Jun 17, 2020, 12:02 PM by Sandy Reid

When the present nastiness eventually passes and, if we survive, the world we knew before corona virus may have changed a great deal. It is the new normal to not directly meet friends, relatives and colleagues, and strides are being made into socially isolated electronic connections. It is normal to spend huge amounts of time in the close company of our nearest and dearest and we are made to feel guilty even if we venture forth for exercise or a trip to the supermarket.

  When walking for exercise, people coming the other way cross the road to avoid breaching the new ‘two metre rule’ whilst offering an ironic apologetic smile of mutual social compliance.  We are thrown into introspection, decorating the house, advanced gardening, and reading all those books which we intended to do but never got around to before.  Or working from home, possibly with the kids around your knees!  Meals become high points in the day and the view from the lounge window into the road becomes seriously interesting.   After a short time it can become just a tad tedious.  And that’s as long as you are getting on well with the other occupants in your locked-down residence. 

Eventually this disease will, as all things do, pass and we will once again be permitted to enjoy our driving (if we can still remember how to do it.)  At present, I haven’t driven now for about a fortnight but I’m sure it’s a bit like riding a bicycle or swimming ... I hope ...  Anyway once we are freed again to leave our houses at will, the car just may regain its use and the process of conducting the ton- and-a-half of metal safely along the highway can again be practiced.  Remember to stay on the hard bit of ground and don’t bump into things and you’ll be OK.

You may like to retune your driving and make sure that it is still IAM pass level.  Your group’s observers would be delighted to reassess you in this and it will cost you only your fuel.  If you really want to develop your driving abilities further, there is the vaunted Masters qualification.  The group has two Masters mentors who could train you to take this test but, be warned, it does require much more in the way of safety, smoothness, use of the IPSGA system and an intention to make progress where sensible and within the law.  Above all though, the practice and test must be fun.  The satisfaction of reaching the highest driving level for a civilian driver in this country is most rewarding.  Something to think about anyway.