An email alert from the DSA urges candidates to attend tests as normal in spite of the pending strike action of 5 April.
Remember that a previous strike was called off, so anyone who cancelled their test did so needlessly. And the last strike passed totally unnoticed at my test centre – all examiners were working normally.
Not all examiners are stupid enough to be members of PCS. Of those that are, they’re not all THAT stupid that they get involved in strike action. Therefore, many tests will go ahead normally.
Very old post. But still completely relevant – if not more so.
A reader sent me this link to an article in the Daily Mail. It identifies Audi drivers as the worst in the country at parking (it forgot to include “at driving” too, but I guess that there’s no point stating the obvious).
Anyone who has been following this blog (or the monthly ADI News version) will know that I don’t have much time for Audi drivers. As long ago as 2008 I had begun to identify them as an exclusive bunch, i.e. exclusively a bunch of prats. When we had the first white stuff back in January this year there was an article in the newspapers about a jackass in an Audi who had deemed it “amusing” to drive at 70mph in thick snow, having cleared a tiny 8-inch porthole to look out of, and with almost a foot of the stuff on his car covering all the lights and other windows. Stories like this keep the fires well stoked.
It comes as no surprise to learn that Audis (and therefore their drivers) have been officially identified as the worst parkers by a mile.
There are two obvious reasons for this, which the news story doesn’t elaborate on. Firstly, the typical Audi driver is an arrogant pillock who doesn’t give a toss about anyone else. Secondly – and aided immeasurably by that first thing – the typical Audi driver is also devoid of any tangible driving skills.
Audis are the car of choice for the average male chav if he can afford one. Immediately, therefore, you have a mind-set whose sole purpose is to go faster than everyone else, with no regard for speed limits, and yet with almost no experience with which to be able to read normal road situations, let alone read them at speed.
One of the things I cover on lessons is what signs to look for when reading the road ahead. Dealing with buses, for example, would include subtle signs like:
has the bus only just stopped?
has it been there since it came into view?
is it still signalling left?
have the brake lights just come on?
is it signalling right?
are the hazard lights on?
are there people getting on or off?
how many?
is someone with a pushchair getting on or off?
what time of day is it?
how many times has the bus stopped so far?
and so on
By considering these sorts of things it can help drivers decide whether to go past the bus or not. And it’s the same when dealing with other road users. Questions like: does the driver in front look elderly? Is the driver messing around with something on his passenger seat? And my favourite: is it an Audi?
That’s because you can virtually guarantee that NO Audi will stay behind you – even on a single carriageway, and even if you’re driving at the speed limit. On multi-lanes, if you make the mistake of getting into the outside lane – otherwise known as the Audi lane – then you’re going to get either tailgated until you move, or overtaken on the inside. I think Audi must write this sort of behaviour into the vehicle handbook, or make it a condition of owning one.
An email alert from the DSA announces that from April next year, the Check Test will be changing to operate to the guidelines in the National Standard For Driver And Rider Training document. The new system will also require that people conduct a real lesson with a real pupil – no role play option.
As you can imagine, out in Instructor Land this has set the cat among the pigeons – and that’s before they’ve even cottoned on to the fact that this is where client-centred learning (CCL) comes into it. I’m also dying to see how those instructors who miraculously cannot conjure up a pupil to coincide with their Check Test (and yet who are always apparently fully booked in between times) get round the “no role-play” issue.
Well done Jacob, who passed today first time with just 4 driver faults. He was very happy because he is planning on emigrating and having a licence is vital to his future plans.
He was very nervous, though. I’ve never had anyone give me an early morning wake-up call just to have an argument about what documents he needed to take with him (particularly seeing as I’d told him all this over the last few weeks, and last night). And the pre-test drive is not a good time to start questioning things like road signs!
But he’s been a great pupil – that’s why we can laugh at things like this! And it keeps my pass rate for the year at 70%. In fact, only one pupil this year out of all those going to test has still to pass.
This came in on the newsfeeds. A driving instructor has published a book which claims to teach people to drive in 24 hours.
In the article, the most bizarre list of contradictory nonsense is put forward, with the instructor in question claiming to take a “totally different approach” to learning to drive. He says that he “listens to his pupils” and “cut[s] out red tape”. He claims that he lets them know from day one that he “is their friend, not their superior”. And it’s incredible that he’s stayed in business for so long if he’s always followed the mantra about them paying as little as possible.
I love it when someone takes something that is really simple in terms of the skills needed – like learning to drive – and then tries to take “a totally different approach” to teaching it. It’s like wanting to travel from London to Scotland – most people would foolishly believe that this involves driving North, but then some comedian like this guy comes along and that you should drive South instead! It’s just a pointless complication.
The reality is that it doesn’t matter how much of a “friend” you think you are to your pupils, you are still taking money off them and providing a service – and that’s above and beyond the fact that there is usually a 30+ year difference in ages. The average youngster doesn’t consider “old” friends to be very cool at all.
Instructors have business relationships and not “friendships” with their pupils. If a cheaper deal comes along, most of them will be off like a cat in a rainstorm. No amount of perceived “friendship” will hold on to them.
Of all the people I’ve ever taught, I remain in regular contact with just one of them (even though he’s a Chelsea supporter). I’ve lost count of the number of my ex-pupils who have seen me in the street over the years, or in the local supermarket, and who have tried to pretend they haven’t if they’re with their mates (one of them even did it while I was still teaching her). It’s the immature mind-set of most teenagers, and anyone who thinks that they’re a genuine “friend” is just deluding themselves.
You can learn all there is to know about driving in a few hours, just like you can learn all there is to know about playing the guitar by reading a book in a day. But learning how to drive properly – or play guitar – takes longer. MUCH longer.
Driving instruction is about teaching people what to do, and how to do it properly through practice. By definition, practice results in experience, and experience takes time. Certainly more than 24 hours.
If you cut out the practice, you’re putting people on the road before they are ready. But maybe this is what this instructor means by “cut[ting] out red tape”.
Edit: I’ve noticed a lot of people finding this page having searched for “driving for dummies”. Come on, people! Even if there was a book with that title it wouldn’t help you. I made that image above myself as a joke.
The only book that comes close is Driving: The Essential Skills. But don’t think that it will teach you how to do the basics – the only way to learn that is to practice in a real car.
An email alert from the DSA notes that from 8 March 2013, people who have only had epileptic seizures while asleep could be considered for a licence after only 1 year instead of the previous 3 years.
Similarly, those whose seizures have not affected consciousness appear to be able to apply for a licence while they are still having these seizures.
I’m not sure what the reasoning is. If it’s medical then I will accept it. Anything else and I’ll have reservations.
An email alert from the DSA says that from 2 April 2013, phone lines for booking tests will only be available between 8am and 12pm (instead of the current 8am until 4pm). This is in line with the falling numbers of people booking via telephone.
There are still a bunch of radical ADIs who oppose this on the grounds that their “older” pupils might not have access to, or be familiar with, the internet. Quite frankly, those people are likely to have issues with any booking system.
We’ve come a long way since Victorian times. It’s a shame that some people still want to stay firmly embedded in the past, though. The majority of people can easily book via the internet. Those who can’t will be able to use their ADIs to book it for them. There isn’t a problem unless you look for one.
I forgot to post this, but candidates were advised to attend tests as usual today.
My pupil’s test went out, as did four others all at the same time. As has been said for all the other strikes, not all examiners are stupid enough to be members of the PCS union, and of those that are not all of them are stupid enough to get involved in strike action.
In fact, little has been said anywhere about today’s action. PCS needs to get it into its thick, fossilised skull that people don’t care about it.
Well done Nick, who passed today first time with just 4 driver faults. His test was originally a couple of weeks ago but was cancelled due to fog (a first for me, that one). And we were worried today because it kept chucking down with snow.
He’s already got a car waiting for him, and he can now sell that money pit of a scooter he’s been using, and which caused a few cancelled lessons the last time it failed its MOT and needed money spending on it.
I have to smile when I look at my site stats sometimes.
I’ve been using computers since the late 70s and I’ve had one since the early 80s. I was “online” before the internet, and I began using the internet proper in the very early 90s. I consider myself to be fairly IT-literate. I can build PCs, fix PCs, programme PCs, and so on.
And when it comes to surfing, I can find anything I want quite quickly using fairly straightforward search terms. It has been a very long time since I had to get even close to typing stuff like the following into a search engine!
“* moved to * [offices or premises or branch or building] march 2013 site:.co.uk
“[*premises] * [march 2013]” “co.uk”
“premises * [march 2013]” “co.uk”
“nursery moving premises” april 2013 co.uk
I think that last one – which was actually used earlier this week – was by the same person who tried the others today and yesterday.
If I had to search like that I think I’d give up technology now.
Well done Jacob, who passed today first time with just 4 driver faults. He was very happy because he is planning on emigrating and having a licence is vital to his future plans.
in question claiming to take a “totally different approach” to learning to drive. He says that he “listens to his pupils” and “cut[s] out red tape”. He claims that he lets them know from day one that he “is their friend, not their superior”. And it’s incredible that he’s stayed in business for so long if he’s always followed the mantra about them paying as little as possible.
available between 8am and 12pm (instead of the current 8am until 4pm). This is in line with the falling numbers of people booking via telephone.
Well done Nick, who passed today first time with just 4 driver faults. His test was originally a couple of weeks ago but was cancelled due to fog (a first for me, that one). And we were worried today because it kept chucking down with snow.