Peer pressure

I was with one of my pupils this morning when she asked "Did you teach 'Nobby' to drive?"
'Nobby' (not his real name) is one of my pupils who passed his test recently. He was diligent in his learning, practiced between lessons with his dad and comfortably passed on his first attempt.
"Yes. Why do you ask?"
"Since passing his test he has become a real Boy-racer. He is always speeding around."

A short while later she asked "And you taught 'Bob' too, didn't you?"
'Bob' was an exemplary pupil who, like 'Nobby', was very keen to learn, practiced all he could and easily passed first time. However, after learning about 'Nobby', I could not believe that 'Bob' would now be a boy-racer.
"Yes. He passed recently. Why?"
"Oh, just some of my friends say he is not a good driver."
I couldn't believe this. 'Bob' was one of the best pupils I have taught.
"Why is that?"
"They say he is very careful. He drives 'properly'."
"How does that make him a 'bad' driver?
"I dunno. I think my friends find it strange that he still drives how he did before he passed his test."

This was a worrying, but not unexpected insight into the minds of 17 year-olds. From the conversation, it appeared that 'Nobby's' driving was held in higher regard than 'Bob's', at least in the eyes of their peers.  So, while Nobby raced around the village, he was considered to be a better driver than Bob, who continues to drive as I taught him.
I did my best to persuade my pupil that it would be better to follow Bob's example, not least because picking up 6 points on her licence within the first two years would result in her having to go through the whole process of taking her test again.

I am a bit of 'Poacher-turned-Gamekeeper'. I passed, first time, soon after turning 17. Straight away I was off, in my little Fiat, racing around Bedfordshire with scant regard for others and, in short, being a bit of a menace. I was lucky. Despite the odd prang, I never got caught, somehow kept a clean licence and, thankfully, was never responsible for any injury. Over the years, I bought faster cars, treated other road users as obstacles, and thought that I was a good driver simply because I could drive fast.
It wasn't until I started training to become a Driving Instructor that I finally realised just how bad my driving had become. Every day I see plenty of people (and not just Audi drivers) who drive just like I used to. But every single one of them are gambling, not just with their life, but with the lives of others.

Passing your test is a fantastic feeling and being able to drive independently is a genuine thrill. But your instructor is trying to teach you, as the DSA say, 'safe driving for life'. Once you have passed your test (and, hopefully, completed your Pass Plus course) you are then on your own. You then have a choice. You can then decide to drive as your friends encourage you to (and how I used to), potentially putting you, other road users, pedestrians and your licence at risk. Or you can choose to build on what your instructor has taught you, by continually trying to improve your driving and making allowances for drivers like Nobby.