Wait…. WAIT!! Don’t go stampeding for the ‘close’ button - this is not about that ‘Big Brother’.
For those of you who were hoping to read what I think of that, once vaguely innovative, but now desperately tired show, I am sorry to report that I couldn’t give the tiniest toss about whether Chantelle will get back with her ordinary boy, whether Coolio actually pays his hair stylist for that, or whether John McCririck has a single molecule of modesty in his whole wobbling white body.
My youngest brother Chris…… I am digging myself a hole here. No, the title of this post is not a reference to Chris’s physicality either…… Anyway, as I was saying…. My youngest brother Chris called recently for a chat and to invite himself and his family up to visit Jane and me next month. Great. Looking forward to seeing him, Matthew and Amy, and especially looking forward to meeting Sondra, his girlfriend, for the first time. He has not been up since we moved from Glen Urquhart a few years ago and he stunned me by complimenting us (well, Jane more than me) on our garden, describing some of the features.
“How did you know that?!”
“I was looking you up on Google Earth.”
I have Google Earth in my desktop, but had never really explored it. I quickly clicked on the program and typed in my postcode.
“But all I get when I zoom in is a blocky overhead picture of what our garden used to look like.”
“Click on the cameras and you can see everything.” Chris explained.
“What cameras?”
A few moments later, after a bit of clicking and tinkering, I was staring at a 360° photo of our humble home. Wow! I had no idea that such a feature was available. Yes, yes, I know many of you probably knew about this decades ago. Good for you. I don’t proclaim to be at the vanguard of the computer age. I had a new toy! Jane was on the phone to Anna, her youngest daughter, and I freaked her out by describing her house from the photos on Google Earth. I didn’t think it necessary to reassure her that these are still old photos and we can’t check up on her (without driving the two miles to her house).
Although I write this mainly for my own benefit, as my online personal diary, I am sometimes surprised by the response I get to it. Hence, I have just installed a counter gadget thing to record the number of people visiting. I was then pleasantly surprised to find that, not only did this gadget keep track of the number of visitors, but it also gathers all sorts of other information. It tells me whether people have come to this site as a result of looking for something on a search engine or whether they have gone straight to the site, it tells me how long they spent looking at the page, how many times they have visited this blog, and even boring stuff such as what web browser they use. The page I like best is the map showing where viewers are. I only set this up a few days ago, and nowhere too exotic yet (sorry, I don’t count Bexleyheath as exotic), but it is interesting to see that people in Italy, Hong Kong and California have been taking a look (so no more posts referring to American tourists).
Who knows, perhaps if I play around with this a bit more, I will be able to find out who you are and where you are. Then I can use Google Earth to zoom in and click on photos of you reading this blog about me watching you reading about me watching you reading about me watching you reading about me watching you until I get dizzy and have to have a lie-down.
Saturday 28 August 2010
Tuesday 24 August 2010
Lazyitis
When I meet a new pupil I start by asking them questions about what driving they have already done and what knowledge they already have. There is no point in me teaching them stuff they already know. If they have little or no experience, then I start with the 'cockpit drill'.
It sounds fancy and technical, but the cockpit drill is simply the routine that drivers go through to make sure the car is set up for their comfort and safety: Are the doors (including boot and bonnet) secure? Is the car secure (in neutral with handbrake on)? Is the seat adjusted for your maximum comfort and the head restraint adjusted for maximum safety? Then, is the steering wheel adjusted for comfort and clear vision of the instrument panel? Everyone got their seatbelts on? Are the mirrors correctly positioned for maximum vision (whilst in the driving postion)? All stuff that the experienced driver will probably do without even thinking about it, but it is new to the novice driver. It doesn't have to be done in exactly that order, but, almost daily, a pupil will get in the car, spend some time adjusting the mirrors, then realise that they are too far from/close to the pedals, move the seat and have to adjust their mirrors again.
As with all my instruction, if I ask a pupil to do something, it is because there is a very good reason to do so. I am not going to bore you with the consequences of skipping any particular part of the cockpit drill, but each part is important. It is dangerous for the instructor to assume any prior knowledge. Experienced drivers might assume that EVERYBODY knows that you use your right foot to brake, but they would be wrong - There have been many times I have had to quickly correct a pupil who was just about to brake with their left foot.
One thing to watch for is the pupil who, having had many lessons, you would assume will correctly go through their cockpit drill at the start of each lesson. Sometimes I can see that there is something wrong with their set-up, but I will leave it so that they can see what effect it has. For example, yesterday I had a lesson with a pupil who has had approximately forty hours of lessons and has her test soon. She started driving and, although 'ok' her driving was nowhere near as good as it usually is; her gear changes were jumpy and her braking was sometimes too sharp. "Sorry," (I don't know why they feel they have to apologise.... perhaps I scare them) she said, "I think I have a bit of a cold and I'm not really concentrating." Was her analysis.
"Just try moving your seat back a couple of notches." I suggested. She did that and was fine after. When she got in the car I noticed that she barely bothered with her cockpit drill and, as a result, was sitting too close to the pedals.
The day before I had a lesson with a pupil who has started getting extra practice with his parents. "Any practice this week?" I asked.
"Yeah. I drove to Contin." (A thirty-eight mile trip along the 60mph A835 from Ullapool).
"Great." I replied. We had looked at faster rural roads and overtaking the previous lesson. "How did it go?"
"Not so good. My dad said I kept drifting to the left and I kept slowing down too much, so lots of cars overtook me on the way there."
"How about the drive back? How did that go?"
"My dad drove back. I didn't feel confident enough."
I suggested we drove out towards the Lochside junction, along the same A835. Sure enough, his steering was innaccurate and his driving lacked the confidence of the previous lesson. I asked him to pull over.
"Why are you driving with your hands towards the bottom of the steering wheel?"
"I dunno. It just feels comfortable like this."
"Is this how you were driving with your dad?"
"I think so. I can't remember. " (I suspected it was).
I explained that he qould not have as much control of the steering with his hands that low. "Adjust the steering wheel so that it is lower." It wouln't go any lower. "Ok. Then adjust your seat so that it is higher."
"That feels better." He said, putting his hands higher up the wheel.
Sure enough, his steering accuracy improved and he felt confident enough to bring his speed up towards 60mph. He was much happier and we agreed that his seat/steering wheel position had probably been the root of his problems.
Not doing your cockpit drill correctly is just lazy. It only takes a moment to get the car set up exactly as it should be. I had a pupil who recently asked me if I get fed-up with having to adjust my seat inbetween every lesson. In truth, I don't even think about it, I just do it. But every now and then I get lazy too and drive between lessons without adjusting my seat. In my case, being an experienced driver, it will just be mildly irritating, but, for the novice driver, it could severely affect their control and, consequently their safety.
It sounds fancy and technical, but the cockpit drill is simply the routine that drivers go through to make sure the car is set up for their comfort and safety: Are the doors (including boot and bonnet) secure? Is the car secure (in neutral with handbrake on)? Is the seat adjusted for your maximum comfort and the head restraint adjusted for maximum safety? Then, is the steering wheel adjusted for comfort and clear vision of the instrument panel? Everyone got their seatbelts on? Are the mirrors correctly positioned for maximum vision (whilst in the driving postion)? All stuff that the experienced driver will probably do without even thinking about it, but it is new to the novice driver. It doesn't have to be done in exactly that order, but, almost daily, a pupil will get in the car, spend some time adjusting the mirrors, then realise that they are too far from/close to the pedals, move the seat and have to adjust their mirrors again.
As with all my instruction, if I ask a pupil to do something, it is because there is a very good reason to do so. I am not going to bore you with the consequences of skipping any particular part of the cockpit drill, but each part is important. It is dangerous for the instructor to assume any prior knowledge. Experienced drivers might assume that EVERYBODY knows that you use your right foot to brake, but they would be wrong - There have been many times I have had to quickly correct a pupil who was just about to brake with their left foot.
One thing to watch for is the pupil who, having had many lessons, you would assume will correctly go through their cockpit drill at the start of each lesson. Sometimes I can see that there is something wrong with their set-up, but I will leave it so that they can see what effect it has. For example, yesterday I had a lesson with a pupil who has had approximately forty hours of lessons and has her test soon. She started driving and, although 'ok' her driving was nowhere near as good as it usually is; her gear changes were jumpy and her braking was sometimes too sharp. "Sorry," (I don't know why they feel they have to apologise.... perhaps I scare them) she said, "I think I have a bit of a cold and I'm not really concentrating." Was her analysis.
"Just try moving your seat back a couple of notches." I suggested. She did that and was fine after. When she got in the car I noticed that she barely bothered with her cockpit drill and, as a result, was sitting too close to the pedals.
The day before I had a lesson with a pupil who has started getting extra practice with his parents. "Any practice this week?" I asked.
"Yeah. I drove to Contin." (A thirty-eight mile trip along the 60mph A835 from Ullapool).
"Great." I replied. We had looked at faster rural roads and overtaking the previous lesson. "How did it go?"
"Not so good. My dad said I kept drifting to the left and I kept slowing down too much, so lots of cars overtook me on the way there."
"How about the drive back? How did that go?"
"My dad drove back. I didn't feel confident enough."
I suggested we drove out towards the Lochside junction, along the same A835. Sure enough, his steering was innaccurate and his driving lacked the confidence of the previous lesson. I asked him to pull over.
"Why are you driving with your hands towards the bottom of the steering wheel?"
"I dunno. It just feels comfortable like this."
"Is this how you were driving with your dad?"
"I think so. I can't remember. " (I suspected it was).
I explained that he qould not have as much control of the steering with his hands that low. "Adjust the steering wheel so that it is lower." It wouln't go any lower. "Ok. Then adjust your seat so that it is higher."
"That feels better." He said, putting his hands higher up the wheel.
Sure enough, his steering accuracy improved and he felt confident enough to bring his speed up towards 60mph. He was much happier and we agreed that his seat/steering wheel position had probably been the root of his problems.
Not doing your cockpit drill correctly is just lazy. It only takes a moment to get the car set up exactly as it should be. I had a pupil who recently asked me if I get fed-up with having to adjust my seat inbetween every lesson. In truth, I don't even think about it, I just do it. But every now and then I get lazy too and drive between lessons without adjusting my seat. In my case, being an experienced driver, it will just be mildly irritating, but, for the novice driver, it could severely affect their control and, consequently their safety.
Friday 20 August 2010
Is that it?
Well that didn’t last long, did it? I’m talking about our ‘summer,’ up here in the Highlands. Admittedly, being this far north, the area is not really considered to be a Mecca for sun seekers, but the temperatures are not considerably different from the temperatures I was used to in southern England and, in fact, when it is sunny, the lack of pollution to block the sun’s rays means that it can actually get quite hot.
Not this year though. May and June were quite promising, but July and, so far, August, have been disappointing. Sometimes I feel sorry for the tourists because we enjoyed some fantastic weather - clear blue skies and a burning sun - in Forres and the Moray coast, and especially in Ullapool and the West Highlands early in the Summer, then, just as the tourist season got going, the weather went. I watch the tourists trudging around, heads down in a portion of chips, stepping out in the road in front of my learners, while the weather confirms all their preconceptions of Scottish weather. I used to feel particularly sorry for the tourists who came to take photos of Loch Ness: When I used to live in Glen Urquhart, and drove along loch Ness every day, I would never cease to be impressed with how beautiful it could look. Then I would see bus-loads of tourists, some of whom had travelled halfway around the world, pose in front of the loch, smiling for the camera, while the beauty of the scenery was obscured by the low cloud and drizzle. I often wondered how they described the Highlands to their friends when they returned home.
Sometimes the tourists can be a source of entertainment. A couple of months ago I noticed a couple of tourists (I’ll let you guess their nationally) at Bunchrew, spending ages taking countless photographs of the Beauly Firth (an inlet of the Moray Firth, between Inverness and Beauly). “This is beautiful.” they proclaimed, “Is their much shipping on Lake Ness?”
Momentarily distracted by the ‘lake’, I replied “This isn’t actually Loch Ness.”
“Oh. So what have we been taking photos of then?”
I explained that they would have some very nice pictures of the Beauly Firth and gave them directions to Loch Ness, ten miles south-west of Bunchrew.
A few weeks later another tourist was asking me about the times of high and low tides on the Beauly Firth. Then they asked me if it was ‘salt or fresh water?’
I guess they weren’t as clueless as the person (of the same nationality as the aforementioned tourists) who Jane and I met a few years ago. On hearing our accents he asked where we were from. When we told him he said “Oh, how wonderful. I’ve always wanted to go to England. I’ve never seen the Eiffel Tower.”
We didn’t have the heart to break the news to him.
Anyway, back to our Scottish Summer. It was a fantastic season for the ski resorts, especially the Cairngorms. The ski slopes were officially open until June 21st, the longest day of the year, and some of the more hardcore were still snowboarding and skiing after then. I’m not sure about the Cairngorms (where the snow probably stayed even longer), but Ben Wyvis, An Teallach and many of the West Highland mountains still had some snow until mid-July, despite the good weather in June. The depressing thing is that it is probably only a couple of months before the snow returns. Actually, it is not really depressing. If the snow does return as early as October (which it often does), it is likely only to be confined to the tops of the higher mountains, and HOPEFULLY should not bother us at lesser altitudes until December. Just non-religiously praying (is that possible?) that next winter is nowhere near as bad as last winter.
The thing about summer I will miss the most is the long daylight hours. Although not as extreme as it was when I was in John O’Groats, for a few weeks in late June/early July, it never really gets completely dark. I guess that about 1.30 - 2.00 am is the darkest time, but it is difficult to be sure. There have been many nights when, while working in hotels, I would drive home in the early hours, trying to work out if it was getting darker or lighter. The picture was taken at Bunchrew in late June, at 11.20pm. Just this week, however, I have had a couple of lessons where headlights have been necessary. Unfortunately we can’t have it both ways because, in the winter it is a different story, where we might only get about 7 hours of daylight.
The football season has started (Liverpool are still unbeaten!), everyone went back to school this week, ’X Factor’ and ’Strictly…’ will soon be dominating the television schedules, petrol station forecourts have replaced their displays of barbecue charcoal with bags of coal and kindling, the Rowan trees are displaying worrying amounts of berries (see last year’s posts for the suggested implication) and, no doubt, it won’t be too long before the supermarkets are devoting aisles to Christmas crap.
Summer in the Highlands may not be the longest, or the hottest, but while I sit watching the sea canoeists at Ardmair Bay, TMS on the radio, blue skies above, a strong sun and temperatures in the low 20s, there is nowhere on earth I would rather be.
Not this year though. May and June were quite promising, but July and, so far, August, have been disappointing. Sometimes I feel sorry for the tourists because we enjoyed some fantastic weather - clear blue skies and a burning sun - in Forres and the Moray coast, and especially in Ullapool and the West Highlands early in the Summer, then, just as the tourist season got going, the weather went. I watch the tourists trudging around, heads down in a portion of chips, stepping out in the road in front of my learners, while the weather confirms all their preconceptions of Scottish weather. I used to feel particularly sorry for the tourists who came to take photos of Loch Ness: When I used to live in Glen Urquhart, and drove along loch Ness every day, I would never cease to be impressed with how beautiful it could look. Then I would see bus-loads of tourists, some of whom had travelled halfway around the world, pose in front of the loch, smiling for the camera, while the beauty of the scenery was obscured by the low cloud and drizzle. I often wondered how they described the Highlands to their friends when they returned home.
Sometimes the tourists can be a source of entertainment. A couple of months ago I noticed a couple of tourists (I’ll let you guess their nationally) at Bunchrew, spending ages taking countless photographs of the Beauly Firth (an inlet of the Moray Firth, between Inverness and Beauly). “This is beautiful.” they proclaimed, “Is their much shipping on Lake Ness?”
Momentarily distracted by the ‘lake’, I replied “This isn’t actually Loch Ness.”
“Oh. So what have we been taking photos of then?”
I explained that they would have some very nice pictures of the Beauly Firth and gave them directions to Loch Ness, ten miles south-west of Bunchrew.
A few weeks later another tourist was asking me about the times of high and low tides on the Beauly Firth. Then they asked me if it was ‘salt or fresh water?’
I guess they weren’t as clueless as the person (of the same nationality as the aforementioned tourists) who Jane and I met a few years ago. On hearing our accents he asked where we were from. When we told him he said “Oh, how wonderful. I’ve always wanted to go to England. I’ve never seen the Eiffel Tower.”
We didn’t have the heart to break the news to him.
Anyway, back to our Scottish Summer. It was a fantastic season for the ski resorts, especially the Cairngorms. The ski slopes were officially open until June 21st, the longest day of the year, and some of the more hardcore were still snowboarding and skiing after then. I’m not sure about the Cairngorms (where the snow probably stayed even longer), but Ben Wyvis, An Teallach and many of the West Highland mountains still had some snow until mid-July, despite the good weather in June. The depressing thing is that it is probably only a couple of months before the snow returns. Actually, it is not really depressing. If the snow does return as early as October (which it often does), it is likely only to be confined to the tops of the higher mountains, and HOPEFULLY should not bother us at lesser altitudes until December. Just non-religiously praying (is that possible?) that next winter is nowhere near as bad as last winter.
The thing about summer I will miss the most is the long daylight hours. Although not as extreme as it was when I was in John O’Groats, for a few weeks in late June/early July, it never really gets completely dark. I guess that about 1.30 - 2.00 am is the darkest time, but it is difficult to be sure. There have been many nights when, while working in hotels, I would drive home in the early hours, trying to work out if it was getting darker or lighter. The picture was taken at Bunchrew in late June, at 11.20pm. Just this week, however, I have had a couple of lessons where headlights have been necessary. Unfortunately we can’t have it both ways because, in the winter it is a different story, where we might only get about 7 hours of daylight.
The football season has started (Liverpool are still unbeaten!), everyone went back to school this week, ’X Factor’ and ’Strictly…’ will soon be dominating the television schedules, petrol station forecourts have replaced their displays of barbecue charcoal with bags of coal and kindling, the Rowan trees are displaying worrying amounts of berries (see last year’s posts for the suggested implication) and, no doubt, it won’t be too long before the supermarkets are devoting aisles to Christmas crap.
Summer in the Highlands may not be the longest, or the hottest, but while I sit watching the sea canoeists at Ardmair Bay, TMS on the radio, blue skies above, a strong sun and temperatures in the low 20s, there is nowhere on earth I would rather be.
A man walks into a bar....
Being self-employed I am constantly getting calls, emails and mail from companies promising they can boost my business. Increasingly it is by making my ‘web presence’ more visible. I don’t blame these people. I get paid to teach people to drive, they get paid to sell advertising, no problem with that. It does get a wee bit irritating when they don’t understand the word “No”, but they are just doing their job.
While considering leaving BSM, I gave a lot of thought to how to promote my business. Do I use Yellow Pages/Yell.com? Local press? Do I pay someone to come up with a fancy website? (If you look at my website, www.farle.co.uk, you will soon see that I did not take that option (yet)). I have to consider what I think will bring in the most revenue per pound spent on advertising.
Last week, after a long day, I decided I had earned a pint. I always to enjoy the quizzes when I had my own pubs and I saw that one of the local pubs had a quiz on that night. It was due to start before I finished my lessons, but I was happy to go along and listen to the remainder of the quiz. I had never been to the pub before, but it was immediately welcoming and I didn’t feel uncomfortable being there on my own. As it turned out, the quiz was late starting (although I suspect they advertised an early start time to get people spending money earlier) and I was in time to take part. The quiz was quite a drawn-out affair and I got chatting to some of the locals inbetween rounds. On learning that I was a driving instructor, one of them booked up some lessons for his wife. It may have cost me three (excellent) pints of Suilven (less than a tenner), but I gained a new pupil and a bottle of wine (I won the quiz).
Last night I returned to the pub (sadly, no quiz) and some of the regulars already knew about my pupil’s successful day with their driving tests. The barmaid made some comments about regretting giving up after only a few lessons when she was 17, but with her birthday coming up, perhaps she could ask her dad for driving lessons.
Strike while the iron is hot. “You can start tomorrow if you like.” I suggested.
“Ermmm… not too early. I’m working late.”
“11 o’clock?”
“Perfect. Great. See you then!”
It is 10.30am on a gorgeous sunny morning in Ullapool, and I sitting by the quay, enjoying the sun, the view and a coffee before Tess’s first lesson. Although it was a bit worrying ‘losing’ five pupils yesterday, I am buoyed by the fact that, after spending a whole £20 on ‘marketing’ I have gained five pints of Suilven, a dram of Ardbeg, a bottle of wine, two new pupils and two enjoyable nights out. I think you will agree, a very good return for my money.
Actually, I tell a lie. It was £21.…. I lost a pound last night on the quiz machine.
While considering leaving BSM, I gave a lot of thought to how to promote my business. Do I use Yellow Pages/Yell.com? Local press? Do I pay someone to come up with a fancy website? (If you look at my website, www.farle.co.uk, you will soon see that I did not take that option (yet)). I have to consider what I think will bring in the most revenue per pound spent on advertising.
Last week, after a long day, I decided I had earned a pint. I always to enjoy the quizzes when I had my own pubs and I saw that one of the local pubs had a quiz on that night. It was due to start before I finished my lessons, but I was happy to go along and listen to the remainder of the quiz. I had never been to the pub before, but it was immediately welcoming and I didn’t feel uncomfortable being there on my own. As it turned out, the quiz was late starting (although I suspect they advertised an early start time to get people spending money earlier) and I was in time to take part. The quiz was quite a drawn-out affair and I got chatting to some of the locals inbetween rounds. On learning that I was a driving instructor, one of them booked up some lessons for his wife. It may have cost me three (excellent) pints of Suilven (less than a tenner), but I gained a new pupil and a bottle of wine (I won the quiz).
Last night I returned to the pub (sadly, no quiz) and some of the regulars already knew about my pupil’s successful day with their driving tests. The barmaid made some comments about regretting giving up after only a few lessons when she was 17, but with her birthday coming up, perhaps she could ask her dad for driving lessons.
Strike while the iron is hot. “You can start tomorrow if you like.” I suggested.
“Ermmm… not too early. I’m working late.”
“11 o’clock?”
“Perfect. Great. See you then!”
It is 10.30am on a gorgeous sunny morning in Ullapool, and I sitting by the quay, enjoying the sun, the view and a coffee before Tess’s first lesson. Although it was a bit worrying ‘losing’ five pupils yesterday, I am buoyed by the fact that, after spending a whole £20 on ‘marketing’ I have gained five pints of Suilven, a dram of Ardbeg, a bottle of wine, two new pupils and two enjoyable nights out. I think you will agree, a very good return for my money.
Actually, I tell a lie. It was £21.…. I lost a pound last night on the quiz machine.
stop.... STOP..... S T O P!
This week started badly when I learned that someone, who recently passed with me, lost control of their car as a result of driving too fast and rolled their car, with other passengers inside. Luckily, no-one was seriously hurt (although the car was a write-off), but the driver is being questioned by the police. I’m not completely au fait with the penalties, but if he picks up 6 penalty points within two years of passing his test, he will lose his licence and have to re-sit both Theory and Practical parts of his test again. Not big and not clever.
One of his passengers was a current pupil of mine, from Ullapool, due to take his own driving test (1st attempt) this week in Inverness. In addition, I had two other pupils from Ullapool taking their tests (1st attempts) in Inverness, and no less than six other pupils taking their test in Ullapool (four for the 1st time). A busy week then, but a week now haunted with the responsibility of potentially giving nine young drivers the freedom to drive unsupervised. One could argue that it is the examiner’s responsibility to make that decision, not mine, but the examiner only has forty minutes to find potentially dangerous faults, whereas I have hours of lessons.
As I much as I try to instil the DSA’s motto of “Safe driving for life”, it is obvious that this doesn’t always sink in with the pupil; they are merely concerned with having a piece of paper which enables them to drive independently. Every time a pupil passes their test I try to encourage them to take the Pass Plus course (especially when the Highland Council provide a grant of £100 towards it). Admittedly, it is extra business for me, but it is also very much in the interest of the pupil, both in building their confidence in dealing with difficult driving situations, and also in possibly reducing their car insurance premiums.
My first test pupil this week was one who has been with me for nine months now. Unfortunately, by the time she had passed her theory, she was unable to get a test date in Ullapool before she goes to university. So, although the idea scared her, we decided to go for a test in Inverness and she had two hour’s lessons last week to transfer her existing skills to the roundabouts and multi-lane roads of Inverness. Also taking his test in Inverness on Monday was another Ullapool pupil who had not had a single lesson in Inverness. A very important lesson was learned here: Driving Instructors - CHECK YOUR PUPIL’S TEST TIME….
Both pupils made the 60 mile journey into Inverness to meet me four hours before the first test. The idea was that they would share a four hour lesson, so that they could see as much of the city as possible. Both were happy with this arrangement and both knew when the other’s test was. I confirmed with my first pupil when her test was (2.30pm) and then, to the next pupil, I said “And your test is at 3.27pm.”
“No.. I don’t think so….” He got his iPhone out and showed me the confirmation, “It’s at 2.57pm.”
“But Siobhan won’t be back from her test by then, so we won’t have a car.” Trying to keep the panic out of my voice.
“Does the Test Centre only have one car then?” He naively enquired.
“No… They don’t have any cars,” I mentally slapped my own forehead, “you will be taking the test in this car….. At least, you should have been.”
Hmmm, what to do? We went straight to the test centre to explain the situation and ask if there was any way he could have a different test time?
“There is a free slot at 1.33pm.”
Relief. “We’ll have that then.”
“You’ll just have to call the DSA, or, if you can get online, you can change it yourself.”
I thanked the examiner and got immediately online - the DSA’s website is not the easiest to read on my little Nokia. No test available. I immediately called the DSA and, after several minutes being told by the machine that I could do all this online, a human answered and told me the same thing, “No test available at 1.33pm”
“But…but… never mind. Thank you.”
Big sigh. What now? I called Eddie at BSM and I called some other independent instructors I know, but no-one was free at the required time. There was only one thing for it; my daughters. Our other car, a bloody great Nissan Navara, was ‘not suitable’ for test, so maybe Anna could spare her Peugeot 206, or Rachel could spare her ‘modified’ Astra. No answer from Anna, but Rachel was willing to drive into Inverness and help us out. I warned her that it would involve putting up with sitting with me in the Test Centre for forty minutes, but she did not mind.
With the problem solved (to some extent), we concentrated on introducing my pupils to Inverness. Those few hours flew by and it was soon 2.15pm - time for us to get to the test centre. The plan was for Siobhan to go off on her test, then for Rachel to drop her car off so that Jason would have ten minutes to get used to a car he had never driven before, in a city he had 90 minutes experience of. Gulp.
Siobhan went off on her test, muttering that this was a bad idea, and Rachel arrived with her 240BHP-Turbo-rocket Astra, with all manner of spoilers, arches and modifications. Jason’s face lit up, “Oh YES!!!…. I get to drive THIS?!” Rachel was very calm about the idea of a complete stranger, who is barely 17, driving her very potent car. Jason and I had ten minutes for him to get used to the car. The engine growled as the turbos kicked in and we were thrown back in our seats. “The examiner is going to take one look at the car and presume you are a boy-racer. DON’T confirm his suspicions!” I warned.
“I won’t. I’ll drive normally, but I don’t know if I’ll ever get another ten minutes in a car like this, so I just wanted to have a little go.”
I couldn’t deny him that. I would been exactly the same. And, besides, I was extremely impressed at how quickly he adapted to the car.
Off he went on his test and, ten minutes later Siobhan returned in my Clio. The examiner called me over and, as he opened the door, Siobhan looked at me and said “I’m sorry.”
Before I could ask, the examiner said “I don’t know what you’re sorry for. You’ve passed.”
After giving me a hug and an excited couple of sentences about her test experience she called her mum. Within fifteen minutes it seemed that virtually the whole of Ullapool had called or text her to offer their congratulations.
I heard Jason returning before I saw him, the low throb of the engine was very familiar. Unfortunately, he missed a gap in the traffic at a roundabout. That’s fair enough, the examiner would have given him a minor fault for hesitation. But when he failed to go at the next opportunity the examiner considered that this was holding up traffic and gave him a serious fault. Neither of us could believe it. I was so sure he would pass and, especially with all that extra power under the bonnet, the idea that he would fail for hesitation is something that he will cause him to kick himself for weeks.
The next day, I had another Ullapool pupil on test in Inverness. Neither he, nor Jason had been able to get a test in Ullapool before November, so Inverness it had to be. I was as confident as it is possible to be about this one. He had had two hours in Inverness the previous night and another two hours just before his test. Despite these four hours being his only experience of roundabouts, dual-carriageways, traffic lights and Inverness traffic, I struggle to remember a single fault. To my surprise, when the examiner asked if he wanted me to sit in the back he said ‘Aye’.
Sitting in the back of a test is usually a tense experience as I sit there silently thinking “Why are you doing this? You never do this during your lessons!” However, I was completely relaxed as he sailed around the test route. I had not found a single fault. Two-thirds of the way around, he turned right at some traffic lights, into a 40mph road with more traffic lights 100m ahead. These lights were red, but if he built up his speed slowly the lights would change in plenty of time. He did not build up his speed slowly… he was quickly getting towards 40mph. I’m sat in the back thinking “Ease off… ease off…. brake…. BRAKE!” Just as we were about to go through the red light the examiner hastily said “Brake for the red light.” Alarm spread over his face in less than a millisecond and he braked hard (luckily, nothing was behind us) to a stop, just over the line. The lights changed to green, but too late.
He drove on, but was clearly shaken, and made three minor faults in the next couple of minutes - his only minor faults in the whole test.
“What happened?” I asked, once the examiner had gone.
“I don’t know. I can’t explain it. I just didn’t see the light.”
36 hours later and I’m still thinking about what happened. Where was he looking? All it would have taken is for one vehicle to have been in front of us, or for those lights to have changed two seconds earlier. But, as much as I want my pupils to pass, sometimes I think they need a shock like that to realise that driving can be a matter or life or death.
The very next day and I’m back in Ullapool for the monthly tests. There are seven tests going ahead and six of them are my pupils. Four first attempts and two second attempts.
Got off to a bad start when my 8.40am pupil test failed with three serious faults. Worrying. After a result like that it is easy to think that I may be misjudging my pupils’ abilities.
Jamie got things back on track with a comfortable pass at 9.37am on his first attempt.
The 10.44 test was taken by the Inverness instructor I have mentioned before - the one I never see in Ullapool except on test days. I guess I have to believe that his pupil is from Ullapool. For the third time in three tests his pupil failed.
Daniel was next and another comfortable first-time pass. Rewarding after a very rapid improvement recently.
Then came Fionnlagh on his second attempt. In May he made the mistake of misjudging a meeting situation and tried to squeeze through a gap that was too small for him and the oncoming campervan (which had to stop and wait for him). I have been telling him to be more ‘cool’ with his driving (he probably regards me with embarrassment and pity after using that word). But in using that word I was trying to get him not to rush into situations that may cause him problems; to look ahead and ease off early to give him time to assess the situation. Whether it was my advice, or just the fact that he is a much improved driver, he had a much better drive comfortably.
Alasdair had the 2.30pm test. Almost from the start he has probably got sick of me emphasising the need for effective observation and proper use of mirrors. If he was sick of my voice I should hope he is glad of my nagging now because he also passed, first time. And with only one mirror fault.
Finally, came James. James was the pupil who turned up to his last test with an old-style driving licence (no photo card), but forgot to bring his passport with him for proof of identity. Result - the test could not go ahead. This time I double-checked that he had all the necessary documents and he brought the tests to a very satisfactory end, passing with only 2 minor faults.
As always, my feelings of disappointment for the one fail almost outweigh the delight for the five passes. It does leave some big gaps in my diary over the next few weeks, but I am hoping that (especially in such a relatively small community), the success of the five pupils that passed will inspire others to enquire about lessons. And, hopefully, some of those who passed this week will take my advice and join me for the Pass Plus course. I’ll do whatever it takes to make my pupils safer drivers - the next time they may not be as lucky as the one I talked about at the start of this post. As John Travolta and I would say, “Be cool”.
One of his passengers was a current pupil of mine, from Ullapool, due to take his own driving test (1st attempt) this week in Inverness. In addition, I had two other pupils from Ullapool taking their tests (1st attempts) in Inverness, and no less than six other pupils taking their test in Ullapool (four for the 1st time). A busy week then, but a week now haunted with the responsibility of potentially giving nine young drivers the freedom to drive unsupervised. One could argue that it is the examiner’s responsibility to make that decision, not mine, but the examiner only has forty minutes to find potentially dangerous faults, whereas I have hours of lessons.
As I much as I try to instil the DSA’s motto of “Safe driving for life”, it is obvious that this doesn’t always sink in with the pupil; they are merely concerned with having a piece of paper which enables them to drive independently. Every time a pupil passes their test I try to encourage them to take the Pass Plus course (especially when the Highland Council provide a grant of £100 towards it). Admittedly, it is extra business for me, but it is also very much in the interest of the pupil, both in building their confidence in dealing with difficult driving situations, and also in possibly reducing their car insurance premiums.
My first test pupil this week was one who has been with me for nine months now. Unfortunately, by the time she had passed her theory, she was unable to get a test date in Ullapool before she goes to university. So, although the idea scared her, we decided to go for a test in Inverness and she had two hour’s lessons last week to transfer her existing skills to the roundabouts and multi-lane roads of Inverness. Also taking his test in Inverness on Monday was another Ullapool pupil who had not had a single lesson in Inverness. A very important lesson was learned here: Driving Instructors - CHECK YOUR PUPIL’S TEST TIME….
Both pupils made the 60 mile journey into Inverness to meet me four hours before the first test. The idea was that they would share a four hour lesson, so that they could see as much of the city as possible. Both were happy with this arrangement and both knew when the other’s test was. I confirmed with my first pupil when her test was (2.30pm) and then, to the next pupil, I said “And your test is at 3.27pm.”
“No.. I don’t think so….” He got his iPhone out and showed me the confirmation, “It’s at 2.57pm.”
“But Siobhan won’t be back from her test by then, so we won’t have a car.” Trying to keep the panic out of my voice.
“Does the Test Centre only have one car then?” He naively enquired.
“No… They don’t have any cars,” I mentally slapped my own forehead, “you will be taking the test in this car….. At least, you should have been.”
Hmmm, what to do? We went straight to the test centre to explain the situation and ask if there was any way he could have a different test time?
“There is a free slot at 1.33pm.”
Relief. “We’ll have that then.”
“You’ll just have to call the DSA, or, if you can get online, you can change it yourself.”
I thanked the examiner and got immediately online - the DSA’s website is not the easiest to read on my little Nokia. No test available. I immediately called the DSA and, after several minutes being told by the machine that I could do all this online, a human answered and told me the same thing, “No test available at 1.33pm”
“But…but… never mind. Thank you.”
Big sigh. What now? I called Eddie at BSM and I called some other independent instructors I know, but no-one was free at the required time. There was only one thing for it; my daughters. Our other car, a bloody great Nissan Navara, was ‘not suitable’ for test, so maybe Anna could spare her Peugeot 206, or Rachel could spare her ‘modified’ Astra. No answer from Anna, but Rachel was willing to drive into Inverness and help us out. I warned her that it would involve putting up with sitting with me in the Test Centre for forty minutes, but she did not mind.
With the problem solved (to some extent), we concentrated on introducing my pupils to Inverness. Those few hours flew by and it was soon 2.15pm - time for us to get to the test centre. The plan was for Siobhan to go off on her test, then for Rachel to drop her car off so that Jason would have ten minutes to get used to a car he had never driven before, in a city he had 90 minutes experience of. Gulp.
Siobhan went off on her test, muttering that this was a bad idea, and Rachel arrived with her 240BHP-Turbo-rocket Astra, with all manner of spoilers, arches and modifications. Jason’s face lit up, “Oh YES!!!…. I get to drive THIS?!” Rachel was very calm about the idea of a complete stranger, who is barely 17, driving her very potent car. Jason and I had ten minutes for him to get used to the car. The engine growled as the turbos kicked in and we were thrown back in our seats. “The examiner is going to take one look at the car and presume you are a boy-racer. DON’T confirm his suspicions!” I warned.
“I won’t. I’ll drive normally, but I don’t know if I’ll ever get another ten minutes in a car like this, so I just wanted to have a little go.”
I couldn’t deny him that. I would been exactly the same. And, besides, I was extremely impressed at how quickly he adapted to the car.
Off he went on his test and, ten minutes later Siobhan returned in my Clio. The examiner called me over and, as he opened the door, Siobhan looked at me and said “I’m sorry.”
Before I could ask, the examiner said “I don’t know what you’re sorry for. You’ve passed.”
After giving me a hug and an excited couple of sentences about her test experience she called her mum. Within fifteen minutes it seemed that virtually the whole of Ullapool had called or text her to offer their congratulations.
I heard Jason returning before I saw him, the low throb of the engine was very familiar. Unfortunately, he missed a gap in the traffic at a roundabout. That’s fair enough, the examiner would have given him a minor fault for hesitation. But when he failed to go at the next opportunity the examiner considered that this was holding up traffic and gave him a serious fault. Neither of us could believe it. I was so sure he would pass and, especially with all that extra power under the bonnet, the idea that he would fail for hesitation is something that he will cause him to kick himself for weeks.
The next day, I had another Ullapool pupil on test in Inverness. Neither he, nor Jason had been able to get a test in Ullapool before November, so Inverness it had to be. I was as confident as it is possible to be about this one. He had had two hours in Inverness the previous night and another two hours just before his test. Despite these four hours being his only experience of roundabouts, dual-carriageways, traffic lights and Inverness traffic, I struggle to remember a single fault. To my surprise, when the examiner asked if he wanted me to sit in the back he said ‘Aye’.
Sitting in the back of a test is usually a tense experience as I sit there silently thinking “Why are you doing this? You never do this during your lessons!” However, I was completely relaxed as he sailed around the test route. I had not found a single fault. Two-thirds of the way around, he turned right at some traffic lights, into a 40mph road with more traffic lights 100m ahead. These lights were red, but if he built up his speed slowly the lights would change in plenty of time. He did not build up his speed slowly… he was quickly getting towards 40mph. I’m sat in the back thinking “Ease off… ease off…. brake…. BRAKE!” Just as we were about to go through the red light the examiner hastily said “Brake for the red light.” Alarm spread over his face in less than a millisecond and he braked hard (luckily, nothing was behind us) to a stop, just over the line. The lights changed to green, but too late.
He drove on, but was clearly shaken, and made three minor faults in the next couple of minutes - his only minor faults in the whole test.
“What happened?” I asked, once the examiner had gone.
“I don’t know. I can’t explain it. I just didn’t see the light.”
36 hours later and I’m still thinking about what happened. Where was he looking? All it would have taken is for one vehicle to have been in front of us, or for those lights to have changed two seconds earlier. But, as much as I want my pupils to pass, sometimes I think they need a shock like that to realise that driving can be a matter or life or death.
The very next day and I’m back in Ullapool for the monthly tests. There are seven tests going ahead and six of them are my pupils. Four first attempts and two second attempts.
Got off to a bad start when my 8.40am pupil test failed with three serious faults. Worrying. After a result like that it is easy to think that I may be misjudging my pupils’ abilities.
Jamie got things back on track with a comfortable pass at 9.37am on his first attempt.
The 10.44 test was taken by the Inverness instructor I have mentioned before - the one I never see in Ullapool except on test days. I guess I have to believe that his pupil is from Ullapool. For the third time in three tests his pupil failed.
Daniel was next and another comfortable first-time pass. Rewarding after a very rapid improvement recently.
Then came Fionnlagh on his second attempt. In May he made the mistake of misjudging a meeting situation and tried to squeeze through a gap that was too small for him and the oncoming campervan (which had to stop and wait for him). I have been telling him to be more ‘cool’ with his driving (he probably regards me with embarrassment and pity after using that word). But in using that word I was trying to get him not to rush into situations that may cause him problems; to look ahead and ease off early to give him time to assess the situation. Whether it was my advice, or just the fact that he is a much improved driver, he had a much better drive comfortably.
Alasdair had the 2.30pm test. Almost from the start he has probably got sick of me emphasising the need for effective observation and proper use of mirrors. If he was sick of my voice I should hope he is glad of my nagging now because he also passed, first time. And with only one mirror fault.
Finally, came James. James was the pupil who turned up to his last test with an old-style driving licence (no photo card), but forgot to bring his passport with him for proof of identity. Result - the test could not go ahead. This time I double-checked that he had all the necessary documents and he brought the tests to a very satisfactory end, passing with only 2 minor faults.
As always, my feelings of disappointment for the one fail almost outweigh the delight for the five passes. It does leave some big gaps in my diary over the next few weeks, but I am hoping that (especially in such a relatively small community), the success of the five pupils that passed will inspire others to enquire about lessons. And, hopefully, some of those who passed this week will take my advice and join me for the Pass Plus course. I’ll do whatever it takes to make my pupils safer drivers - the next time they may not be as lucky as the one I talked about at the start of this post. As John Travolta and I would say, “Be cool”.
Saturday 14 August 2010
What's the worst that could happen?
It is always nice to be appreciated and, as a Driving Instructor, I feel more appreciated now than I did in any of my previous jobs. I have recently taken on a new pupil in the Elgin area. She took over 50 hours of lessons a few years ago, but failed her driving test and lost confidence in her ability to drive. This summer she decided to try again and found my number on the internet. What she is most happy about is that, as she says, “my previous instructor would tell me what to do, but never explain why, whereas you explain why, so I understand better.”
Whenever I take on a pupil who criticises a previous instructor I always take what they say with a pinch of salt. Last year I took on a pupil who had just failed her test after learning with another instructor. I explained that I wanted her to drive around the area for 5 -10 minutes so that I could have a look at her driving. It was pretty good, so I asked her to drive into a car-park and reverse into a bay. It was slightly alarming to see her carry out the manoeuvre without the slightest glance around the car. We discussed her drive, which I praised her for, then we talked about the parking.
“Where should you be looking whilst parking?”
“In my mirrors, to see when I am in the bay.” She confidently replied.
“But is that the only area we need to look?”
“Oh…Oh yes…. My instructor told me that, IN MY TEST, I would have to look all around.”
I was dumbstruck. Surely an instructor would not imply that all-round observation is only necessary in a driving test?
Later on, we came to a crossroads, where we had to give way, and I wanted her to turn right. Opposite was another car with no indicator (suggesting that he was going straight ahead).
“Who has priority here?”
“I don’t know.”
Further questioning revealed that she had no idea about priorities at junctions.
“My instructor never taught me any of this.” She claimed. “He just told me when to go.”
I was very sceptical. I could not believe that an instructor would let his pupil go for her test without knowing basic knowledge such as this. I suspected that she had been taught this, but had forgotten. So, as I said, if a pupil makes claims about a previous instructor’s failings, I listen with a degree of scepticism.
So why do pupils not remember what they are taught? Because, as I suggested in the first paragraph, it is because they do not fully understand WHY they should/should not do something.
I have a friend who is training to become a driving instructor with BSM. He passed the first two exams (Theory and an extended driving test) and recently had his first attempt at the ‘dreaded’ Part 3, the test of his instructional ability. This is where the examiner plays the role of two different pupils. During the first half hour, the examiner may pretend to be a novice driver wanting to learn about T-junctions, for example, then, in the next half hour, he will pretend to be a partly-trained driver wanting to improve his overtaking and approach to meeting situations. Any good trainer will emphasise the need to develop the instructor’s core competencies - Identifying the fault, Analysing the fault, and finding a remedy. All three are important and should not be overlooked. For example, the examiner (pupil) may not be checking his mirrors before indicating. Ok, an easy enough fault to identify. But it is not good enough to say “You must check your mirrors before indicating.” You may have identified the fault and suggested a remedy, but there has been no analysis.
When I was talking to someone recently about my friend’s Part 3, I was told that he failed, but they thought it was a bit unfair because he identified the faults and suggested remedies, but the examiner kept making the same faults; ‘surely a pupil would not repeat the fault if they have been told not to?’. Yes they will.
Taking mirrors as an example: Anyone can get a training manual out, show the pupil a diagram of a right turn into a side road, and say “We must check our interior and right mirrors, indicate, position our car just to the left of the centre of the road, slow down to an appropriate speed, select the correct gear, look ahead and into the road to assess whether it is safe to cross or whether it is better to wait and consider a lower gear.” If I told a pupil this I can almost guarantee that (assuming they can remember all of that) they will check their mirrors and signal immediately after. What’s wrong with that? Well, Q. Why are you checking your mirrors? A. To decide whether it is SAFE to indicate.
A common Q & A session might be as follows:
“We want to turn right up ahead. When should we check our mirrors?”
“Just before we indicate.”
“Would you indicate if, when checking your mirrors, you saw a motorbike about to overtake you?
(Blank look)……”Ummmm. Maybe.”
“You don’t really have time for ‘Maybe’. What would you do if you were on that motorbike, preparing to overtake a car and, just as you were about to overtake, you saw that car indicating right?”
“I don’t know.”
“Exactly! You, if you imagine you are on the motorbike, don’t know whether that car has seen you, so you don’t know whether it is safe to overtake or not.”
“Ah.. I understand.”
I know this all sounds like I am some sort of Kung Fu or Jedi master, but I have to make my pupils understand WHY they should check their mirrors, and WHEN (“In plenty of time to be able to choose when to indicate”). By doing that, they are less likely to repeat the fault because they are starting to understand the consequences.
Going back to the Part 3. If the examiner doesn’t feel that you have sufficiently explained the consequences (the ‘Why?’) of him making a fault, he will continue to make the fault, regardless of whether you have told him how to correct it. And, no, it is not unrealistic, because pupils (not every pupil) will continue to repeat the same faults, even though you have told them not to, unless they fully understand what could happen as a result of that fault.
So, the next time he attempts his Part 3, and he spots that the examiner is indicating too early to exit a roundabout, he should explain that, as a consequence, a car approaching the next exit might assume that it is safe to emerge into the roundabout, causing the examiner to swerve away, thus forcing the bus on his right to brake suddenly and go into a skid and crash into a fuel lorry, igniting a massive explosion, killing hundreds of people and sending a gigantic fireball up into the sky and a colossal plume of black smoke which causes a Boeing 747 to lose control and plummet into government buildings, triggering the launching of nuclear missiles towards Afghanistan because the government thinks it is a terrorist attack, Iran and North Korea retaliate and we have nuclear Armageddon….. All because you indicated too early at that roundabout.
Whenever I take on a pupil who criticises a previous instructor I always take what they say with a pinch of salt. Last year I took on a pupil who had just failed her test after learning with another instructor. I explained that I wanted her to drive around the area for 5 -10 minutes so that I could have a look at her driving. It was pretty good, so I asked her to drive into a car-park and reverse into a bay. It was slightly alarming to see her carry out the manoeuvre without the slightest glance around the car. We discussed her drive, which I praised her for, then we talked about the parking.
“Where should you be looking whilst parking?”
“In my mirrors, to see when I am in the bay.” She confidently replied.
“But is that the only area we need to look?”
“Oh…Oh yes…. My instructor told me that, IN MY TEST, I would have to look all around.”
I was dumbstruck. Surely an instructor would not imply that all-round observation is only necessary in a driving test?
Later on, we came to a crossroads, where we had to give way, and I wanted her to turn right. Opposite was another car with no indicator (suggesting that he was going straight ahead).
“Who has priority here?”
“I don’t know.”
Further questioning revealed that she had no idea about priorities at junctions.
“My instructor never taught me any of this.” She claimed. “He just told me when to go.”
I was very sceptical. I could not believe that an instructor would let his pupil go for her test without knowing basic knowledge such as this. I suspected that she had been taught this, but had forgotten. So, as I said, if a pupil makes claims about a previous instructor’s failings, I listen with a degree of scepticism.
So why do pupils not remember what they are taught? Because, as I suggested in the first paragraph, it is because they do not fully understand WHY they should/should not do something.
I have a friend who is training to become a driving instructor with BSM. He passed the first two exams (Theory and an extended driving test) and recently had his first attempt at the ‘dreaded’ Part 3, the test of his instructional ability. This is where the examiner plays the role of two different pupils. During the first half hour, the examiner may pretend to be a novice driver wanting to learn about T-junctions, for example, then, in the next half hour, he will pretend to be a partly-trained driver wanting to improve his overtaking and approach to meeting situations. Any good trainer will emphasise the need to develop the instructor’s core competencies - Identifying the fault, Analysing the fault, and finding a remedy. All three are important and should not be overlooked. For example, the examiner (pupil) may not be checking his mirrors before indicating. Ok, an easy enough fault to identify. But it is not good enough to say “You must check your mirrors before indicating.” You may have identified the fault and suggested a remedy, but there has been no analysis.
When I was talking to someone recently about my friend’s Part 3, I was told that he failed, but they thought it was a bit unfair because he identified the faults and suggested remedies, but the examiner kept making the same faults; ‘surely a pupil would not repeat the fault if they have been told not to?’. Yes they will.
Taking mirrors as an example: Anyone can get a training manual out, show the pupil a diagram of a right turn into a side road, and say “We must check our interior and right mirrors, indicate, position our car just to the left of the centre of the road, slow down to an appropriate speed, select the correct gear, look ahead and into the road to assess whether it is safe to cross or whether it is better to wait and consider a lower gear.” If I told a pupil this I can almost guarantee that (assuming they can remember all of that) they will check their mirrors and signal immediately after. What’s wrong with that? Well, Q. Why are you checking your mirrors? A. To decide whether it is SAFE to indicate.
A common Q & A session might be as follows:
“We want to turn right up ahead. When should we check our mirrors?”
“Just before we indicate.”
“Would you indicate if, when checking your mirrors, you saw a motorbike about to overtake you?
(Blank look)……”Ummmm. Maybe.”
“You don’t really have time for ‘Maybe’. What would you do if you were on that motorbike, preparing to overtake a car and, just as you were about to overtake, you saw that car indicating right?”
“I don’t know.”
“Exactly! You, if you imagine you are on the motorbike, don’t know whether that car has seen you, so you don’t know whether it is safe to overtake or not.”
“Ah.. I understand.”
I know this all sounds like I am some sort of Kung Fu or Jedi master, but I have to make my pupils understand WHY they should check their mirrors, and WHEN (“In plenty of time to be able to choose when to indicate”). By doing that, they are less likely to repeat the fault because they are starting to understand the consequences.
Going back to the Part 3. If the examiner doesn’t feel that you have sufficiently explained the consequences (the ‘Why?’) of him making a fault, he will continue to make the fault, regardless of whether you have told him how to correct it. And, no, it is not unrealistic, because pupils (not every pupil) will continue to repeat the same faults, even though you have told them not to, unless they fully understand what could happen as a result of that fault.
So, the next time he attempts his Part 3, and he spots that the examiner is indicating too early to exit a roundabout, he should explain that, as a consequence, a car approaching the next exit might assume that it is safe to emerge into the roundabout, causing the examiner to swerve away, thus forcing the bus on his right to brake suddenly and go into a skid and crash into a fuel lorry, igniting a massive explosion, killing hundreds of people and sending a gigantic fireball up into the sky and a colossal plume of black smoke which causes a Boeing 747 to lose control and plummet into government buildings, triggering the launching of nuclear missiles towards Afghanistan because the government thinks it is a terrorist attack, Iran and North Korea retaliate and we have nuclear Armageddon….. All because you indicated too early at that roundabout.
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