Driving Instructor Ramble.

Maybe driving instruction should also include changing a wheel, or perhaps fitting a set of spark plugs or changing blown bulbs, or even a full service?

It takes less than 5 minutes to explain about fuses and there is a diagram in the fusebox telling you which fuse is for what.
 
Id have said "you ******* nob, I hope you do get 3 points" then got out the car.


I had an instructor who was great but he was constantly late and didnt show up twice. He said he had family problems and couldnt make it a 3rd time. I didnt book another lesson with him and got a new guy who turned up on time and was good

There's loads of instructors, get a new one
 
How many is average these days?

My eldest daughter had about 15 but my youngest had about 50.
I had 5 but it was 1974.

Out of curiosity was it much easier to pass back then? Since your kiddos have learnt to drive I imagine you are qualified to answer that for me! I've had conflicting information from people who learnt to drive then, some saying it was an awful lot easier as it was less strict and there were less cars on the road, others saying it was just "harder in general". (I have seen you have sort of answered that in other replies now :p)

I passed the second time myself, with three minors after nine two hour lessons with no prior driving experience although my parents were good with taking me out between lessons. I failed my first because of "use of speed" which was entirely my own fault. There is a very, very short section of a 40mph road that turns to 30mph where there used to be a very quiet and short slipway, but it has been shut for a long time now. Failed my test because I didn't think to slow down as my parents never did!

I have to say I think the Hazard Perception part of the test is an absolute load of rubbish, it's more about being taught when to click. If you, for instance, spot a lorry coming to a junction ahead of you early and click, it won't register so you sit clicking a few times to try and make sure you get it :rolleyes:.
 
Last edited:
Turn in the Road and Reverse around a Corner.

Did you do that before October or after? I was just reading on wikipedia before (I know, not exactly reliable) and it said that after October 10th 2010 you only have to do one of the main three Manoeuvres and the Emergency stop in the test and then just the general drive around, follow signs mojo. In the Isle of Man where I live you have to do all three main Manoeuvres, a hill start and the emergency stop and the general driving around part :(.
 
I've been driving since I was 17 and I'm 24 now and I can honestly say I have never had to reverse round a corner since passing my test, why? because I just turn left instead? what is the purpose of that on the test? At least parallel parking and emergency stops are actually useful
 
Did you do that before October or after? I was just reading on wikipedia before (I know, not exactly reliable) and it said that after October 10th 2010 you only have to do one of the main three Manoeuvres and the Emergency stop in the test and then just the general drive around, follow signs mojo. In the Isle of Man where I live you have to do all three main Manoeuvres, a hill start and the emergency stop and the general driving around part :(.

Now you have to do one Manoeuvre and the other part is that the examiner will say to you for example take me to the Hospital or some other destination and you have to go there following signs and using correct lanes etc.
 
I've been driving since I was 17 and I'm 24 now and I can honestly say I have never had to reverse round a corner since passing my test, why? because I just turn left instead? what is the purpose of that on the test? At least parallel parking and emergency stops are actually useful

To demonstrate Clutch control and control of the vehicle.
 
Demonstrate clutch control? as if driving a manual doesn't do that already? as far as control of the vehicle? how about not crashing and staying inline with the current flow of traffic, I just don't see a need for it
 
I reversed around two corners today, and probably do it every other day. Just because you don't find a need to do it, doesn't mean it shouldn't be taught.

I've never done an emergency stop, why do they bother teaching that? :rolleyes:
 
Out of curiosity was it much easier to pass back then? Since your kiddos have learnt to drive I imagine you are qualified to answer that for me! I've had conflicting information from people who learnt to drive then, some saying it was an awful lot easier as it was less strict and there were less cars on the road, others saying it was just "harder in general". (I have seen you have sort of answered that in other replies now :p)

I wouldn't say so because I had mates (who I thought were better than me) who failed over & over.
You'd get stupid things like they failed because they didn't keep up with traffic which meant they would have to do 35 in a 30 zone and then the next time they failed because they did keep up with traffic.
We didn't have written test but instead a few questions after the test which I buggered up big style.
Can you read the number plate on that lorry?
Eh J eh K er L don't know eh maybe 3
It's JKL 303C
Oh I thought you meant the lorry way up there

When driving in the countryside what do you have to look out for?
Other cars?
No
Lorries?
No
Sheep?
No
Cows?
No
Falling trees?
No
I'm running out of stuff
What do farmers drive?
Landrovers
No - what else do they use for their job?
Tractors
At last

We didn't have 'minors' either and some of the stuff that were wrote down on both my daughters tests, we would have failed straight away back then and it all depended on how the tester was that day.
I had the testers tester and my driving instructor gulped.
My reversing was awful and as soon as I re-adjusted he told me to drive on and I knew I had failed.
I then kept forgetting to look left & right when going down this certain street in Fenton but I kept tutting every time I missed and saying I should have looked.
In fact every time I made a mistake I would vocally say what I'd just done wrong.
All that stuff plus the disaster of the end questions and I had 100% failed but I nearly fell over when I'd passed.

There's zero chance I would pass now, I wouldn't pass the written test for starters.
I have always said that all drivers should have a 2 yearly update written test or similar.
 
My reversing was awful and as soon as I re-adjusted he told me to drive on and I knew I had failed.

Whilst you cocked up, big time :p, I think that the believing you failed can play into your hands. If you think you messed it up, and have failed then you're probably likely to relax and just get on with it.
I thought I may have failed for hesitation at pretty much the first junction (big dual carriageway, and I had to cross it). Whilst I wasn't *that* nervous, after this I was a bit more relaxed, cracked a joke to the tester about it and continued on my way. I knew I could drive (or at least I knew I could pass the test) but was a little bit surprised when I just got a minor for it.
I guess my advice based on this would be - If you think you've failed, relax, there's nothing you can do. Just continue on and do as best as you can. No point dwelling on how better you could have done that parallel park or whatever.
 
I dont understand what the OP was supposed to of done wrong if the situation is as he's described it.
Although you are not supposed to accelerate up to a junction, if the lights change to amber and you cannot safely stop, you just drive on.
 

Thanks for the response, has satiated my curiosity.

With regards to drivers having an occasional "checkup", I agree. I also think that the actual driving test itself should be done a fair bit differently, as in, have the potential driver graded over a period of time so that the chance of passing (or failing) doesn't all boil down to one exam.

At the very least it I feel would stop people managing to fluke their driving test as well as help out those who really do suffer from nerves when taking their test. Having the performance of the driver graded over time and averaged would yield more consistency in the quality of driving of those passing their tests. However I do realise that actually putting this into practice isn't really realistic.

I was fortunate enough to not be all that nervous and I quickly settled into the test as if it was just another driving lesson, but I had one friend who failed multiple times simply due to nerves and I know their driving was up to an acceptable standard as I had been in the car with them a few times whilst they drove (under parental supervision of course).
 
Back
Top Bottom