BMW Intensive Driving Course

Most motorists think they're good drivers. I'm a prime example -- I think I'm pretty good behind the wheel. I drive loads of different cars every day of the year, I drive predictably and courteously, I must be good, right?

But how often do we get critiqued, or told we're not that good?

Setting aside road rage incidents, rarely, if ever.

And it's one of the refreshing truths that becomes apparent when undertaking a serious driving course such as this one, under the auspices of chief instructor and Australian motor racing champion Geoff Brabham.

The BMW driving course is open to anyone with a valid driver's licence and is conducted in Victoria, Queensland and soon, Western Australia. I travelled to Phillip Island for the one-day, $1395 course and walked away with a slightly different attitude to driving, and a handful of new skills.

The BMW Intensive Driving Course has been designed around performance driving, and is a free event with any purchase of an M vehicle (M3, M5 etc). But BMW Group Australia's Product Communications Manager, Scott Croaker, says it's about more than just experiencing the famous Phillip Island circuit.

"The skills and knowledge gained from the activities experienced in this course build on basic driver awareness and abilities that can be applied to all driving situations," says Croaker.

The day involves an initial theoretical session that looks at common unsafe driving practices and general driver and vehicle behaviour. It is well presented and explained. It examines how important seemingly simple things such as seating position, keeping your eyes 'up' and where you put your hands on the steering wheel are in terms of safety and response times.

How long does it take the brain to react to a given situation? How far a car will travel when decelerating from 100km/h? These topics and more are covered in detail.

Then it's out onto the track for six practical lessons, which take about 45 minutes each. They are conducted in BMW 125i hatchbacks, 328i sedans and V8-powered M3 coupes.

The first lesson is a slow slalom course driven at very low speeds, where drivers are required to show the proper steering style, hands at nine and three o'clock. Performing tighter U-turns using the technique is also assessed, and easier said than done.

Then it's gentle lapping of the race track, getting to grips with the car and the use of the radios, which is how the instructors provide feedback while driving.

The second lesson was emergency braking and testing the anti-lock braking system. Probably one of the most eye-opening exercises, drivers are required to hit the brakes as hard as possible from 90km/h on a sodden wet surface and perform a swerve manoeuvre at the last moment.

Then perhaps the most important part of the day happens - lunch.

In all seriousness, the meal break is a good time to debrief and discuss the driving manoeuvres undertaken with the other participants and instructors.

After the feed, exercises include a dynamic handling course, dealing with oversteer, feeling the difference between stability control on and off, skid-pan work, and then one-on-one instruction around the track to demonstrate newly acquired skills.

For mine, one of the more interesting topics explored was driver attitude. "I'm following the road rules, I'm in the right," doesn't always correlate with the safest course of action. It is one of the many things chief instructor Geoff Brabham pointed out during the day.

The 1993 Le Mans 24 Hour champion and son of three-time F1 World Champion Sir Jack Brabham, doesn't pull any punches when it comes to driver safety.

"The driving skill level of the average person is not particularly high," says Geoff Brabham.

"To come on a course like this is not only showing people new techniques, it's showing people what they can't do. And this is just as important as showing people new techniques," he says.

"I think if you come here and you realise that, "Hey I'm not quite as good as I thought I was" then hopefully when you go out onto the roads you leave a bigger gap, you get your eyes up a little bit more," stated Brabham.

 It's true that many motorists approach driving with a blasé attitude, particularly those who do it day in, day out. I can add myself the list, but after the course something 'clicked' and my approach to driving has been different in the week since.

Whether I retain this attitude remains to be seen, but I hope so.

I also spoke to several other participants at the programme about their thoughts on the teachings.

Norm drove from Canberra in his Mercedes SLK and said: "This is my second course so I'm just advancing on the basics. What it helps with is that a lot of people think they're doing the right thing, but until someone tells them how it's really done they keep doing it.

"It's a good learning curve, and it will make us all safer on the roads," said Norm.

William from Melbourne echoed those thoughts: "I learned a few things I didn't know before, that I should've known, but I had a lot of fun too.

"I would highly recommend it. I would put my kids through this when they're older," added William, who has owned three M vehicles and now drives a twin-turbo M5.

It's true that the one day event is not cheap at $1395, but what price would you put on safety? Avoiding trouble is a far more acceptable outcome than managing it.

Ultimately the day was an edifying one, and the two hour drive home reinforced much of what was learned.

Despite what some authorities will have us believe, there's no substitute for driver education. Simply put, it makes us better, safer drivers.