"Apathy" was the reply.

A few months ago I got an enquiry come through from a chap for driving lessons for him and his fiancé.

He decided to take lessons with me, and his fiancé with an Instructor just up the road from me.  They had the same budget available. 

He passed his test on his 1^st attempt a few weeks ago, and at that time was indicating that his fiancé was getting frustrated at how slow progress was (at that time, she had been introduced to 1 manoeuvre).  I discovered yesterday that his fiancé is getting a test booked for the end of October.

First thing to say is.... we are all different, we all learn at different rates.  Some find hand-feet co-ordination more natural than others.  Some are more able to multi-task than others, and some have a clearer instinct of road position than others.  Some are more nervous, and I could go on and on about how it is not sensible to make sweeping generalisations about how people progress with driving lessons.  I recall a Learner from a while ago who had Dyspraxia, only thing was neither he, nor his Parents thought it worthwhile to tell me that fact – so there I am doing my utmost to ‘root cause’ why there was the degree of inconsistency there was, and all along, being kept in the dark that my Learner was suffering with a serious Learning Difficulty.  So I KNOW that it is nonsense to ignore the fact that people are complex, and unique.

But, having said all of that, it’s probably not a bad idea to at least consider what are the factors that can affect progress, so here goes:

Learning Styles – we all have a way that we like to learn.  And this is a big deal.  I’ll never forget when I took a PADI scuba diving course in Mauritius and was nervous as hell just on the boat going out to sea.  On one of the dives, my instructor was spread a bit thin, and trying to cope with 3 of us.  I ended up getting lost from the pack, and eventually decided the only sensible option was to go to the surface.  It alarmed me how long it took for me to come to the notice of the organisers, and fair to say that experience whilst not putting me off for life, seriously affected me.  Some people like ‘slowly slowly’, others are more adventurous, some like to be told, explained, demonstrated, others like to discover – we are all different and ignoring this fact is treating people like numbers, rather than individuals with individual needs.

Responsibility for Learning – this is an interesting subject and something easily ignored.  For some, it is convenient and preferable to ignore this subject. Considering that the end goal is to develop a Learner to become an independent driver, capable of driving in all conditions, in unfamiliar roads, safely, efficiently and with regard to others, then the training should reflect that goal.  If a Learner comes into training with the attitude of “I’m not interested in detail, just tell me how to pass the test”, then that Learner may just want to be told what to do all the time.  They wont be interested in understanding WHY faults are occurring, that is not their concern, they just want the Instructor to tell them what to do, so that the faults don’t occur.  And with enough repetition, and driving on the same roads for long enough, this kind of ‘dummy’ learning will have an effect.  It will be incredibly boring but eventually, just through sheer repetition, you can program yourself to robotically remember what actions are needed at certain junctions for example.  But, you have to question how prepared you then are for a life of driving after the test.  It’s a little like learning art through ‘dot to dot’.  Take the ‘dot to dot’ away and what have you got?  Not much ‘learning’.

Quality of Training – are your goals aligned with your Trainers goals.  Is there a clear path to your goal, are you able to monitor your progress and check that you are aligned to your goal.  Is there a trust and transparency between you and your Trainer so that there is open communication.  I recall when I did my training to become a Driving Instructor and I was aware that my Trainer kept mentioning going on a Pink Licence with his organisation after my allotted training period.  That meant that my goal of becoming qualified was in direct conflict with his goal of prolonging my training and tying me in with a financial contract with his organisation.  So is your Driving Instructor aware of when you want to pass, is there a clear strategy to make that goal happen.  The extent of the training (syllabus), passing the tests first time, passing them within a certain timescale..... these are important points.    Drifting along a course of driving lessons, in no particular direction, with no goals set, is a recipe for disappointment – it can be lengthy and expensive.         

Strategy – you can either hit the ground running in life, or hit the ground, slowly get yourself up, take some time out to decide what direction you should head, think about starting off, and in your own good time start off on a little trot and see how it goes from there.  Considering HOW you will learn to drive is a massively important point.  “I’ll take a lesson every now and again as I can fit it in.... I’m ever so busy you know” versus “I’ll have 2 sessions a week, 2 hrs each, so that by March I want to be passing my test – is that achievable?”    Some people are willing and prepared to view my driving videos before a course, some aren’t.  Some people plan in driving sessions well in advance so they are in their diary and mine, and therefore guaranteed to happen, others don’t.  Some people organise private lessons with friends/family between sessions with me, others don’t.   Some read up on my blog about how to do manoeuvres, others don’t.  Some choose a Driving Instructor that meets THEIR needs, others choose the cheapest they can find.

Some people will have stopped reading this blog as it’s boring.... others will have read it to the end, and then read it again, making a mental note of anything they had not previously considered. 

Test Std v Real Life

Whether you are training to become a Driving Instructor or a Learner training to become an independent driver with a full licence you can look at your goal in different ways.  Are you concerned with passing the test(s) only, or do you want to feel equipped for life after the tests too?

“Surely by passing the test I WOULD be ready to drive independently!” – not a guarantee I’m afraid (even the DSA have evidence to back that fact up).  Let me give some real examples.  Firstly, looking at it from the point of view of a Learner:

In real life, you may need to be able to parallel park on the right side of the road.  Where I live for example, parking spaces by shops are a premium and only on one side of the road, you may not have the luxury of time to turn your car round so that you can parallel park to the left as you are only asked to do on the test.  Equally, you may live in a one-way street with parking in the street on the right side only..... it happens, it really happens. 

You may need to emerge from a road that was on a 30 limit, on to a road that is on a national speed limit eg 60.  It is unlikely to come up on your test but very commonly arises.

You no doubt will need to negotiate up and down very tight multi-storey car parks – possibly narrow, maybe very low ceiling, maybe very bendy.

You may need to take journeys along rural roads where being able to read the severity of bends is a very important skill for ensuring your speed is set correctly on approach.

You may need to drive in heavy rain, fog, snow, the dark, in the early hours of the morning, after a very busy day at work, when you feel ill, when you feel upset, when you have friends in the car – how many of those will you get on the test?

You may well need to drive on a motorway.

You may well need to drive with the ‘help’ of a SatNav.

You may well get a puncture – what would you do then?

You may need to follow someone driving in front of you in an area you are not familiar.

You may need to drive abroad.

This could go on a long time couldn’t it?  The fact is, rightly or wrongly, the current test of 38mins length does have limitations as to how well it assesses your ‘fitness’ to drive.  By ‘fitness’ I mean, how well you will be able to cope on your own, once you’ve passed.   The list above is not intended to be complete, not in the slightest, but it does go a little way to demonstrate how restricting your training could be, if you were to only consider passing the test.  This is one of the reasons why I absolutely disagree with the approach taken by a local ‘intensive driving course’ organisation near to me, who provide the absolute minimum of in-car training in their package, and then ONLY whatever crops up in the test to cause a ‘fail’ is then provided in further so called ‘free’ training.  This is passing tests by doing the absolute bare minimum – it is a truly shocking approach to driving training.

Considering PDI’s, let’s look at what could crop up once you’ve passed your tests:

How are you going to teach doing a reverse bay park – it’s not covered in the Part 3.

How do you know what the Learner test standard is?

How are you going to market your business?

What are the pro’s/con’s for going indy as opposed to on a franchise?

What are you going to do if a Learner doesn’t understand what you are trying to explain?

What are you going to do if a Learner cannot do a manoeuvre the way you want it to be done?

What are your prices going to be for lessons?

Do you intend to drive all the time, ALL the time, as you want your Learners to drive?

How will you know when is the right time for your Learners to go in for the practical test?

Again, there will be more, but I think you probably get the idea.

So, my advice to you as a PDI or a Learner is ask anyone who you may end up training with some really, really good questions.  Ultimately, you want to know what the extent of their training is – are they concerned with you just passing the tests or do they take the longer view?  So some good questions I would suggest you ask:

Do you mainly drive round the ‘test routes’?

Can you tell me please the % of your Learners in the last 12 months who passed on their first attempt?

How long on average does it take you to get an absolute beginner to test standard?

How many miles, on average, would I drive on a 1 hour lesson with you?

Do you train me local to where I live, or where I take the test?

Is there anything about what you provide that sets you apart from other Driving Instructors?

Or for PDI's.....

How often can I book in sessions to do my part 2 and part 3 training?

Do you explain in your training the test sheets the examiners use for my tests and the Learner tests?

Is your syllabus of training only based on the criteria of the part 2 and part 3 tests?  Can you show me your syllabus please?

Do you offer any advice on marketing?

Why is the pass rate for the part 3 test as low as it is?

Do you think driving instructors should be accountable for their Learner pass rates?

How able are you to fit the training around my schedule?

Can you tell me what % of PDI's pass part 2 & 3 after 40 hrs of your training?

Do you willingly follow advice from others?

Last night we went round some friends of ours a few doors down.  They provided our two little ones with some entertainment, and I noticed my youngest, who is 7, when he found himself playing a ‘Mario’ game which he has never played before.  What was the first thing he did?  He ran Mario off the edge of the walkway seemingly into a free fall to certain death, and while he did this he asked “What happens if I do this?”.  The daughter of our friends replied “No, it’s fine”.  Mario was captured mid-fall in a magical bubble and floated upwards back on to the footpath.

How curious.  I wonder why that was the first thing he did.  It’s had me thinking today.

This afternoon we went to a ‘Battlefield’ laser gun event, where 20 odd people all go round zapping each other into virtual death.  Very similar to paintballing but the bonus is that our little one (the same one as above) could join in, as the lower age limit is 7.  In one game, we were told we had to defend our base at all costs, our enemy was going to attack us and it was our job to hold them off – we only had a limited number of ‘lives’ if we got shot, but our enemy had unlimited ‘lives’.  Now in my mind, I was all for laying down in some long grass, in a ‘sniper’ type approach, well camouflaged, with the aim of ‘picking them off’ as they approached our base.   What does my little one want to do?  He immediately attempts to leave the boundary of the base to a side exit – how bizarre!  It wasn’t facing the direction of the enemy, it wasn’t in our base, it seemed a completely odd thing to do – he was called back being told he had to stay within the base. 

On Friday I was with one of my Learners and we were doing some work on manoeuvres.  The pace was much too fast and a consequence of this is often either a lack of obs, or poor positioning (and sometimes both).  After a demo or two from me, and some repeated emphasis of how important it is to control the pace with the left foot (clutch control), he was still reversing much, much too fast.  In a moment of honesty that my young Learners rarely display he said “I’m sorry Tom, I know what you want me to do, but I just find it so hard to get the ‘boy racer’ driving out my system”.  He gestured with his hands and face a demonstration of utter frustration that I do not often get to see – I was left in no doubt that his feelings were truly felt.  You have to admire his honesty.

And I’m seeing a pattern.  There is a willingness to just “let’s see” that an older person would be less willing to try.  As we get older, we tend to hang on to what is said, we fully listen, we absorb the info and we do our utmost to comply to the instruction/rules/guidelines, because primarily our experience shows us that it is often wise to follow advice from others when it is offered.  I remember with absolute clarity going on a camping trip at school, being about 12.  We had put up our tents and a game of cricket followed.  I was fielding close to the batsman, about 15’ away on the leg side, and our teacher shouted out to me, “Tom, out a bit”, I was reluctant to move.  A couple of my team mates joined in telling me to make some distance...... I ignored them all.  Next ball, literally the next ball, went straight into my eye – a scorcher of a black eye.  We ignore advice at our peril. 

I like to incorporate a couple of aspects of driving that although will very likely not be tested on, in my opinion are massively important to at least be aware of.  One is emerging from a stationary position on to a major road where the traffic is in a national speed limit.  The other is being able to read the severity of bends on rural roads.  A limitation with my training is that whilst I completely control those situations in the training, I’m very aware that my Learners are having to rely on my words only for the justification of why this is important – they can’t get to say “let’s see” and just go for it.  Therefore, one has to wonder if they truly do appreciate the gravity of the situation.

One other such example is dealing with a skid.  On 1 in 3 tests a candidate is asked to incorporate a simulated emergency stop.  But the DSA literally just want to see a stop, rather than what I hope any of my Learners would be at least considering, a positional adjustment along with the stop.  In training, I talk about how ABS facilitates steering by attempting to prevent the wheels from locking.  And when we practise we do some stops as if we have ABS, and we also do some stops as if we don’t have ABS – cadence braking.  We talk about threshold braking – it’s a big subject.  But on test, the DSA don’t want the candidate to steer away from the supposed hazard.  As such, our Learners don’t get to experience some really important stuff.  They don’t get to experience how it feels when you are skidding forwards but really want the car to go to the right for example – an incredibly uncomfortable sensation where you feel entirely helpless for a split second.

Young people will learn from experience, and when it comes to road safety, sometimes that experience can be far reaching.  I’m going to investigate if we have a local skid-pan near us that anyone would like to come and “let’s see” in a safe environment.  Skidding is a nasty old business and if you can put kids running into roads to one side for a moment; speed, traction to the road surface, severity of steering, heavy braking, tyre tread and pressure are all contributory factors but one thing is for sure – if you approach a bend at too high a speed you are significantly increasing the odds of you losing control of the car with sometimes fatal consequences.  Fatal...... not ‘oh well, best I don’t do that again then I suppose’, but actually fatal.  

Now that truly is a hard lesson to learn.

The beauty of the 'chin to shoulder'

For some odd reason I’ve been thinking just lately about some of the accidents that we all hear of in our day to day lives.  The real shocking ones stand out a mile – where people died.  

Only yesterday morning, I was doing entry/exit points on dual carriageways with one of my Learners, and I was emphasising how many accidents occur due to drivers ‘forcing’ themselves on to a dual carriageway rather than being prepared to give way.  Initially I mentioned to my Learner the link I put on my Facebook page that shows the accident ‘blackspots’ in Peterborough – and you can clearly see how often accidents occur at entry points.  I remember speaking to Clare George who was at the time in charge of road safety in Peterborough and she was emphasising to me the volume of traffic on our parkways and therefore what the actual %’s these accidents represented – small comfort for those involved I thought (but I did take her point).

That then reminded me of an incident a while ago now, where an ex-Learners Mum rang me to say her daughter had been driving on a parkway near an EXIT slip, when an old guy in Lane 1 decided to move to Lane 2 with no warning or obs taken, resulting in catastrophic results for several vehicles.  I cannot tell you how relieved I was to see her daughter a day or two later.

It is so easy to take things for granted.  We all get so used to going about lives, day to day, often with little recognition of the hazards involved.

I had one such incident crop up this evening.  I was heading on down to Holme, on a parkway, behind a slowish lorry in Lane 1, approaching a roundabout.  We clear the roundabout, and I decide to overtake the lorry....... central mirror, right mirror, signal, begin to move..... right chin to shoulder – THERE HE WAS – a motorbike in lane 2 caught in my peripheral vision from the chin to shoulder.    I hadn’t encroached over the centre line of the lanes but quickly took signal off, got back into the normal driving position and gave a wave to the motorcyclist who reciprocated as he overtook me.  

How easily that could have been so different.  

I’m a great lover of these ‘chin to shoulders’, always have been.  A massive ‘wake up’ call to me however – any of my Learners reading this would justifiably be reprimanding me for a ‘trigger happy’ left hand doing the signal BEFORE the chin to shoulder.... and rightly so. 

I’ve not had a single accident in my driving school car since I’ve been in business, and I remember reading somewhere they reckon on average you get one every 18 months in our game, so I guess I’m due at least a couple.  But I’m working hard on it, I’m working really hard on it.

For all the benefits of mobility, freedom, independence, and the like that being able to drive a car brings, it brings great responsibility too – and that is at the forefront of my mind, most of my day; and something I don’t hesitate to emphasise to my Learners.

Need to urgently find a new Driving Instructor?

I wonder why that might be?

I was recently teaching a local lad who was having a 1 hr lesson a week, and was seemingly keen to pass his test.  He booked up a lesson on a Bank Holiday Monday, and 45 mins before it was due to start his Dad texted saying he was ‘unable’ to do his lesson.

Similarly a lass in Peterborough provided a cheque at a lesson which subsequently ‘bounced’.

Someone cancelled a pre-planned lesson due to a ‘hospital appointment’ which apparently sprung up out of nowhere.

Another texted within a few hours of the lesson due to start at 5.30pm – suddenly taken ill.

Another turned up to a 1 hr lesson 15 minutes late.

Another was not even in when I turned up to the pre-planned lesson.

Another cancelled 2 lessons due to a ‘2 week trip’ that sprung up.

  

I appreciate that you could turn round and say “That’s the life of a Driving Instructor – deal with it!”

The thing is, all these people are different, they all have their own circumstances, all of them, on the surface at least, give the impression that they want to learn to drive.  And some already have tests booked up - so they really are walking a tightrope!

Ultimately, what it comes down to is how much value they put on having driving lessons...... with me.

Not sure if you follow my Twitter too but on 7/8/12 I tweeted:

“I’m up to 1180 days of not cancelling any #drivinglessons through ill health.  Not sure how much value my customers place on that fact?”  

And this is what it comes down to.  I hear no end of tales from Learners about how their previous Driving Instructor cancelled lessons last minute, or cancelled due to sickness, or turned up late, or refused to let them drive out of their local area, or bored them rigid talking at the side of the road most of the lesson, or wanted them to drive with the Instructors' baby in the back seat, or reduced them to tears by shouting at them etc etc etc.

What value do you put on your relationship with your Driving Instructor?

The tale of the daughter with dyspraxia....

I finished my intensive driving course in Grantham this afternoon, and nipped into Sainsburys at Bourne.  Got out my car and had an interesting chat with a chap who approached asking me about an intensive course for his daughter.  He wants her to learn in an automatic due to learning difficulties, and has a car for her to do her lessons in.

He took an interest in doing a Driving Instructors course with a company called LDC 3 years ago, spent over £3000 on the course but didn’t follow it through because he discovered the prices of driving lessons were so low that it wasn’t worth his while starting it up as a new career.  Now I personally find that interesting; the discussion unfolded.....

He said that when he came into the car park and saw my sign on my car that my 7 day 30 hr intensive course is £540, he considered that to be very ‘reasonable’ as he put it, and that was why he approached me.  I explained to him what my normal prices are (see my previous blog below), and I  showed him my PAYG and block booking prices.  He said that his only reservation was whether his daughter would be able to stay focussed for the full 4 hrs on one of my sessions on the intensive course, because of her dyspraxia.  He wondered how much of the time was parked up talking compared to actually driving.  I told him that yesterday I clocked my mileage that my Learner did on his intensive course and it was 75 miles – so I was saying to him that I encourage an awful lot of good quality, focussed driving – there is not time to be sat on the side of the road, ‘chewing the cud’ so to speak.  He looked concerned.  His worry is that his daughter will not be able to do that.

I then suggested that perhaps his daughter would benefit from the approach a recent Learner of mine took, which was 3 hrs every weekday for 2 weeks.  That amounted to 30hrs, he took his test and comfortably passed first time.  To which he sounded very enthusiastic, and said that sounded right up her street.  That was, until I told him that was NOT an intensive course, that was 2 block bookings which amounted to £650 in total.  To which, if you could have seen his face, it was a picture, he clearly was not happy with paying the extra £110 to get a course that better fits his daughters' needs.

And therein lies the problem in our industry.  In one 10 minute conversation we have gone full circle.  This chap had paid out over £3000 for a course to become a Driving Instructor but when he realised how cheap the lessons were, he gave up his course.... and yet, for the sake of £110 (the price of a nice evening out with his Wife), he will not pay for his Daughter to have the course that more sensibly fits her needs.  

As I say, I find that very interesting.  Especially when you consider this is a lass with Dyspraxia – I’ve had experience of teaching 2 Learners with Dyspraxia and my experience tells me that you ignore that fact at your peril. 

Learner Lesson Prices

You can pay for your driving sessions on a ‘block booking’ basis or Pay as you Go (PAYG).  The block booking prices work out cheaper than PAYG.

Block Bookings:

10 x 1 hr = £242

10 x 1.5 hr or 5 x 3hr = £340

5 x 2 hr = £235

PAYG:

1 hr = £28

1.5 hr = £40

2 hr = £50

When you book a block booking, you are entitled to a 2 hr introductory session (absolute beginners only) for just £20

Please refer to my Terms & Conditions page for further details.

Live near Peterborough or Grantham?

My Intensive Driving Course uses either Peterborough or Grantham Test Centres. 

It’s run over 1 week.  Mon-Fri is 10am – 2pm and Sat/Sun is 10am – 3pm

If you live within a bus/train ride of them I will pick you up at the Station at the start of the day and drop you off at the end.

Watch the vid here for the course you want:

30 hr - £540 http://youtu.be/ZcfonWU4Zc0

40 hr - £799 inc test fee http://youtu.be/fZpIEA2AkB8

As you will see, there is no ‘hard selling’ going on here, intensive courses are not for everyone.

Once you book your place with a £100 deposit, I will request you to send copies of your provisional driving licence (electronically or post), your Theory Test Pass Certificate (I have study resources freely available for your use if you have not completed it yet).  I also request a signed/dated copy of my ‘Terms & Conditions’ page.

If you want to book up your practical test to coincide with the finish of your course, then that can be easily arranged.

You will be sent a recommended video viewing list of selected videos from my YouTube channel “2010BIGTOM”.  This is essential viewing to prepare you for the course.  WARNING: if you will not view any video’s before the course then DO NOT book the intensive course – it is essential preparation for the course.

The in-car training is 1:1 just you and myself.  It is concentrated, focussed training based on the DSA recommended syllabus –  you can view a copy of this on my blog.

You will be given the option while training to have yourself filmed driving, to enable you (and only you – it will be privately set) to review how your sessions are going in the comfort of your home.  This is optional and a free resource.

I do encourage driving between sessions with friends/family as long as it is good quality practice on the subjects you have recently been covering (I do have a video to assist your helper in this regard).

You will be provided with a ‘Drivers Pack’ which will have a progress monitoring sheet included, so you can see at a glance how you are doing.  It includes a ‘Reflection sheet’ template for you to use.  It will also have significant learning points and diagrams added to it each day with cross links to my videos; this then enables you to review what you have covered later on in the comfort of your home.

Using my Driving School car for the purposes of the practical test is payable separately.

This is a popular course, so early booking is recommended.  

Reverse Parallel Park - guidelines

The reverse parallel park for the purposes of the driving test falls into 4 phases:

1.        The set up position

2.       Straight reversing to the ‘point of turn’

3.       Steering the car to get behind the target vehicle

4.       Steering the car back into the kerb

1.        Setting up

Your car needs to be positioned slightly ahead of the target vehicle, about a metre to the right of it.  Your car should be parallel with the kerb (as opposed to the target vehicle that may be parked ‘off straight’ to the kerb).

2.        Straight reverse

Select ‘Reverse’ gear straight away so that everyone behind knows your intentions (white lights).  Straight reverse (looking out rear windscreen) until you are level with the rear end of the target vehicle..... this is the ‘point of turn’

 

3.        Steering behind the target car

Pause and do all round obs before any steering is put on.  (These must be all round obs, as you are about to position the car across the road).  Steer to a 1 o/c angle (imagining starting at 12 o/c), then unwind the steering wheel so that the car is straight reversing again.

4.        Bringing the car back into the kerb

At the right time, steer to the right to bring the car back in behind the target vehicle.  Finishing off within 2 car lengths of the target car, about a drains width from the kerb , parallel to the kerb.

Some common questions that are asked:

Q.  “What do I do if a car comes up behind me when I’m at phase 1?”

A.  Initially, your training will concentrate on the sequence of events, and how to achieve the necessary obs, pace and steering accuracy for the manoeuvre – this will all be done in a traffic free, quiet area so that you have no pressures and distractions.  Once you can achieve the desired actions, then you start doing it in busier locations.  The beauty with this approach is that by then, the timing of your actions will be so good, that the possibility of what is being raised in this question actually happening is reduced.  For sure, if you were to spend a lot of time and effort at Phase 1 getting yourself set up correctly, then there would be a high possibility of a car coming up behind and scuppering your plans – the trick is to get yourself sufficiently trained so that the time taken to set up the manoeuvre is minimal. 

Q.  “Do I have to go slightly ahead of the target car when setting this up in Phase 1?”

A.  No, however, it’s strongly recommended, because it provides you valuable time to get in exactly the right position before any reversing begins.  You can make a manoeuvre really difficult simply by setting it up wrong at the start (this is true for any of the 5 manoeuvres).  It also gives you time to accurately identify the ‘point of turn’ in Phase 2 which is also a big deal and easily missed if you don’t follow this advice.  There are reference points that can be identified to assist you in this aim.

Q.  “How do I know when I’m at 1 o/c as you call it?”

A.  There is a reference point in the rear windscreen relating to the kerb that can be discovered in training so that it means you are looking behind you while reversing (a big deal).

Q.  “How do I know when I’m at the ‘point of turn’?

A.   By discovering a means that you can identify it with ease.  I find manoeuvres are best kept simple simple simple.  With training you will know exactly the ‘point of turn’.

Q.  “I seem to get my direction of steering mixed up when I do this, how can I sort that out?”

A.  By finding a technique that you can rely on to give you confidence to get it right every time.  Generally speaking, if you want the rear nearside wheel to move towards the kerb you need to steer towards the kerb - and steer away from the kerb to bring the rear wheel away from the kerb.  This works while travelling forwards or backwards.  However, there are additional techniques that can be used to assist with this particular problem.  There is different directional steering required at Phase 3 and Phase 4 – we would need to discover a way that you will remember that ..... this need not be complicated, once we find a useful technique this problem will ‘evaporate’ from your conscience.

Q.  “Do I need to wait if other vehicles come along while I’m doing this?”

A.  On the one hand we don’t want to create an unnecessary hazard by taking overly long to do this manoeuvre, but also be mindful that vehicles, cyclists, pedestrians, motorbikes can appear in our vicinity in real quick time.  So yes, being aware of who is around you is a big deal with this.  Similarly to the answer of the very first question, the trick is to practise initially with very little else affecting you, so that your brain is able to concentrate on the necessary sequence of actions.  Being able to identify other people/vehicles around you in good time, so that you can assess if they warrant a pause in proceedings is a big skill, and one that it is necessary to practise so that you never get ‘surprised’ by someone appearing from nowhere!

Q.  “Will I always need to reverse between parked cars?”

A.  No!  Funnily enough it rarely happens that way.  You tend to be asked to pull up behind (but not too close) to the target car, and then asked to do the manoeuvre.  Unlike real life, they don’t tend to ask you to park between cars on the test.

Q.  “I find that no matter how much I practise this manoeuvre, I can’t quite seem to master it – what’s the secret with this?”

A.  It’s the same secret that applies to all manoeuvres and it’s the same secret I blab on about in my driving videos on my YouTube channel “2010BIGTOM”.  This all comes down to controlling the PACE of the reversing.  Once your left foot is properly able to achieve a pace of LESS than a walking pace, then you will find all the rest begins to fall into place.  Trying to do any manoeuvre at too quick a pace when reversing inevitably results in a loss of position or adequate obs – both of which will result in test fails I’m afraid to say.  It is therefore essential to master proper clutch control in your training (forwards and reversing) before attempting the test manoeuvres.

Q.  “If I mess up, can I start again?”

A.  It’s probably best to think what would be acceptable in real life, post-test, to answer this question.  Whilst an examiner will allow a certain amount of ‘understanding’ should your position go out, can you imagine how other road users would react in real life if you were to repeatedly chop and change, resetting to the start or making lots of shunts forward?  Wouldn’t go down well with others, and it equally wouldn’t go down well on your test.  My advice is to get yourself sufficiently trained so that this eventuality does not even come into play.  But to directly answer your question, as with the other manoeuvres it very much depends on how far you have got, ask the question by all means – the examiner will tell you for sure.

Q.  “Have I failed if I hit the kerb?”

A.  Not necessarily.  If you do ‘hit’ it as you say with a ‘thump’, then yes, that is probably a demonstration of insufficient obs/control to warrant a fail.  But ‘kissing’ the kerb, and reacting in time to the situation whilst not desirable, is understandable.  In real life, on some ‘Turn in the Road’ manouevures, ‘kissing’ the kerb is actually necessary to ensure you are using the full width of the road, when it’s a particularly narrow road.  It’s a little bit like the reverse bay park manoeuvre, my training aims at not even touching the white lines in the bay, let alone crossing the white lines – and I feel the same way with touching kerbs on test manoeuvres.

Try not to let this manoeuvre (and the others) get the better of you before you’ve even started it.  A positive attitude is essential on these, and a determination to never give up.  But believe me everyone when I say, you absolutely MUST look in the direction you are travelling - physically turn your head and look I mean, relying on mirrors (with blindspots) will never be accepted on test.... never.

Above all else, keep things simple.  The more complex things become, the more you are loading up the brain and in ‘test conditions’ that can easily spell problems.

Any comments/questions please feel free to add below.

Sing along.... "I did it myyyyyyy wayyyyyyy"

Having the freedom to learn in the way that suits you is a big deal.  With learning to drive, there needs to be a word of caution in the option you take.  Let’s look at some of the options:

1.        Some like to be briefly explained how to do something, given a demo, and will then benefit from being allowed to experiment.

2.       Some like to be told exactly what to do.  They are not so interested in the analysis, they simply like to follow a very precise instruction.

3.       Others are not interested in the analysis and also don’t want to be told what to do – they want to discover it all for themselves.

I don’t have an opinon of what is best because what I think doesn’t matter really as this is all about how my customer likes to learn – and they tend to know best.

Two very recent examples spring immediately to mind.  I gave a briefing yesterday to a customer about the reverse bay park.  After which I asked how he would like to now practise, I offered him a demo, offered the use of reference points, but he took option number 3 above.  After 30 mins of increased frustration, several stalls and not much success of parking in a bay, he eventually decided to take one of the other options.  You could say however, that being given the opportunity to discover that experience was valuable.  Contrast that approach with another recent example, where my customer wanted 100% assistance, with no let up on the verbals.  She instantly liked reference points, she liked to know why we do things, she enjoyed the experience of practising in an extremely quiet area with no distractions at all.

An independent approach to learning to drive is fine in theory, but there are a couple of things to be aware of.  If you are wanting to choose where you learn to drive, then serious thought must be given as to where you practise – whilst driving on a long straight road at 40 in 4^th gear for miles and miles might give the impression that you can now drive, it is not enabling you to practise key actions such as observations at junctions, or finding the biting point etc.  Again, you might say that being given the freedom to choose to drive on that straight road is important, just as being allowed to repeatedly experiment with the reverse bay park.   But you need to balance the gain from experiencing these things with the time that it is taking from your driving sessions.

Learners in the main have an idea, a goal of when they want to pass their test by.  So time features in the plans.  One of the downsides about not wanting to listen to any analysis or details of ‘how’ to do certain driving actions is that it will inevitably take longer to discover how to do it consistently well; so that is a conflict.  If you have a very specific target of passing your test in a certain number of days/weeks, then you are restricting your options with regards to how to learn. 

Let’s put it another way.  You could have a course of lessons with me, and whilst you are present in the car, you have little regard for what is being explained, as all you really want to do is ..... drive, so the more you can get the car moving, the better.   Although you are aware of your Drivers Pack and the fact that I seem to be scribbling away in it constantly, you pay no attention to it whatsoever.  You do not view any driving videos, not the ones that I have produced to help explain things nor the ones that have been recorded of you driving, to allow you to see yourself driving.  You don’t practise outside of driving sessions with me, in fact, you do absolutely nothing except turn up for your driving sessions.  Now that person who adopts that attitude to learning to drive is likely to take much longer than 30hrs.  Because they are not interested in the ‘why’, the depth of learning will be superficial; because they ignore the ‘how’ they get very inconsistent results and all in all, it is hard work – loads of stalls, loads of inconveniencing other road users, very slow progress.  But, and it’s a big but, that may well be the way they want to learn to drive, and they are the customer.

Part of the problem perhaps is to consider what a 17yr old has to compare to. They may have been able to swot really hard very late on in the academic year to achieve the exam results they did - so they think they may be able to do the same to scrape through the driving test.  Or they may be comparing how they learnt to play an instrument (self-taught) and therefore think that they can adopt the same approach with driving.  A persons experience can play a big part in how they choose to learn to drive - which is why we are all different.

My advice is to not set yourself unrealistic targets.  If you know that you like to self-discover, you don’t like the idea of using reference points to assist you, you will not be doing any study whatsoever outside of the in-car training, then give yourself time.  Some people love routines, they love little drills, little exercises that they can do several times over until they get it completely right.  They love to learn by repeated, habit forming techniques and that is their choice – but if you fall into that category, consider what pressure it will put on you if you have an unrealistic goal of when you want to pass.      

The life of a Learner

A pupil of mine told me today that her Father was criticising her the other day on one of their private lessons, for trying to drive in the style of all the other drivers around her.  His attention was in particular on her approaching speed for turns, which he considered to be too fast resulting in last minute braking.  Whilst she doesn’t necessarily dispute what he says about her speed, her over-riding concern is that she doesn’t want to hold other drivers up behind her, which is why she does what she does.

Doing more than one driving action at a time is termed as ‘overlapping’ and in some instances it is not only unavoidable, but positively desirable.  However, in the vast majority of driving, it is to be avoided.  

Most drivers these days, are driving with very little margin for error.  So typically, they will do 30 in a 30 regardless of the weather conditions or sometimes with little adapting to a change of road conditions either.  In other words, people are often driving at the maximum legal speed they can – the emphasis is on speed rather than a ‘system’ of driving. 

A consequence of this attitude to driving is that drivers typically bowl up to a junction at too fast a speed, with the intent to put on some last second braking (just enough to turn as fast as is reasonably possible) and the last thing that is thought of is the relevant gear for that speed.  So symptoms of this driving are:

Changing gear on bends/turns

Heavy braking on bends/turns

Clutch down on the bend/turn

Taking the bend/turn too fast – the passengers all lean excessively in their seats

Inaccurate position on the bend/turn due to the left hand being busy trying to change gear

Reduced observations due to the speed making all other actions frantic – some people’s ability to multi-task in fractions of a second are better than others

And this attitude is contagious.  Because many people are driving ‘to the max’ they tend to go into a mode of ‘hyper sensitivity’ about everyone else around them.  So their tolerance of others is that much more reduced, because they take the attitude that ‘If I’m making all this effort to keep up, then everyone else should too’ – and a symptom of this is the common driving fault of tailgating, where drivers drive too close to the rear of the vehicle in front in their quest to ‘pressure others’ to go faster, faster, faster.  It’s a vicious downward spiral, and this is a mindset problem.  In just the same way that I was describing in this video about drivers attitudes to pedestrians crossing zebra crossings http://youtu.be/4hewRCcIq2o

As independent drivers, there needs to be a willingness to break this chain of events and drive with confidence to a system that means that rather than driving to match other drivers around you, you drive literally to the conditions. 

So when turning left, the vital skill that is being completely ignored by drivers who regularly overlap, is the skill of assessment.  Assessing how tight a turn is, how busy it is, how much steering is required, what the vision is like on the approach – these vital assessments ultimately decide what we consider to be the appropriate speed for that given left turn.  This can also be directly transferred to what is needed at other junctions too inc roundabouts.  The beauty with this approach is that it gets you used to considering how driving conditions change, and this is absolutely vital when you want to be a competent driver in unfamiliar journeys.    So typically, you identify the junction well in advance, you make assessments based on the above criteria of what is the correct speed on approach, you then use the foot brake to get to that speed about 8 car lengths BEFORE the junction.  Yep, 8 car lengths.  The reason why you need to get to that speed by that distance is that you then need to come off brakes and dip clutch to change gear for that relevant speed.  So that the gear change is not rushed, you need time – time is a golden commodity to us when driving.  That 8 car lengths will give you time to do an unhurried gear change.  You will then find yourself getting to the ‘point of turn’ (where the hands are needed for steering purposes), and you will be at the right speed to do the necessary observations before the steering occurs.

Drivers who overlap, do not do any of that ‘thinking’ activity.  They tend to bowl up to junctions in a robotic manner, and basically.... what happens, happens – it tends to be all reactive.  There is no scope for any margin of errors.

This ‘assessment’ phase is a skill in itself, and needs practising, but once you develop it, it tends to stick with you, it simply becomes the way you drive.

Another thing that family members will often question with Learners is what is this ‘setting the feet’ all about?      As they don’t do it, they can’t think why on earth it is necessary.  And when a driver becomes properly accustomed to how their car ‘ticks’ eg biting point, gears at what speeds, handling, then yes this concept of setting feet will appear odd.  But consider how it is for a Learner – they don’t have that experience to pull on.  So when a Learner has to deal with moving off on a hill on a red traffic light, or emerging on to a busy major road, or dealing with a camber on a ‘turn in the road’, or getting on to a busy roundabout from stationary – then it really is handy to break the driving actions down into sections.  And ‘setting the feet’ is one such action.  It really does spur confidence when a Learner realises they are not stalling, or rolling uncontrollably back on a hill – and if ‘setting the feet’ goes some way in the early days to obtaining that confidence, it is well worth the effort.

Good times

What a marvellous 2 weeks we’ve had.  I’ve not been posting so much as I’ve been immensely busy, but I’ve been fortunate enough to get experience of some events at the Olympics with my family.  It has been completely awesome.

My biggest shout has to go out to the volunteers who are by far the true stars of the Games.   You had to be there and witness it to have some idea what I mean by that.

I guess I’m fortunate to be as busy as I am, especially in these economic times, but if there is one message that has come across from the interviews with the athletes is “don’t give up”.  And particularly for my PDI’s and Learners I would echo this message.  Whether you are learning to drive or training hard for a new career as a Driving Instructor, stick with it, and don’t lose sight of your goal.  For sure, there will be knock backs in one form or another, but do persevere.

I’m still ‘new’ in this industry, I’m still learning, but even in my small way, I can see I’m succeeding – there have been some very special moments in the last few years that have involved some amazing people.   And it is the people that make my work so rewarding.  For sure there are highs and lows (you only need to read the blog directly before this one to see how a ‘customer’ who passes first time after just 30hrs of training can still manage to make me feel deflated).

But I’ll keep on going, I very much enjoy my work.  

*Sigh*

My day yesterday included a test – a lot of my blogs are aimed at assisting my pupils, but this blog is more a reflection for myself.

The test was due to start at 13.35hrs, I finished a lesson in Stamford at mid-day so had very little time to get over to Bourne.  My customer had completed 30hrs of in-car training about 2 weeks previously, over a 2 week period.  So he had done 3 hrs each weekday over 10 days.  When we finished on Day 10 he had booked up a test slot in August with the intention of getting a cancellation.

What happened a few days earlier was that I started getting text/emails from him whilst my family and I were at The Millenium watching a GB footy match.  The thrust of what was being asked was whether I could fit in a test yesterday.  These kind of communications tend to be rather disruptive in our life, as you have to remember, our customer is literally on the DSA booking system, waiting for a reply to either tap ‘enter’ to book a test, or not.

When my customers book up a block booking, they are entitled to a 2 hr introductory session for just £20 at the start of the course.  This particular chap hadn’t managed to find time to book that slot.  After I had checked my diary and seen the Stamford booking yesterday morning, I explained to him that whilst it would be tight on time, it was possible – and he then booked up the test.  I then got a further rally of texts from him saying that he wanted to fit in the 2 hr intro session before the test too – asking me could I fit that in.  We are talking Wednesday evening here... the test had been booked for just 3 days later and I was now being asked if I could fit in 2 hrs on the Thursday or Friday.  I wasn’t able to fit in 1/2 hr let alone 2 hrs and we then had a rally of texts/emails the thrust of which were expressing disappointment/anger/frustration/annoyance that he had booked the test, and yet I was unable to fit in 2 hrs before the test.   This was all happening literally while we were in The Millenium. 

So fast forward to test day.  I finished the Stamford booking, managed to get over to Bourne and had about 2 minutes to get into a local Sainsburys to use a loo – and I managed to get to my customers home address for 12.29 which I was chuffed that I had achieved.

My customer got in the car, showed me all the necessary documentation for the test, paid the fee and then drove to Peterborough.  The journey started with a couple of stalls at a nearby roundabout, and he began to sound resentful of going to test, saying that he had very little cash at the moment, he didn’t feel ready, he wanted to have the 2 hrs to help prepare and it all sounded very depressing, very negative and I was left in no doubt that this ‘situation’ was being placed squarely at my door.

We got to Peterborough at 1.10pm, he drove to the vicinity of the Test Centre and we drove in to the Test Centre at 1.25pm.  The atmosphere in the car was depressed, much like the atmosphere outside, and the heavens opened as he drove into the Test Centre car park.  My customer made a spectacular botch of parking up in the bay, and we both ran into the waiting room.  I had taken a jacket for him should it still be raining as he went back to the car, I had my ‘DJ Mag’ with me and quite frankly was looking forward to having a few minutes break, as by then I had been on the go for the last 5 hrs with no break bar the 2mins using the Sainsburys loo. 

There were 2 candidates waiting for that slot (inc mine) and the examiners came out and asked if we would mind delaying the start as the rain really was pouring down.  But after a few minutes, the examiner came out, checked my customers documents, and asked if he wanted his driving instructor to attend too, to which he turned to me and said “Oh I don’t know, do you want to come Tom?”, which I replied “It is entirely your choice”, and he said “Oh well, I guess you may as well then”.  Charming I’m thinking.

He passed the test with 5 minors. 

We got back in the car, and drove back to his home address.  It is all very unfortunate.  He was clearly pleased but I was able to detect there were words being unspoken even at this stage.

This person came to me as an absolute beginner, never driven before.  He had received 30 hrs of my training over 2 weeks, and within 4 weeks of starting the training, had comfortably passed the test with 5 minors on his first attempt, and yet .....

I texted him once the dust had settled later in the day, asking him (as I ask all my customers after they have completed their training) for either feedback of what could have been better, or any words for my testimonials section on the website – 24 hrs later, I’ve not heard a single word.

When shall I book my driving test?

Organising when to book your driving test so that it fits in neatly to your training programme is very important to get right.

 

Let me give some guidance as to how it can be done.

Let’s say that it is early September and I want to pass my practical test by Christmas.

I want to do my practical test training so that it coincides nicely with the test date.  I know that my local test centre runs about 4 weeks in advance.  So that I’m under no pressure, I want to plan to take the practical test by the end of November. 

In order to book the practical test, I know I need to have passed my theory test.  So therefore I know that I need to have passed my theory test AT LEAST by mid-October.

I want to do this for as cheap as possible, and preferably pass both tests first time.  So, my plan is to do the following:

Study for the theory test starting in September, for 4 weeks, I am going to book my theory test in mid September as I know my local test centre has a 2 week lead time for test slots.

I then have a 30hr 1 week intensive course planned in with Tom for early November.  This then gives me a 3 week buffer immediately after the in-car training before I take the test – just in case I’m not completely ready.

So once I pass my theory test in early October, I can then plan to book my practical test so that I will be given slots in early December.

This then means that after passing my theory test in October I have a full 3 week buffer to properly prepare for the intensive driving course without any time pressures.   

Some points to note about this planning:

 

This is a 4 month planned programme.

4 weeks study time for the theory at the rate of 1 hr focussed study per week day is a good sensible amount of study that I feel I can fit into my daily schedule.

Should I fail my theory test, I still have a full month to take another attempt before starting my in-car training.

After my 30 hrs in-car training in early November, I have planned in a 3 week cushion to ensure I’m feeling really confident.   If appropriate, I can pull forward the test date using a late cancellation (Tom's diary allowing).

Even if I were to fail my first attempt in early December, I still have 3 weeks to have another attempt before Christmas.