Well done to Darren, who passed first time in July with 7 driver faults. Another older driver who has shown that age doesn’t have to be a barrier to learning to drive.
He’s already completed Pass Plus and he’ll now be able to drive his grand kids around.
Well done Tamara, who passed first time in June with 6 driver faults. She was an older driver who had stopped taking lessons when she was younger due to nerves. She was still nervous, but once she realised she could actually drive it was straightforward.
She was also another one who needed to drive for her job (as I pointed out to her, the job she did didn’t tally with her nerves over driving). This pass will make life a lot easier for her.
I’ve not been writing up my test passes since June, so here’s a bit of a catch up. Well done Carla, who passed in June with just 2 driver faults.
She’s not from the UK, but has a lot of driving experience from her home country in the Americas. She needed this for her new job and a house move. In the end, she passed easily.
I was surprised to hear that some ADIs have never changed a wheel before. How times have changed.
When I first started driving on my own after I passed my test, I couldn’t wait for an excuse to get the jack out and have a go. Mind you, this was back when just about everyone (who was male) did their own brake pads and stuff on the banger they’d managed to scrape enough money together for in order to save it from the knacker’s yard! Nowadays, I drive a leased car which includes all maintenance and “breakdown recovery”, so it’s really only punctures I have to worry about.
I have to confess that for the first few years of being an ADI I used that free recovery option whenever I did get a flat tyre. The reasons for this were that I didn’t want to get dirty, I hate scissor jacks (my dad was once nearly crushed when one gave way when he was under a car), and… well, if you have a dog you don’t do all the barking yourself.
What made me start doing it myself again was the reliability of the recovery company. I am supposed to have priority service, but if that was the case then I’d hate to have been a pleb who didn’t! On the occasions I have actually broken down, they have turned up in less than an hour once. All the other breakdowns have seen me waiting for between 90 minutes and several hours – and we’re talking about breakdowns in the city of Nottingham here, not the middle of the Sahara. Several waits have been in the dark, and one involved a pupil for whom I had to pay for a taxi to get her home as the wait was over two hours. Yet another situation saw a passing breakdown truck from the same company stop and see if he could help as he was just parking up, but who was then refused permission, whereupon I had to wait for at least another hour – only for a third party contractor to arrive! When you call them, you always got that absolutely bullshit recorded message “we are experiencing high call volumes at the moment”. Every time without fail you hear that, and it doesn’t give you any hope at all that they will turn up within a reasonable time frame.
The last straw came when I called them for a flat tyre about 8pm one summer evening about three years ago and no one was answering, even after repeated calls. So I got the jack out and did it myself. Apart from skinning my knuckles a few times on the tarmac (bloody scissor jacks), and losing about 10lbs in sweat, I changed the tyre in less than 30 minutes.
Next day, I went straight to Machine Mart and bought a Clarke trolley jack (shown above) for about £20. It easily fits in my tool chest in the boot, and I can change a tyre in not much more than 15 minutes without breaking sweat now. I have a torque wrench but my spare tyre is a space saver, so this is academic since I have to get the tyre fixed before I can do further lessons anyway.
I don’t waste time showing pupils how to change a wheel (except when a puncture occurs on a lesson). They’re not paying me to teach them how to do that, and in most cases they have no inclination whatsoever to try it. I would demonstrate it if anyone ever requested it, but no one ever has. However, I do tell them how easy it is, and explain the basics. I also advise them to buy a trolley jack!
I got a nice email this afternoon from a reader I’ve not spoken with before called Elaine. She just passed her driving test at the first attempt, and she believes that the advice on this site helped her stay calm while she was learning.
Over the years, a few people who have contacted me via the Contact Form have thanked me for help they believe I have given them. I like to think their judgement is correct, but it isn’t something I would claim for myself.
The thought that what I write actually helps people makes me very happy indeed. Congratulations, Elaine, and you’re welcome!
Another alert from DVSA concerning planned strikes from 1st to 4th of December by PCS union fossils within DVSA.
I have said before, and make no apologies for saying it again, but not all examiners are stupid enough to be in the union, and of those that are, not all of those are stupid enough to go on strike. Even DVSA is pretty much saying this in its emails.
DVSA is doing all it can to make sure that tests go ahead as planned. Not all examiners are union members, and many test centres are expected to be operating as normal.
You should turn up for your test no matter what – if you don’t, you might not be able to claim expenses. Keep your fingers crossed, especially if you live north of Sheffield or in London. That’s where the stupidity seems to be concentrated.
This article is from 2010, and I wrote it because someone found the site using this precise search term, and then seemed to spend a bit of time looking at driving-related posts. More recently, I noticed an ADI asking for advice about a pupil he had who was a good driver, but who went completely to pieces on test when she had an examiner sitting beside her.
Don’t give up!
If you are having serious problems with nerves to the extent that you are unable to perform during your test, go and see your GP. Obviously, it is your GP who must decide – not me – but in cases where my pupils have had really debilitating nerves, their GP has sometimes prescribed beta blockers.
These are usually used for treating certain heart conditions, but actors sometimes use them for stage fright (performance anxiety).
A few months ago one of my pupils had been having major issues, and she kept failing her test (well, a couple of times, anyway). I told her about beta blockers and she went to her GP, who immediately prescribed them.
On her tests, she was stoney-faced and serious, even though she was normally bubbly and chatty. The test really affected her. With beta blockers the change was astounding. She was her usual self on her next test, and she passed easily.
Beta blockers don’t turn you into a brilliant driver. But what they can do is turn you into a person who can become a brilliant driver, but who is prevented from doing so due to chronic nerves. I can’t guarantee they’ll work for you, but from what I have seen they certainly drop the nerves down a good few notches. However, there may be a reason why you can’t have them (two of my pupils were refused them due to other medication they were using, and pregnancy).
Let me stress again: I am not a doctor, so this is just advice to go and speak to your GP and explain the situation to him. He may be able to help you.
DO NOT TAKE ANYONE ELSE’S MEDICINE – LET YOUR DOCTOR DECIDE.
Someone found the blog on the search term “are blacked out windows ok for driving instructors?” I think the terminology used speaks volumes, but let’s look at the Law.
The official government policy states:
Vehicles first used on 1 April 1985 or later
The front windscreen must let at least 75% of light through and the front side windows must let at least 70% of light through.
Vehicles first used before 1 April 1985
The front windscreen and front side windows must both let at least 70% of light through.
You will note that there isn’t that much difference between the two parts of the Law. But there’s even less flexibility when it comes to actually doing it. One window tinting company states:
Most modern car windows are made of glass with a 80-70% VLT [visible light transmission], so even a very light film applied to the front windows will take the VLT the wrong side of 70% and therefore will not be legal.
In other words, “blacked out” front windows are illegal, and even attempting to tint existing windows so they look darker is pretty much guaranteed to make them illegal, too.
Rear windows (side and back) are not included in the legislation so they can be as “blacked out” as you like. Of course, everyone knows that a car with almost opaque rear windows and normal front ones looks stupid, which is probably why people ask questions like this.
The government website also points out:
The police or the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) vehicle examiners use light measuring equipment to measure window tint.
If your windscreen or front side windows are tinted too much you could get:
- a ‘prohibition notice’ stopping you using your vehicle on the road until you have the extra tint removed
- a penalty notice or court summons
As you can imagine, companies who provide window tinting are anxious to explain this in much greater detail. The same tinting company linked to above says:
An instrumented check is performed by a suitably trained officer with a ‘TintMan’ VLT meter. These checks are normally from Vosa roadside campaigns.
65%-46% VLT: Advise only – The driver will be advised that the legal requirements have been breached.
45%-30% VLT: Delayed prohibition – The driver will be given a prohibition notice and will usually have 10 days to have the film removed before going to a vosa testing station to have the VLT re-checked.
<30% VLT: Immediate prohibition – The vehicle is considered dangerous and cannot be driven until the film is removed.
However, another company is less willing to identify apparent loopholes. It says:
The Window tinting Regulation was amended from 1st January 2004 which now clearly rules out any tinted films being applied to driver windows (Front doors).
What they are saying is what I said above – that windows already have 70-80% VLT, so any further tinting sends them out of range.
Many instructors use cars which have tinted rear windows. They are not a problem on test, though I would imagine that if someone had been stupid enough to tint them so much that you couldn’t see out of them properly, the examiner might decide that they were a problem. And that says nothing of the disservice such an instructor would be doing their pupils by teaching them in a dangerously modified vehicle.
But any tinting of the front windows is likely to get you a cancelled test, a wonderful reputation, points on your licence, and perhaps a shiny new Job Seekers Allowance claim form if you get thrown off the register of approved instructors.
DVSA has advised candidates to turn up for tests as normal when industrial action involving fossils who are members of the PCS Union takes place on 19 and 20 November.
Remember that not all examiners are stupid enough to be in the union in the first place, and of those who are, they’re not all that stupid that they’ll be involved in the action. Remember that the further north you are, the more likely you are to be affected (sorry, but based on previous strike action, this is true).
To claim out of pocket expenses, you MUST turn up.
Amusingly, I noticed someone defending the examiners recently. They said that a strike is necessary when negotiations on pay rises come to a stalemate, and when one party is behaving pig-headedly and saying “that’s all you’re getting”. They say that negotiation is about give and take.
Interesting – and either very naive or blindly utopian. Tell you what, next time you’re on a lesson and a pupil tries to negotiate a lower price, instead of telling them that your rate is £23 and that’s it, let them name a price instead. I’m sure you’ll both live happily every after for a long time afterwards.
In actual fact, reasons for the strike this time around are somewhat confusing. Pay is certainly one issue that keeps being mentioned, and this has definitely been the core reason for numerous strikes over the last few years. However, other reports suggest that it is also due to protests over the proposed changes to the driving test, and an increase in the number each examiner has to conduct. This article makes it clear what the main issue is this time around. It is the plans to increase the number of tests they have to conduct which is the reason for the strike. There’s no mention of changes to the test – and this is coming from a source which would support the strikers no matter what.
Going on strike remains an antiquated left wing activity, which has no place in the 21st century unless you live more than 53°N (or in London) – then, it becomes a way of life. The examiners have a valid point on this occasion, but striking is not the way to resolve it. Indeed, they have cried wolf by striking over so many things in the last three years (which is why some news sources are saying it is about pay) that when something like this comes along few people can see the distinction. A “work to rule” would be have been far more effective because it wouldn’t have hurt test candidates.
Here’s a conundrum for you. Take a look at this Shell garage, which is situated on the A606 at Tollerton. Firstly, the aerial view.
You will notice that it has an entrance off the A606, and an exit round the back on to Tollerton Lane. Depending on which pump you’ve used, or where other people have laughingly done something they call “parking”, you drive through narrow gaps either side of the main building to reach the exit.
The A606 is a busy road, and especially so during rush hour, and that’s why there’s a dedicated entrance and exit. Anyone trying to turn out of the entrance either has to hope that three lanes (two southbound and one northbound) are clear, or that these lanes will stop and let them out. For people who are too stupid to realise that this isn’t likely to happen, and who would almost certainly try it if they could (sometimes, they still do), Shell has helpfully placed No Entry signs on the garage side of the entrance, like this:
And on the road side of the exit, like this:
Getting back on to the A606 is actually very simple. All you do is turn right at the exit, wait at the traffic lights at the junction, and that’s it. The obvious drawback (if you are a prat) is that you may have to add up to 60 seconds to your journey.
The garage forecourt is compact, so even driving in normally and finding a pump is something you have to do carefully. Pissing about trying to get your fuel flap pump-side if there is no convenient pump available is a no-no. Driving off from the pumps to the exit is also something requiring care, because if the car park area at the back is full (it only holds about four cars), people start to park wherever the hell they want – and if that means blocking one of the passages either side of the main building, then that’s precisely what they’ll do.
So here’s your starter question for ten: what do you do if you’re an Audi driver who has turned into Tollerton Lane, and who has then decided that he wants to go into the garage?
Correct. You drive in via the exit.
And here are your bonus questions:
I saw this happen last week, when a white Audi A8 caused my pupil to have to brake sharply as we turned into Tollerton Lane as he pondered his next move when confronted with the No Entry sign on Tollerton Lane.