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Tue 10 Aug 2010 21:01

any - Driving instructor quality - galileo

Walking along a side street popular with driving schools for teaching 3 point turns, reverse parking etc, , I saw a learner draw up alongside a parked car, evidently to learn reverse parking.

The problem was, as she had left a good 5 feet between the left of her car and a parked car (no.1), she had effectively blocked the road, as there was a parked car (no 2) on the other side of the road.

Watching the manoeuvre with interest, when she eventually stopped behind car no 1, she was, as expected, 4 feet from the kerb.

The instructor was a young female, (chauvinists may think this significant) the serious point is that instructors are supposed to have some sort of qualification to work for a driving school, are there any checks on their ability before they are let loose to inflict this kind of procedure on learners and other road users?

Or is this too much to expect? I think I'm turning into a grumpy old man like my dad.

Hoist with my own petard, I've posted this in Technical instead of Discussion. I'll get my coat!

Edited by galileo on 10/08/2010 at 21:03

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Tue 10 Aug 2010 22:37

any - Driving instructor quality - Vitesse6

Maybe the instructor was allowing the pupil to learn from their mistake - after all, you can tell people how to do things till the cows come home, but the best lessons are always learnt from experience.

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Tue 10 Aug 2010 22:50

any - Driving instructor quality - bursty

As I driving instructor myself I think the method of teaching may have changed a little from when you sat your test, First of all a 3 point turn is now a turn in the road as you are not expected to do the manoeuvre, also the way you describe the reverse park being done is probably correct if the pupil is in the early stages of learning. I certainly teach it in a similar way and as the pupil gets more experienced get them closure to a vehicle. It is to protect both the instructors car and the stationery vehicle for getting damaged. Also it helps the pupil understand the reference points of the car and is a good learning experience for them if they are too far away and also too close. I would teach the reverse park on a quiet road as well. There is no right or wrong way of teaching the manoeuvre as long as they are doing it safely and not holding the traffic up for too long.

We do need qualifications to be an Instructor and it is a very hard course to pass there is approximately a 30% pass rate as an instructor. We are also monitored on a regular basis, firstly within 6 months & then 12 monthly.

I am not a female driving instructor but I find that the females are the better pupils, they listen more. They do struggle with directions but men are harder to teach as they tend to speed a little more.

Edited by bursty on 10/08/2010 at 22:58

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Wed 11 Aug 2010 19:52

any - Driving instructor quality - galileo

Thanks for the explanation, I can see that leaving a safe space is sensible; what I thought was not ideal was picking a spot where two cars were parked opposite each other, there were plenty of other locations along the road where there was just one on the nearside.

As she put on full left lock the front of her car got nearer the car on the offside than the original distance from the one on her left, if you see what I mean.

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Tue 24 Aug 2010 18:04

any - Driving instructor quality - TonyBee

As with your previous reply, I too am a Driving Instructor. What the previous reply didn't mention is that on Test an Examiner makes no allowance for vehicles parked on the opposite side of the road, taking the view that the candidate may well choose to park opposite another vehicle once he has a full license. So teaching a pupil to park opposite a car would be included by a competent Instructor in the learning process. Having said that, the majority of Instructors take the view that the manoeuvre is outdated and unsafe on modern congested roads.

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Tue 24 Aug 2010 18:35

any - Driving instructor quality - bathtub tom

>> the majority of Instructors take the view that the manoeuvre is outdated and unsafe on modern congested roads.

What about examiners?

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Tue 8 Mar 2011 06:47

any - Driving instructor quality - s.v.u.

I think that if you check carefully driving examiners have never at any time since the introduction of the driving test in 1933 ever asked anyone to do a "turn in the road".

They have always asked the candiate to, "using your foreward and reverse gear I should like you to turn the vehicle around so that it is parked facing in the opposite direction".

Never at any time have they asked a pupil to "do a three point turn" as there is no requirement to perform the maneuver in three movements. Obviuosly it will be an odd number, 3, 5 or even 7. The number of movements will depend on the width of the road and the length of the vehicle being driven.

It is because that most vehicles in a standard width road are capable of being turned in three movements that it has been commonly referred to by the public as a "three point turn".Two candidates driving the same model car would both pass a driving test when one took three movements and the other five to complete their "turn in the road".

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Tue 24 Aug 2010 19:00

any - Driving instructor quality - P3t3r

To be honest I don't really see any problem with what the learner was doing. Unless the learner is close to taking their test then they will make mistakes. Although a 5 foot gap sounds big for an experienced driver, I don't think it's too bad for an inexperienced learner.

Stoping 4 foot from the kerb really isn't bad at all IMHO. I bet a lot of experienced drivers would struggle to do better than that. Of course, the driver will need some practice, and that's what he/she was getting.

If I see a learner blocking a road then I am more than happy to wait patiently. Most people will be in a situation at some point in their life.

Most driving instructors are REALLY bad drivers, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they are bad instructors. My instructor was a really bad (and dangerous IMHO) driver, but I think he was a good instructor.

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Tue 24 Aug 2010 20:41

any - Driving instructor quality - Ben 10

I live very close to a test centre so see many schools driving around my area.

Some of the antics I've witnessed give me the impression that the pupils are being being led by poor "experienced" teachers. Not all, but it tarnishes the many. And for the national school I saw sail through red lights on a major roundabout recently, when I managed to stop, I thought the instructors had dual controls to stop this sort of thing.

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Tue 24 Aug 2010 21:11

any - Driving instructor quality - bathtub tom

I've sat next to a driving instructor of over twenty years experience. It surprised me. I got the impression they teach by rote. Perhaps they get brain-washed in some way. When I pointed out they were driving with their hazards flashing, I got a very imperious 'yes I know''.

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Mon 7 Mar 2011 10:03

any - Driving instructor quality - bighaggis

As a Driving Instructor i introduce this reverse park manoevre on a quiet side street away from driveways and other areas and parked cars that may make the manoevre inconvenient for others but also for my pupil,then gradually introduce them into busier areas,concentrating specifically on areas where parking is limited i.e opposite parked cars and other obstructions,ensuring that my pupil remains composed and in control,if this means that the road is blocked for a short period then so be it,whether this particular pupil was a beginner or test standard they might just have misjudged their approach and position causing the instructor to make "that" decision whether to move them on,or let them get on with it learning from their mistakes.At the end of the day as long as it's not illegal or causing an obstruction,if that is the only space available who would'nt hold the traffic up for a few seconds to park in it,whether your a learner or not!!

Edited by BorisTheSpider on 08/03/2011 at 08:47

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