Advanced Driving

Re-reading the IAM and Police Roadcraft manuals recently, I was reminded of how little these have changed over the years. But a fresh approach is taken by Advanced Driving (published by Ian Allen, Shepperton, Surrey, in association with Vauxhall Motors) which uses a large number of posed photographs to illustrate the rights and wrongs of every conceivable manoeuvre.

Starting with a description of police driver training, the book outlines the police-inspired system of car control and proceeds with hundreds of posed examples with explanatory captions. Some of the shots are obviously static ones, for instance those of cars “skidding”; but the lessons are clear, and perhaps more memorable than via the printed word only.

Author Gordon Cole holds a host of relevant qualifications, and took all the pictures himself, using cars loaned by GM. At £3.95 this book must be recommended to anyone willing to reappraise their own driving, whether or not they intend to take one of the advanced tests. GC