Driving Ability

This blog is for any PDI who is training for their Part 2 (driving ability) test.

The standard of driving required is not in itself particularly high; the examiner is looking for a "refined" level of driving.  People do get quite excited about standards of driving (normally men if I'm being quite blunt about it), but I want to take a couple of minutes to put this in a bit of context.

When we come into this industry we really should remember what it is that we are attempting to do.  Generally speaking, we are attempting to facilitate learning so that our pupils develop key driving techniques that promote safety.  We as the driving instructor will not be doing an awful lot of driving.  So if your considering coming into this line of work because you love to drive, then you might be quite disappointed about the amount you actually do.

There really should be MORE emphasis placed on the confidence and competence of your pupil's driving rather than yours.  Your own ability to drive is quite secondary in the grand scheme of things.  However, a good instructor will firstly have knowledge of good techniques.  S/he will be able to pass on that knowledge to their pupils.  I don't necessarily mean pass on as in, make the pupil copy what they do, but just raise their awareness of good techniques.  Often, it actually wont come down to the dexterity and co-ordination of hands and feet, instead it will be to do with what thinking is going on in the pupils head. 

An example of what I mean would be the skill of anticipation.  On a Part 2 test, an examiner wants to see the PDI demonstrate that they are observing in very good time what is likely to happen imminently, whether it be in front, to the sides or behind.  Good drivers who do this make their driving look effortless.  There is no sharp braking, no jerky steering for last minute directional changes, gear changes are methodical and timed well.  So the efficiency of the driving actions is of a high order; the driver is being kind to the car, the ride is smooth and unflustered, nothing is surprising the driver because they have already seen what is going to happen before it does.

Our learner driver pupils will also do well to invest in developing this skill.  It makes for a comfortable ride, with no dramas and the heart rate is nice and calm.  But an examiner on an L test will not be expecting the drive to be "refined".  One definition that is in my dictionary for "refined" is:

removing impurities in unwanted elements from something

Going down all the gears while decelerating is wasteful, having the clutch down while on a bend or taking a turn is technically incorrect, driving too close to the vehicle in front is dangerous.... all impurities that on a Part 2 test would not want to be seen, but on the L test whilst not desirable there is far more tolerance for them.

It is like many things in life, there is the 'purist' viewpoint on this, and there is the more practical minded viewpoint.  Personally, I have never been one for collecting "badges" that say how wonderful a driver I am.  I have high standards of that I know, because many of my pupils who pass their driving test, do so with less than 5 driving faults committed, often with 3 or less.  So, I know my standards are good.  But do I get too excited whether a pupil of mine decides to do 30 in 3rd or 4th gear?  No quite frankly.  Do I insist on them taking the path of least resistance when choosing lanes for a roundabout approach?  No.  Am I wanting to see a 3 to 5 gear change when exiting a roundabout on to a dual-carriageway?  Yes I am, but it would not trouble me if it did not happen.

The safety stuff does trouble me.  Blindspot checks over the right shoulder when joining a dual-carriageway troubles me greatly.  No blindspot checks before moving off concerns me.  Not making effective observations when doing manoeuvres unnerves me greatly.  There is the stuff that we need to be troubling ourselves with, and other stuff we do not.

So the question really comes down to what standard you want to be driving to.  Some driving instructors will demand very high standards of their own driving, and then demand equally high standards from their pupils.  I personally want to provide my pupils with techniques that help to get them on a path of continued learning as they drive post-test.  I want them to be able to perceive when something was done untidily or inefficiently; have that self-awareness and have the willingness to analyse what just happened and how it could be better. 

It is clearly a point for debate.  I am under no illusions that some instructors would read this and be mortified that I could hold such a view.  And that is fine.  What I am attempting to prompt in this blog, is for you to question what this means for you.  Do you want to be able to demonstrate 3 different ways of doing a reverse parallel park?  Would you prefer to be able to facilitate your pupil discovering a method of doing a reverse parallel park that is meaningful to THEM?  They own it, they like it, it gives them consistent results and they can use it for the rest of their life.  Two completely different skill-sets there, the first is driving based, the second is learning based.

I mention this to you now, because as tempting as it is to get bogged down in the required standard to pass your Part 2 test, as you can see, there is actually more to this than just your driving ability.  One minute you are thinking this is all about you and how you drive and then you start realising it is more about how you can be assisting your pupils!

Tom Ingram provides PDI in-car payg driving training (£50/hr) 0775 607 1464