attend a training program that (drum roll please) – KEEPS SCORE.
Vehicle Dynamics Institute (VDI) and ISDA does a lot of research on driving – training – anything that will help us be better at what we do. While conducting the research, we notice the word we see most often is “Average.”
As 
an example, the “average” driver needs 2.5 seconds to react to a problem.
The “average” driver can use only 50 % of the vehicles cornering capability.
The “average” driver will use x feet to stop at x speed.
If you have an average occupation, you can survive being an average driver.
The students that attend our programs don’t have an average occupation – if they did, they would not be at our programs. Our clients are paying us to ensure that the product (the student) is above average – way above average. This is why we go to great lengths to measure driver performance, our clients demand it, and they want to know if they got what they paid for.
And of course there is another reason – we demand it from ourselves. Most of the students that come to our programs will use what we taught them – and when shit happens, they can’t be average.
In fact, being average is not good for business.
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Great point Tony!! Ive always said “average for us in protection is above average for everyone else”.
In this day and age one cannot afford to be Average. If you become complacent, don’t do your homework (advance, route analysis, practice, training) then you will beccome just an average driver. Stay sharp, take care of your helath, ask yourself “What If” and be the best you can be!
See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Ephesians5: 15-16
As always great response – will repost this – take care
Point well taken Tony! If we as practitioners do not choose to keep the “finer skills” sharp we run the risk of failing to protect the client(s) who completely depend on us if/when the moment requires above average performance. I often operate OCONUS and therefore not able to attend training courses stateside.
Fortunately, I have a client that understands the need to hone perishable skills and allowed me to acquire a “spare car” for training purposes. The CP team goes to the gym daily, I head off for a training run behind the wheel. Every now and then the boss accompanies me and sits in his usual spot while I run drills. I am beginning to think he is just there for grins.
Bob, thanks for sharing the passage from Ephesians…
As usual Tony has shared a lot of useful information in a short article.
This should ring true to every person that must drive at times above
what the average person is required.
this goes for EVOC trainers as well, it needs to be instilled in the minds
of students, that average is just not good enough.
To me Tony is the best, all you have to do is pay attention to what he writes,
and what he says.
Thanks Rex – Hope all is going well – anything I can do to help let me know
I was just wondering how many thousands of times that we have in our classes, or maybe just having a
conversation with someone, That relates to you that they are a good driver, and would really love to take there Corvette, Viper. Hemi Police Vehicle just to see how well the vehicle performs on the track, Never mind any orientation of what to expect from the facility on which they want to test the car.
I have found that once you get to know more about the individual, that he is just another average driver, or worse yet a self appointed expert. Talking to a instructor from the Richard Petty Driving Experience last week, he said he found that students from the Law Enforcement Community were below average, but a few were very good.
I have found that to be true also.
I am sure Tony that you know better than anyone, if the aforementioned statements have much merits.
I take it from the last post that Richard Petty driving experience is track based, I have also had experience on track based training at Brands Hatch UK. The instructor very quickly picked up on the pull push wheel technique and labelled me emergency driver. Correct, I produced a safe drive and average on track. Oh so simple when nothing coming the other way! No road furniture, pedestrians or gun wielding hostiles, not usually found on a track. Horses for courses. As a huge fan of bike racing, how many top racers do not have a licence for the road, in their words, much too dangerous! Track driving is as individual and specialised as road related emergency/anti-hijack techniques, lets keep them in the right corner.
Mr. Baker, I am impressed with your client. A guy who does a ride-alongwith his driver is an above-average client.