UPDATE: The DSA has now embarked on its implementation of coaching, so read this article posted in November 2012.
I was on a lesson with a pupil on Saturday, and we had just done a parallel park and were looking for another car to try it on. My pupil asked:
Why don’t we do them on that [the right hand] side of the road?
We pulled over, and the conversation then progressed like this:
Me: Well, there’s no real reason why you can’t sometimes do them on that side. Why do you ask?
She: I just wondered how you would do it.
Me: Well, it’s almost exactly the same as doing it on the left side except you steer the opposite way and look for traffic in the right places. How do you think you’d decide when you’re close enough to the kerb to bring the car in?
She: Errr… the [points to offside] mirror?
Me: That’s right. Or you could just look over your shoulder – you’re right by the kerb that side, aren’t you? What I’ll do next time we practice it on the left is find a quiet road so you can get out and see how far away from the kerb the car is, then you’ll know what to look for if you ever need to do it. We might even try it if we get time.
She: Would I have to do it on the test?
Me: No. But once you’ve passed you might.
At this point, I remembered a recent topic where someone had moaned about a non-driving forum where the members were having a go at a female-only driving school, with such comments as these (and I mentioned them to my pupil):
The first lesson involves the importance of arranging fluffy pink things on the parcel shelf, and attaching dangly things to your key-ring…
…second lesson is all about driving at 29mph in a 40mph zone hogging the white line in the centre of the road…
…one of the hours is spent sitting in your car fiddling around(after you’ve spent ages filling up and half and hour in the shop) while there’s a queue building up behind you at the petrol station…
There’s many a true word said in jest, and whether you like it or not the reason these sorts of comments come about is because they have an element of truth about them (just like with older drivers, people in 4x4s on the school run, Audi drivers, and so on).
So I joked:
Me: You know how it will be. You’ll be out shopping, see a parking space across the road, and decide to go for it. Then you’ll need to park on the other side. It’s a woman-thing.
She: [Laughs] Yeah, my mum does that all the time.
Me: And you’ll be able to do it safely. But can you see the point I’m making? Different people drive for different reasons – I drive because it’s my job. Why would you decide to drive somewhere?
She: Well, to go shopping, or to see my nan or my auntie. Or to go to work.
Me: What about other people? Why do they drive?
She: The same reasons?
Me: Well, perhaps. But what other things? Taking the dog somewhere for a walk? Taking their kids to or from school? What about rushing to the A&E at the hospital? What would you do if you were late for work and caught in traffic?
She: I’d take my time and drive safely.
Me: That’s good, but your concentration might be affected whether you like it or not because you know your boss is going to yell at you. What about those other people, though? If they’re in a hurry, will they drive safely?
She: Not all of them… well, no, in the morning none of them are driving safely when I go to work. They’re speeding, and they keep overtaking and cutting in.
Me: So you can see how it isn’t just what you do that makes you safe?
She: Yes. We even get it on our lessons, don’t we, with people trying to get past.
Me: Exactly! And going back to the parallel park, when you’re on the other side of the road you’re usually facing oncoming traffic which might be in a hurry and not expect you to be there.
She: So I shouldn’t do it?
Me: Well, it’s up to you. If the road is empty, why not? If you’re going to cause a hold-up, then that’s a different matter. But you could always find somewhere else or turn around and come in from the opposite side and do it the usual way.
She: I don’t think I will. It sounds dangerous.
Me: Well, there is one place where you’d have to do it – and it’d be quite safe – if you wanted to park and the parking spaces were only available on the right. Can you think where?
She: [Gives a few suggestions]
Me: Well, possibly, but those are not really what I’m thinking of. What kind of road definitely has no cars coming the opposite way?
She: Oh. A one-way street. There’s one of those near the shops and you can only park that side.
It can’t be bad, can it? Sexism, a driving lesson, and even “the higher levels of the GDE Matrix” in one seven minute session.