Off road drivers are better adverse condition drivers : Discuss

[Maverick]

I have a theory on this, in which those people that drive off road have better handlling experiance than people who only drive on tarmac (I'm not keeping this to 4X4 drivers but drivers in general). Therefore are better prepared when conditions become adverse.

What in general are your thoughts.


YES I'm actually being serious.

[surfenstein]

i think any idiot can drive offroad if they dont get too excited,its not exactly a god given science,as for driving in snow and ice,i dont think anything can prepare you for when you hit black ice at over 40 mph,you just gotta go with the flow,there are too many numptys out there who think they can drive,but cant.then theres the other numpty that thinks driving at 2mph is safe,they are the worst kind in my opinion.at the end of the day i know what your saying,ive been driving offroad for a few years now,but i dont think i would be prepared for driving conditions up in scotland at the mo.

[JUDWAK]

well i learnt in a 3cx jcb at around 10 years old
its given me great driving abilaty
coz i have been driving more years off road than on (not playing in a car it was work)
road driving i find easy alot less can go wrong i only been driving on the road for 6 years its the others idiots on the road that ya have to watch
but iam a gearbox killer so try to stick with auto's

and yes any idiot can drive off road but not with me
idiots can stay away from me
the off roading i do is not green lanes or just nipping across a bit of ruff ground if you do it wrong then your dead or realy hurt at best
so yes anyone can go off road (green lanes) but if thats your idea of off roading then ya no off roader in my books

driving around on a bit of a ruff road with dips on it and mud is not going to learn you nothing nore is it going to improve your driving

advanced driving is my next venture

[POPEYE]

Really have to echo what mark has said, off road driveing dont make you a top rate driver on the road, learning to "read" the road ahead is i'd say 90% of what makes a good driver, even the lenght of time ones been driveing dose'nt make one a good driver, some people never get it, others take to it in no time,

[Hazzo]

I learnt how to operate a car at 17, at 19 I took to bikes, 30 years on and still a biker I would say it was this mode of transport that honed my driving skills, I spent ten years biking in all weathers as a london despatch rider, my only accidents caused by the "Sorry, I didn't see you brigade" imo being aware of the conditions, your abilities in coping in those conditions and every other vehicle around you at all times is what makes you a good driver, and, more importantly, Alive. H

[RodLeach]

Agree with Hazzo but i think Markenvatchfinkle just stole the award for sh!t hot reply..

I think Mark nailed it in that one!




I agree that people who do a lot of offroading might think they could handle it better.. but deep mud is a very different beast to ice. An a truck kitted out to handle one wont handle the other aswell.

[TonyN]

When your used to how a truck feels under slippery condition from laning or offroading, your not surprised when the truck slips around on snow and ice, so less likely to be surprised or caugh out or panic.

A big part of driving in wintery condition is reading the road ahead, and antisipating whats doing to happen next time you press the brakes, back off or get on the throttle or turn the steering wheel, same as driving on any slippery surface.

[Cant Get Right]

Al second Tony on that, the slippery conditions for of roading half prepare you for the slippery surfaces, not so much in the way that your a better driver but it prepares you to react a lot more calmly when a situation does arise. But in saying that, that is my opinion. May the Debate Begin Oh and it all depends if you have ARB's on and if a deer is in the way.

[gwh200]

yes and no. I can understand offroad driving giving you a better appreciation of your vehicle and improving your confidence.I suppose its up to the individual and how they interpret what they are doing, and managing it comfortably without becoming cocky.

signed captain slow

[darkdezigns]

i think it makes no diffrence,some people either know how to drive properly or they dont,some people just dont "get it",i see this with our drivers all the time,as it takes a fair bit of sense recovering cars/motorbikes/vans and some just plain dont get it,we have drivers at work that have done the job for 3 months and some of those are better than people that have done it 4years

[Maverick]

Tony nailed my train of thought perfectly. I wasn't talking about being a good driver, because at times my driving is awful, but the worse the conditions get the better I appear to become.

Hazzo I totally agree with you, most non motorcyclists won't understand exactly how different the world appears from a motorcycle, and how slow everything around you appears to happen. I remember hitting ice on a roundabout and somehow I had time to wipe my leg out from under the bike and slide across the roundabout sitting on the side on the tank, I doubt I'd have those reaction speeds now.

The bit about black ice is interesting, in that I wonder what advanced Police drivers would do in that situation.

[blackpoolsparks]

Im with Gra.
Yes and No

[wishbone]

One of the best birthday presents I've had was a days skid pan training down at Castle Combe.



Rob.

[logey79]

i think scuba is the best diving. none of this jumping from a plank into a pool - that's for poofs.

[MattF]

Specifics make no difference, in the strictest sense. What does happen, however, is that any experience with different conditions, whether that be vehicle related, external consitions related or otherwise, merely gives you more experience of certain things to call upon when required.

As pointed out earlier, being aware of ones abilities and surroundings will always be the primary safety factors. Everything else just allows you to deal with differing conditions when required. If you're a muppet, however, you'll still most likely screw it up.