Today has been a long day: First up was Ruby. You may be thinking ‘Ruby…. Ruby….. That rings a bell.’ Well, I have mentioned Ruby before, and her not entirely successful tests. She has another test next week and we’re hoping it will be 27th time lucky. I’m kidding, this will be her 5th attempt (I think). Each time I have put Ruby up for test I have had no hesitation in believing that she will pass. Unfortunately, she is her own worse enemy and, if nerves do not get the better of her, then it has been something silly that has caused her to fail. Today was only her second lesson since November and, although she is still a nice driver, the change to the petrol Fiat caused her a few problems: In a diesel, you can move the car at low speeds without any accelerator - which is ideal for the reversing manoeuvres - but, with a petrol engine, you have to be positive with the accelerator, even at low speeds, otherwise the engine will stall. By the last half hour of her lesson she was becoming more comfortable with the new car, so have decided to go ahead with next week’s test, rather than postpone it.
Next up was Mark, on his second attempt. You may remember me writing that Mark impressed the Senior Examiner on my Check Test, but failed his own test a few days later when he chose the wrong lane on a three-lane roundabout. Due to school lessons, he only had time to drive from his school to the Test Centre and get a quick look under the bonnet of the new car. While reversing into a bay at the car park, he rushed it and, although perfectly parked, I was not happy with his observations. “Slow it down.” I advised, “You’re not on a time limit. Sure, when it is appropriate, get the car going, but, apart from that, take your time and don’t rush.” By the time they take their test I should not have to give them any last-minute advice, but it is a bit like a football team-talk just before the match, the players obviously know how to play football, but you just want to ensure they are focussed. “Don’t forget,” I said (thinking about the reason for Mark failing the first attempt), “if you find yourself in the wrong lane on a roundabout, it may be safer to stay in that lane and let the examiner find a way of getting you back on the route.”…………Famous last words.
Mark asked the examiner if I could sit in the back on his test; I had not yet been in the back of the Fiat. Actually, it wasn’t that bad, especially considering as Mark and the examiner are quite tall. Ok, so it was more comfortable for me to sit at an angle, but, for 45 minutes it was no big deal.
The examiner asked Mark to pull forward and turn to the left or right, then reverse into one of the bays. He pulled out to the right and, barely stopping, he went straight into reverse and into a bay. I thought he had left it too late to turn, but, with the tighter turning circle, he just managed to get into the bay. ‘SLOW DOWN!’ I am silently imploring Mark. 'Just relax and take your time'. Unfortunately, Mark is not telepathic.
Ten minutes later we are on the A96 dual-carriageway, approaching Raigmore Interchange, a 60mph roundabout beneath the A9. The examiner asked Mark to ‘follow the road ahead, taking the second exit’. Easy, just approach and stay in the left lane all the way. I can see Mark thinking. He checks his right mirror, my brain is silently screaming ‘NO!’, he indicates right and moves into the right-hand lane (thankfully cancelling his signal). Half-way around the roundabout he realises his error, checks his left mirror, indicates left and returns to the correct lane. Fortunately, on that roundabout, there are arrows indicating that drivers can approach in the right-hand lane, so, with all his actions being safe, I thought ‘no harm done’.
The next twenty minutes make me very proud; he read the road well and I began to relax. Then we came to (the ‘infamous’) Inshes roundabout. This 6-exit roundabout has spiral lanes, rather than concentric. Once you know it, it works well, and, on the whole, most people use it correctly. Mark approaches the roundabout and the examiner asks him to ‘turn right, taking the 4th exit to Culloden’. No problem. Mark must have done this a dozen times at least. The roundabout is busy and Mark has to stop. He sees a gap and… he stalls. Rather than calmly secure the car, start the engine and look for another gap, he starts the car and accelerates briskly before his gap closes. To my alarm I can see that, by rushing, he is heading for the 2nd (central) lane instead of the 3rd (right) lane. This lane takes him to the 3rd exit (the A9). Mark then realises this, checks his right mirror (his right indicator is already on) and moves into the correct lane.
Now we are only three minutes from the test centre. I don’t know. My gut feeling is that he has blown it. I could argue that he checked his mirrors to make sure it was safe to change lanes, but I know that some examiners will argue that he may have caused confusion to other road users.
He pulled into a bay and came to a stop. The examiner turned round to me and said “What do you think?” In case you have any doubt, I am unable to influence the examiner. I can’t say “That was the BEST drive I have ever seen in my life.” Well…… I could, but it wouldn’t have any sway. I tried to divert the examiner’s attention from the obvious…..
“Well, I would have like to see him check his rear mirror a bit more (his mirror checks were fine), but I ………” I was about to say how well he dealt with some difficult situations but the examiner interrupted me, “What about those roundabouts?” The word ‘those’ implying that I will know exactly which roundabouts he is talking about. I knew I could defend his driving at the first roundabout, so I did.
“Yes,” (turning to Mark), “you approached in the right-hand lane, realised that you should have been in the left, and made good use of the mirrors to correct it. But…..” (turning back to me) “What about the last roundabout?”
“Stalling caused Mark to rush a little, but he did check his mirrors to make sure it was safe to change lanes.”
“Hmmm. You just need to slow it down a bit Mark. The first roundabout you got away with…….”
My heart sank and Mark’s face fell. The implication of those words were that he had not ‘got away’ with the last roundabout.
“…….but, if you had not been in such a rush after you stalled, you would have had time to get yourself together and think about which lane was the correct one. However……..” (The candle of hope flickered back to life.) “…….overall, it was a nice drive, so I am happy to give you a pass.”
Mark is a happy person by nature. So seeing his reaction to this news would have warmed the coldest of hearts.
The rest of the day was less eventful, but it was a long day and, by the time I had finished work and driven over to Ullapool (through intermittent snow flurries), it was almost midnight. The lady at the B&B kindly left the front door open for me and I now have just over seven hours before I start all over again. A big day tomorrow:
8.00am - Jayanne's lesson. She has not driven the Fiat yet, but will get just one hour before her test.
9.15am - Eilidh's test (9.37am). Eilidh had her test booked for the week before Christmas, but it was cancelled due to the snow. Last week she asked me when her new date would be. I gave her the DSA's number but she had trouble contacting them. Eventually, I took her details and, last Thursday, I found out that her test would be on the 10th.... Eek! She hadn't had a lesson since mid-December. She had one day to decide whether to postpone it, or roll the dice and go for it. We're going for it.
10.25am - Jed's test (10.44am). Jed sets a new record for me - teaching someone from scratch to taking their test after 12 hours of lessons (with no practice with friends or family). It will be an incredible achievement if he passes (and he is certainly capable of doing so).
11.35am - Jayanne's test (11.41am). Another of the Christmas cancellations. Jayanne is my biggest worry because she has yet to drive the Fiat. As I said, above, she will get one hour to get used to the car. Obviously I want all three to pass, but I especially want Jayanne to pass because she has been so beneficial to me by recommending me to several of her friends.
12.25pm - Connie's lesson.
1.30pm - Maggie's first lesson.
2.45pm - Michelle's lesson.
3.45pm - I have 75 minutes to drive 60 miles back to Inverness.
5.00pm - Karla's lesson.
6.15pm - Kevin's last lesson before his test on Friday.
8.15pm - Head home to see Jane for the first time in about 80 hours.
So, nine and a half hours of lessons/tests, with the 3 tests all being 1st attempts. I wonder if I could sit in the back of the car on the tests and have a sneaky nap. Sounds like a plan.
(Some more piccies of my increasingly popular car in Ullapool).
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