Category - ADI

There seems to be a lot of confusion about what constitutes an emergency stop (there is also a “controlled stop” in DT1).

My understanding is that the EU has stated that a controlled/emergency stop must be carried out on all driving tests, but in the UK this has been interpreted to mean any sort of stop where the candidate has to control the car to avoid hitting something. So although some tests will involve the familiar “emergency” version (1 out of every 3), the rest will incorporate pulling up behind a parked vehicle or other obstruction. In fact, this is already done, prior to the “moving off at an angle” procedure candidates are already expected to demonstrate.

In other words, nothing has changed as far as the test is concerned – the only change is the interpretation of what constitutes a “controlled stop” in order to satisfy the EU directive. Every test will involve some sort of controlled stop, just as it currently does – either a full-blown one, or a stop behind a parked car. It’s no big deal.

Of course, understanding this doesn’t allow for the chance to criticise the DSA and forums are incandescent with indignation and condemnation. I love this particular comment from one of them (all spelling and grammar left intact):

You only had to the school head missus, who when asked if schools got more for challenged pupils. Gave an answer even humphis could net believe [radio 4] she also said one hundred percent of her pupils when on to uni. But she was not questioned on that statment

Answers on a postcard, please…!

I was driving though some roadworks today – since spring, Nottingham City and Notts County Councils have gone berserk (obviously there’s no recession up here) – and I suddenly thought of something. The silliest of things.

Roadworks are usually demarcated by those orange blinking lights (see inset, which these days are often solar powered and timed to come on when it gets dark) – but for some reason I just thought of those ones I used to see when I was a kid.

Inside there was a small metal container which contained paraffin, and in the top of that container was a small wick assembly. They often used to be lit and left running all day, and someone used to come and fill them up regularly. The case had three thick glass lenses to spread the light, and they used to be hung on the side of scaffolding or other attachment points, or just stood alongside the thing they were warning you of (building sites used them a lot, too).

The thing is, these lamps were in use well into the 70s and possibly even longer, so don’t think I’m that old!

Few people dreamed of stealing them or tampering with them, but – and I think this is probably why I suddenly thought of them – can you imagine what might happen if they were still using anything like this today? Even the electronic ones have to be nailed down nowadays.

I got this picture from a site which sells them for £35 as curiosities

Someone found the blog on the search term “foot strain on gas pedal, learner”.

Obviously, it’s hard to know exactly what problem this person is experiencing, but there are a few things I find with my own pupils.

First of all, if you are new to driving it does take a while to get used to operating the pedals, and if you combine that with being tense and nervous then it is quite common for your leg (either or both) to start aching or even to get a severe bout of cramp! But it gets better the more you practice.

Another likely issue is your seating position. If you sit too close to the pedals you’ll have to lift your foot from the ankle to a point where you put a strain on your shins. That can really make your foot and lower leg tired. To fix it, when you go through your cockpit drill first make sure your back is at a comfortable angle – then move the seat backwards or forwards until you can just push the clutch all the way to the floor without having to stretch. The ideal position will be around one or two clicks forward from there. What you want is to be able to comfortably push the clutch all the way in and still have a slight bend at the knee – but only a slight one. This way, when you operate the pedals your ankle will be doing it within its comfortable range without having to stretch to its limits.

Remember that if you adjust the seat first, then fiddle with the back rest (or height adjusters), your forward/backward position will change, so readjust as necessary. Also remember that you can usually move the steering wheel in or out – you want a slight bend in your arms, as well, and if your elbows are pointing down to your thighs then you are too close to it.

Another range of linked possibilities is injury, general weakness, or illness. I have a pupil at the moment who had a torn Achilles tendon who suffers pain and fatigue when she uses the pedals – especially towards the end of the lesson. Some time ago, I had an older (not “old”) lady whose legs were just weak and – combined with her being nervous at the start – I could feel the car shaking when we were doing certain manoeuvres. If you are unwell (or pregnant) it can also be tiring to use the pedals. If it becomes a real problem then  you ought to see your GP.

Usually, though, it is just sitting too close to the pedals that causes strain and fatigue – and especially so with the gas pedal (which is not as stiff as the clutch, but which requires your foot to be in a raised/taut position for much more of the time, particularly when you’re doing a lot of stopping and starting).

I was out on a lesson tonight with a pupil who’d passed his Theory Test yesterday. I suggested that he book his Practical Test, because with the waiting time what it is we’re already looking at early November.

He isn’t too far off test standard, so I suggested that we could look at any date from the beginning of October. He was a bit unsure because it is “only 4 weeks away” – but then he had a thought and asked “when are they changing the test?”

I explained again what the change was, and assured him he had nothing to worry about. I then told him part of where we were going to drive to on today’s lesson, and said I would let him do it without any directions from me.

He did it perfectly. All the mirror checks and signals were there – and, if anything, he did it better than he had done any time before. And I’ve found the same thing with various pupils over the last couple of months – not one of those who I have felt ready to try it have had even the slightest problem.

So, moving from the real world into its dark underbelly, I noticed a comment on one of the forums:

The most common [complaint by pupils] by far is when they are so focussed on the route that the most basic of routines (MSPSL etc) seem to disappear as if they were never learned.

Well, teach them properly and they won’t! It’s a fault of the pupil (and their trainer), not Independent Driving if they can’t do it – and it’s exactly what Independent Driving is designed to test, and therefore what the ADI is supposed to teach.

This one made me smile. Someone found the blog on the search term “driving test pass rates in October”!

Taking a wild guess, someone’s test is in October and they’re checking to see how pass rates in that month compare to other months.

I’ve said this before, but if you can drive – and you drive properly on the test – you will pass. If you make a serious mistake then you’ll fail. Whatever month it is. Your biggest worry by far is other drivers doing something stupid and forcing you into a situation you haven’t come across before, or being wound up thinking about talismanic procedures people have advised you to use. Things like:

“Drive slowly everywhere, then you won’t fail for speeding”

“Indicate every time you move off or stop”

“Check your mirrors every 6 seconds”

And so on. Just ignore that crap and drive safely – and concentrate on what you’ve been taught (and God forbid that that 6 seconds one came from your instructor!)

I saw this story in the press today (seems confined to the Scottish press).

Apparently, a learner was doing a turn in the road manoeuvre in Edinburgh when she suddenly surged forward and hit a house. It ruptured a gas and water pipe.

Both instructor and pupil were unharmed (and no one else was hurt either) – as usual, this detail is way down the list of priorities on the forums.

Ironically, it was a BSM school car again – remember the incident some months ago where a BSM pupil on a lesson flipped the car? This latest incident actually caused quite a bit of disruption – the street had to be dug up, and the road was cordoned off – although precisely what happened is unclear, as the news source appears fixated with interviewing local old people all saying things like “if she was on her test she won’t pass now” and “she won’t pass if she drives like that”, or the barbecue that had to be put out over the road:

Fire-fighters were scrambled to the scene and were forced to put out a birthday BBQ party quickly across the road for fear of explosion.

They later apologised for spoiling the party, but residents insisted the student driver was to blame for “lurching forward.”

Yes, I think we realise that. The pupil surged forward and hit the house.

As an instructor, you have to be ready for anything. Pupils do the strangest things – and this could happen to ANY instructor, so any ADIs being smug about it are playing a risky game!

I saw this story on Sky News today. Apparently, the DSA has altered its website wording and no longer claims that doing the Pass Plus course reduces your chances of having an accident.

The move comes after the agency was told there was no evidence to back up the claim.

Now, it’s very important to understand what this is actually saying. Unfortunately, such understanding appears to be totally beyond many ADIs.

• it isn’t saying that Pass Plus causes accidents
• it isn’t saying that the DSA was lying when it made its original claims

What is is saying is that after looking at 4,000 insurance claims there is no evidence to substantiate the claim that those doing Pass Plus are less likely to have accidents.

It’s worth pointing out that even if those 4,000 claims are all for different people and different accidents (this isn’t stated, neither is the type of accident, cause, blame, etc.), it represents just 1% of the total number of people who have taken the Pass Plus course. Something is statistically very fishy in there. If Sky (and Admiral) can make such a sweeping assessment about such a complex subject based on such a tiny sample, it would appear highly likely that the actual analysis was flawed through not taking into account accident type, and so on.

It’s also amusing that although it has taken 4 years to obtain the data and draw this conclusion, Professor Frank McKenna, a psychologist (so, not quite a real scientist) on the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport (so, not an unbiased employee, either), makes this counter statement:

“The worst thing you can do with a young driver is increase their confidence without increasing their competence,” he said.

“If there’s no increase in competence you potentially run the risk of increasing the chance of accidents.”

Let me emphasis this again: it took 4 years to get enough data (and it’s debatable that it is enough) to conclude that Pass Plus has a limited effect, yet a pseudo-scientist in the employ of the government can come out with something like that in a few seconds… and get published as an authority! I suspect this is partly yet another LibCon attempt to smear the previous government.

McKenna is expressing an opinion – opinion based on political leaning/employment – and not a fact.

It doesn’t surprise me in the least that they can’t prove whether or not Pass Plus decreases accidents. Most of the time, drawing a neat conclusion even from a single accident is difficult, so adding a heap of these together is hardly going to give a definitive answer to the Meaning Of Life.

Pass Plus is still a useful course. Any post-test training of this kind is – it HAS to be. However, it if there is no insurance benefit and comedians like McKenna appear to suggest incorrectly that it’s useless, it’s hard to see what justification people will have for taking it.

If McKenna can make statements of the obvious and use them out of context, the rest of us can make them and use them IN context…

McKenna says it is dangerous to increase someone’s confidence without increasing their competence. That’s all he says, so you have to fill in the rest yourself (e.g. by implication, therefore, “Pass Plus is a dangerous course that is more likely to kill young drivers than to save them”).

I say that ANY post-test training is beneficial and as long as it is delivered correctly it’s effects will be beneficial. ANY negative effects, such as driving dangerously, are entirely the responsibility and decision of the driver. He or she can drive in a dangerous manner before taking a course, and most do. If a course doesn’t say “drive fast”, you cannot blame the course for things if people do.

At the very least, not until you have years and years of statistical data instead of just a political axe to grind. Oh, and perhaps a proper scientific qualification if you’re going to dabble in complicated topics.

Courses provide additional tools and knowledge… they do not change attitudes.

I saw this story in the Daily Mail today. This guy specialised in taking driving tests for people – charging them £600 to sit the Theory Test and £3,000 for the Practical Test!

Gageen Preet Singh, 35, used wigs and false moustaches to disguise himself during theory and practical driving tests.

Investigators said that people desperate for driving licences would pay the Indian national around £600 to sit their theory exam for them and £3,000 for a practical test.

Whenever I hear of fraudsters doing this – and it appears to be quite a big problem – it isn’t so much the criminals themselves I think of, but the idiots who pay them.

A typical learner takes around 40 hours to learn to drive (or let’s say 60 for an older person). Even at 60 hours, and adding the cost of the test, that’s a lot less than £1,500. And even if you don’t pass first time, it’s hard to see how £3,000 comes into it unless you really have serious issues.

And the Theory Test is a doddle. No excuses if you don’t speak English – you can easily get voiceovers in your own language, or you can take an interpreter. You can pass it for less than £20 spent on a book and a DVD, plus the cost of the test. Much less than £600.

The only thing you really have to provide is a little bit of effort. If you can’t do that, you are a complete prat for thinking you can do it this way instead.

People keep finding the blog on search terms like “bill plant pass rate” or similar terms with BSM or some other school added.

Pass rate is specific to the ADI, not the school he’s with!

An ADI with a pass rate of 60% (which is good) could be completely independent, or he could work under any franchise. Any franchise.

And the same applies to an ADI with a pass rate of 10% (which isn’t so good).

One thing to consider is that if a typical ADI has an ongoing low pass rate as a result of his tuition (which is the only significant factor if you are searching on this subject), in most cases many of his pupils will smell a rat and probably end up going elsewhere. If he is franchised, his franchiser will quite possibly not be too impressed – there are likely to be issues other than just pass rate being considered. So there is a possibility he will be kicked off the franchise. ADIs who are totally independent don’t have such quality control working against them. (Note all the italics in there: I’m not making absolute statements about anyone.)

Another important point is that at any given moment in time, any ADI could have a pass rate of anywhere between 0% and 100% depending on how they calculate it. Even an honest ADI could have a pass rate of 100% for his last 10 or 20 pupils, but that same ADI may easily find themselves with a 0% pass rate for the next 10 (something they are somewhat less likely to want to advertise, no matter how honest they are).

And a final point on this aspect: a normal ADI will encounter pupils who are great drivers but who – for various reasons – have great difficulty passing the driving test first time. When they know what to expect, many will pass 2nd or 3rd time, but there will still be some who take five, six, seven… well, a number of attempts before they crack it. No matter what the idiots on the web forums say, these pupils ARE ready for test. They can drive, and drive well. They just have problems with the test.

I’m sticking my neck out on this (possibly into a noose), but if you added all franchised ADIs together and put them in Group A, then added all the independent ADIs together and put them into Group B, I wouldn’t be surprised if Group A had a slightly higher average pass rate than Group B. I would be surprised if it were the other way round, though.

That’s not to say that everyone in each group is the same – you can have great independent ADIs just as you can have rubbish franchised ones. It’s just that the business arrangement with franchised ones acts as a sort of filter for a whole range of very complicated reasons.

Something else to consider is the accuracy of an ADI’s claimed pass rate. I know a few ADIs who look for any excuse not to include a test fail in their statistics just to keep it artifically high. Some happily only include the previous 6 or 12 months. I also know some (many of them openly do it on web forums) who claim 100% pass rates because “all my pupils pass eventually”. Obviously, they missed their maths lessons at school.

Be careful.