The other side of the job

If you had told me two years ago that I would be wondering around a strange City, looking for a strange pub and hoping to meet strange people I would have told you to stop being so silly!!

Ok so the City, the pub and the people aren't really strange, they are just strange to me.

Over the last few years a lot of Driving Instructors have started to use Facebook and, more specifically, to join Groups and forums related to the job.

There is now a fountain of knowledge and opinion available at the click of a mouse, although it is not ALWAYS helpful, but we have learnt to tell the good from the bad.

Other small groups have sprung up composed of Instructors who have similar beliefs or senses of humour and so a lot of us are members of about ten different Instructor groups.

Now...apart from this being great fun, informative and expressive, there are also arguments, cliques and major falling outs.  This can be like a soap opera so who needs to watch TV anymore?

So...

This weekend a group of Instructors from all over the country met in Southampton for a drink and pre-Xmas meal.   Some of us had met before and arranged to stay in the same hotel and share rooms to share costs but a few were Meet-up virgins.

We had great fun with much laughter and much drinking (those of us who weren't driving home).  We had talked so much on Facebook that we already knew a lot about each other so when we met it felt natural as everyone was exactly as expected.

This can, by its nature, be a lonely job so the social side has to be looked for and, once found, is so rewarding.

I don't think one of us talked about the job or the pupils but we all just met together to have a great fun time.

Roll on the next one....

What hope is there for the public?

There was really interesting article on the Sky News website the other day about Drink Driving in which they suggested that 80% of the public do not know the rules about how much we can drink or when we can drive again afterwards.

They followed this with a break down of how many units in different types of  drink and my only problem with the article was that they referred to a "glass" of wine without specifying the size.  Otherwise a good comprehensive explanation of how alcohol leaves your body at about one UNIT per HOUR so if you have drunk 15 units you can't drive for 15 hours after you finish drinking.

All this tied in with the information I researched years ago and teach to my pupils and also to the advice offered by the courses you have to go on after a Drink Driving Conviction.  These courses show a large percentage of those convicted were driving the following day and were often unaware that they might be over the limit,  some think that "a good night's sleep" cures everything

The public comments on the bottom of the article completely backed up the argument being made by the report as not one of the posters mentioned the morning after.  Comments were made like
"Huh, another attempt to criminalise the motorist.."
"The statistics are lies.."
"We need zero tolerance" (This does not address the lack knowledge about the night before!)
"If you feel fine you are okay to drive"

So...
I posted this on a Driving Instructor forum saying that we need more education to help those who inadvertently drive over the limit and destroy their's and their family's lives.


I get comments from DRIVING ISTRUCTORS saying all of the above!!

I even one saying we have ALL driven over the limit at some time and if we say we haven't we are up our own a**e. (I guess that makes me up my own a**e)

These people are in charge of the future  Driver Education of our youngsters. 
What hope do some of them have?

Sweaty seat..

Summer is here again and once more I face that dificult question of how to keep cool in the car.

Now it would be kind to describe my body size as cuddly so I find I get hot really easily which those biggers ones amongst you may recognise as par for the course.  So how to stop myself overheating?

I have a bead cushion on the car seat which helps to keep the nylon away and is also easy to wipe down with a Saniwipe and I have chosen a white car as my black one was awful.

In my glove box I have wet tissues, dry tissues, scented body spray and anti-perspirant so that I can slip into the nearest McDonalds for a wash between lessons.  I think I will add a fresh T shirt to this collection too.

I train the air conditioning vents up my sleeves to get a nice cool breeze but the worse problem is the crease in my hips (my lap) as I am sitting down.

All suggestions gratefully received :)

Imran passed!

Had a lovely lad pass today :)

Imran came to me a few months ago and said "I am ready for my test I just need a few lessons to brush up"
"So what exactly do you think you need to work on?" I asked.
"Just my observations, the rest is fine"
JUST observations!!  In my mind the most inportant thing of all after planning.

It turns out his Dad had been teaching him and his sister and did a really good job on the basic controls but when it came to junctions he always told them when to go and which lane to be in so they had absolutely no sense of independence.

I find this quite common because when a parent teaches their child to drive their main priority (rightly so) is the safety of that child.  On approach to a junction a parent will look around to see if it is safe to go but will not check if the driver is looking and so will completely miss the fact that they are waiting to be told when to go.  My priority, however is the FUTURE safety of their child so when we are approaching a junction my training allows me to look to see if it safe to go whilst at the same time checking that the learner is assessing adequately and building up their OWN judgement skills.

After my first lesson with Imran it was clear that he was using no observations at junctions, especially roundabouts, except a quick glance and then off.  Up until now he had been lucky because Dad had only taken him out at quiet times and on quiet roads.

My first reaction was to give him a mock test to show what level of independence was expected and then to discus with him whether he still thought he was test ready.

To be fair to him he was dissappointed but totally understood my viewpoint and so changed the test date he had booked for 2 weeks ahead and put his mind to being a good and safe driver.

15 lessons down the line he was a great little driver, extremely safe and very responsible and he admitted that the difference was big and would probably save his life now he had the skills to avoid accidents.  It would probably not have taken 15 lessons if his test last month had not been cancelled due to snow and he hadn't insisted on having extra lessons.

So well done Imran!  A great attituse from a 17 year old inner city lad with loads of bad influences amongst his mates who can now go back and tell them his Examiner made a point of saying how good his drive was. 

He earned that!

The other end of the scale

My last post was quite a negative one but it is not common so I don't really worry.

I just thought I would share a nice positive experience with you to balance it out.

Male drivers between 17 and 24 have a terrible reputation for dangerous and irresponsible driving but I have only come accross two with a bad attitude.  One I sent to another instructor (male) because I felt he would benefit from a positive male role model and the other one I gently suggested he finish college first as his maturity level wasn't quite there yet (his mother agreed with me).

All the other lads I have taught have been sensible and careful and determined not to be bad drivers.  It is sad that lads like these are penalised by the very noticeable bad drivers who push up the insurance bill for everyone.

So I am teaching a 21 year old who, lucky. has a very sensible and safe Dad and he has also seen so many of his friends hurt he will always be a responsible driver.

Lewis:"Can I have a lesson on Monday and Tuesday next week cos I am off work?"
Me: "Yes I can fit you on both those days."
Lewis: "Actually, can I leave Tuesday...I might go out for a drink on Monday night."

You see...they are not all bad

You don't need to get aggressive!

It doesn't happen very often but occasionally you get a pupil who is difficult.  Take the case of Amina...

I have been teaching Amina to drive for about 15 months and she is one of those pupils who thinks if she turns up for lessons she will learn to drive.  I am sorry but it doesn't work that way.  While you are in the lesson you need to put SOME effort in.

A simple example...we had spent at least three consecutive lessons looking at planning and the importance of seeing a hazard but ALSO of doing something about it.  She would see a car coming through a gap in parked cars towards her where there is clearly only enough space for a single car but she wouldn't do anything so I would have to brake to a stop, ask her if she had seen it and then try and find out why she didn't react. 

On the fourth lesson I left my car parked close to the one in front to see how much progress she had made in her planning.  She duly put the car into 1st gear and tried to pull out.  I braked and pointed to the car in front ..."Oh yeah..." was her response.

This is not uncommon behaviour in some girls where their family background or culture has never taught them to think or act for themselves and so it is a scenario I am completely accustomed to.

My problem with Amina was that she kept on cancelling lessons with excuses of either a bad back (which I know she has) or one of her kids being sick.

My policy is that if you really can't make a lesson I need at least 48 hours notice or I have to charge for the lesson and most of my pupils are as good as gold only using this occasionally.  Amina, however, would cancel every 2 or 3 weeks with the excuse her back was bad. 

I have had texts on Tuesday morning to say "I have to cancel lesson on Thursday cos my back hurts.  I can do 12.30 Friday",  I do wonder how she knows exactly how long her back will be sore for but of course I would never call a pupil a liar.

Anyway this went on for months until last November when I explained that when she cancelled at short notice I had to sit in my car for an hour because there wasn't time to get home and then to my next pupil.  "But I gave you 48 hours notice..", which of course she had.

My response was to only let her have the first 9.15 slot on thursday and to confirm the night before or I would have a lie in.  This worked well for a few months with her cancelling one in 3 and always trying to get back her lunchtime slot but me resisting.

But it was half term...and she has the kids home...and has to wait for her husband to get in to babysit... so I relented and let her have the 12.30 slot.  SHE CANCELLED!! 48 hours notice!!

I admit to having been annoyed with her so I when she asked to be fitted in the following week at 12.30 (still school hols) I explained that I wouldn't be able to fit her in any more as she had cancelled 6 lessons in the last 13 weeks and I had taken on 2 new pupils who were committed to their lessons.

"You KNOW I have a bad back and you KNOW I have responsibilties I think you are being VERY unfair!" (not her exact words because she uses text speak and abbreviations all the time.

So I explained that I had spent 5 hours in last few months sitting in my car and not getting paid because it is not my policy to move pupils around if I can avoid it and the 48 hours notice is not supposed to be regular.
"But I gave you 48 HOURS!!!"
No appology, no understanding just aggression.
Her last text contained an expleteive and said she was going to find an instructor who wasn't as unfair as me!!

So why do I feel guilty?  I am such a soft touch...

Another Near Death Experience

My pupil today, Anabelle, had been working for the last few weeks on her roundabout approach speed.  She was approaching so fast she was still trying to change gear, steer and look at the same time but today she cracked it and we had lovely planned mooth approaches with plenty of decision time.

As a reward we dicided to finish the lesson off on the Hollywood Bypass, a 70 mph road, which she handled well and really enjoyed.

On the way home the challenge was to keep to 30 mph after being able to go at a much higher speed and she was really proud that she managed it so well even though she said she felt as if we were walking.

We passed a speed camera that said "28 Thank You" and looked up to see an instructor car coming towards us with a white Audi gaining on it rapidly.  I remember thinking "No you wouldn't....Oh you idiot" as the Audi, doing at leat 40+ mph, overtook the learner and was heading straight at us.  I grabbed the wheel to keep it strsaight and emergency stopped as the white blur missed us by inches!

Now what is surprising is that my heart rate didn't even increase and I felt absolutely no fear in fact my initial reaction was to laugh at his bad driving. 

So the question is have I being doing this job for too long and lost all sense of danger but still react extremely quickly....or am I just in the perfect job?

I hope it is the latter...

Those test nerves!

Let me introduce you to Ethel (not her real name) a 22 year old Teaching Assistant about to start her final PGCE qualification in September to become a teacher.
Ethel tried driving when she was 17 but found it more difficult than she expected and so found it hard to commit.  Having known Ethel since she was 3 this was no surprise to me.

So late last year Ethel came back to me much more mature and more determined and with a great work ethic.  She put so much effort into her lessons she would leave visibly exhausted and so she made good progress.
Last week she had a not-so-good lesson where she kept approaching junctions fast and rushing into complex stuations.  After a light hearted chat she admitted to me, and herself, that this is how she sometimes approaches life.  If she is scared or panicky she just "loses it" and rushes headlong, an approach we both felt was not very appropriate in driving.

I gave her a list of possible techniques to try including Thought Field Therapy (TFT), Neoro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Breathing Techniques and Bach's Rescue Remedy, all of which are alternative calming/coping techniques that require no drugs.

So Ethel spent the week examining her feelings and looking up these techniques and came to her lesson today in a positive frame of mind armed with Rescue Remedy which she felt really helped.

The aim was to slow down her approach to juctions to give herself time to think things through and it she felt in the least bit panicky she would shout "help" and I would intervene.  This worked so well for her that she had no incidents of panic and also no feelings of "rushing in".

The down side is we are not sure if the Rescue Remedy helped, the slowing down on approach or a combination of the two.

But does it matter if it worked?...
 

Positivity

I had a lesson today with a teacher, named Belinda, who is 24 and only learning to drive because she has to.

I asked her why now and she told me she has a new job beginning in September which would be really difficult to get to by bus and so, even though never had any desire to drive, she is on her 7th lesson.

Belinda is a really good example of positive attitude.

Having decided to learn she is putting all of her effort into it and bringing a lot of knowledge with her that she has picked up from watching others drive.
From her first lesson, whilst struggling to understand the clutch, she was constantly watching the road around her and assessing the impact she was having on others.
Consequently on her 7th lesson today she was driving around some of the big roundabouts in Birmingham Town Centre (turning left at this point) and then through slow moving traffic past the University and coping independently with all the hazards that occured.
I, of course, am there to support my learners should they need it but Belinda coped admirably whilst appologising for any mistakes (this shows me she takes responsibilty and doesn't blame others) but she only stalled once on a hill.

I would love to say that it would be great if all learners were like Belinda but I am afraid if they were I would soon be out of a job.

Barely Legal?

Last night I watched a programme on BBC 3 called "Barely Legal Drivers" which followed the driving of 2 new drivers who had been allowed to borrow their Parents' cars for the week.

 Whilst the idea was interesting it was, of course, Television entertainment and as such showed us exciting, dangerous and angry footage whilst I am sure there would have been some examples of good and sounds driving too.



The parents were invited to watch 3 car journeys and were accompanied by an ex Traffic Policewoman who analysed the driving and at the end a decision was made to pay for a car for the driver or send on an advanced driving course.

All good except that the examples of bad driving reached criminal behaviour for both drivers and so this aspects was sensationalised for the shock effect.  The lad drove at 100 mph at one point in very wet conditions and was about to drive whilst over the alcohol limit, whilst the girl used her phone, ate a full meal and regularly took her hands off the wheel.

The problem I have with the programme is that yet again the younger generation are blamed for the majority of problems nowadays and so it unfair on the MANY young people who are sensible, moralistic and law-abiding.

Every day I teach people in this age group and regularly talk to them about all aspects of their lives.  I find them against drink driving, taking drugs, speeding and they have a very real awareness of danger.  I can count on one hand those irresponsible youngsters I have come across who are not yet ready to drive and have told them so.

Please will society stop villainising the future of our society and give them some respect....

Easterr Break

I am now right in the middle of my 4 day Easter Break and loving the time off.

I love my job but at these times I enjoy being able to have a few glasses of wine with the extended family and not have to count how much I have drunk because....I will not be driving until Tuesday!!

One of the speakers at the recent FreshStart conference gave a presentation on drinking and driving and attitudes.  It was really interesting and most people were shocked by his experiment showing that two of the delgates who drank a songle one pint can of carling lager were both shown to be over the limit when breathalysed.

For those of you who are interested the biggest risk for UNINTENTIONAL Drink Drivers is the fact that you could very well be over the limit the next morning.

As a general rule of thumb I count the amount of units (not drinks) I have had, check the time when I finished the LAST one and then don't drive for at least an hour per unit drunk.  This is assuming normal conditions like being in good health, having eaten properly and having had a good night's sleep.

For a clear explanantion of how many units are in different drinks try this site
https://www.drinkaware.co.uk/understand-your-drinking/unit-calculator


So folks, remember...enjoy the holidays and stay safe :)

What did I learn at the conference?

So was it worth going to Worcester to meet up with 130 other Driving Instructors at the FreshStart Conference?

You bet it was!

One of the aims of the day was to encourage us to take back our Profession from the "Offers" driving schools.  Some even offer £5.00 for a lesson.

I live in a city and don't to travel too much to get to my learners but I still spend an average of £3.40 on fuel per hour of teaching.  This does not include anything towards the cost of buying, insuring and maintaining my car so why should I be expected to work for nothing to attract customers?

My nail technician charges me £30 for 40 minutes of work and I won't tell you what my hairdresser charges and neither of risk their lives in their jobs.  The responsibility of trying to produce a safe, skilled and mature driver should be recognised and reflected in the cost of our service.

So tomorrow I am putting my tuition fees up to £22 per hour.  My learners have had 4 weeks notice and so far I have had no complaints.

Wish me luck :)

I'm Back!

Here I am...back again after a long break. 

So what has been happening in the world of Driving Instructing I hear you ask.

The most noteable event was a conference organised by an Independent Instructor in Worcester.
It was his first time organising an event of this type or of this size but he felt, and still feels, that out Profession is seriously undervalued by the general public, the learners and mostly by ourselves and he set up the conference with the aim of trying to change this from the inside.

He called it FreshStart...and it was attended by over 130
Driving Instructors from all over the country.