Driving schools

If you mean you want to become a safer driver at a sedate pace, any defensive driving class will help. If you mean you want to learn performance techniques you can use on the street, then a track school is indeed the best place to go, with an autocross school running a distant second.

In fact, I recommend both types of instruction. Track experience will help you understand the principles of defensive driving as more than arbitrary rules.

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recommend. I

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Well, with psu.edu in your e-mail address, I think I know

*exactly* where in central PA you're located! Class of '73 here.

The Delaware Valley Miata Club is holding driving school at Pocono Raceway on July 19 and 20. I'm pretty sure that it's filled but you might want to check with them - or even show up just to watch and get some pointers. Their website is at

and the contact person is Jeff Jury.

Some other clubs also run track days at Pocono - you might check the Pocono track website and see if there's more info there. That's at

Iva & Belle.) '90B Classic Red.) #3 winkin' Miata

Hey, Don't ask me. I can't even drive :-d LOL

Dave.

Are there any aggressive driving schools you know off? My aggressive driving is fair, but certainly could be improved.

Leon

Buy a pickup truck. Aggression seems to be included as standard equipment.

Or maybe you don't need the whole truck, just the cowboy hat.

"Lanny Chambers" wrote

I agree with Lanny on this one except that all defensive driving classes are not created equal. I've attended a couple here in the states that were not very effective. In comparison I attended an excellent course sponsored by my employer while working in England (it was required of all employees prior to driving company vehicles).

Anyway, I signed up for the course and showed up expecting the typical company course (e.g., 30+ people sitting in a room for the day). However, I was very surprised to find that the class consisted of me and one over student and we were to spend the day driving with the instructor (e.g., we took turns driving while the other sat in the back seat and observed). I learned more in that one day than in all other driving courses combined and acquired a number of safe driving habits that stick with me now 10 years later. The best part of the course however was yet to come. When we returned at the end of the day, we were instructed to report to a local test track in a couple of days for skid pad and obstacle driving.

The skid pad was a large parking lot surrounded by tire barriers. The fun began when they sprayed the smooth surface with oil and water and then sent us each out one at a time in an old Ford Escort with very bald tires. I had a lot of fun, but got yelled at by the instructors for not being aggressive enough on the skid pad. I guess the habits from all those years driving on snow and ice in Wisconsin were just to ingrained in me not to automatically correct for a spin.

Gus (91 BRG)

Just get a cowboy hat!