Bad driving instructors

[deltashad]

I hate the 'new to me' driving style in the UK.
Possibly this is the new method. The first experience, apart from the piss poor driving and lane discipline i've witnessed was my companies annual driving test, compulsory for driving a company vehicle. I was told to strictly abide by speed limits, yes, I understand this, but not always road user friendly going from a 60 to a 30. What really got me was being told to maintain road speed limits even on a dual carriage way, restricted to the outside lane and not exceeding the speed limit, obviously annoying the hell out of other drivers, when I questioned, the answer was- I was staying away from hazards- people pulling out from junctions etc.... utter BS.

Anyway, my gf just passed her driving test, the biggest problem I have is with how she was told to approach and go around round abouts, and junctions. This is with her foot on the clutch all the way until exited and safe. Basically have NO engine braking control. She passed her test and still has this awful habit and does not trust me that this is incredibly dangerous and just wrong. She has no drive, coasting.

Can I please have some agreement on this.

Edited by deltashad on Sunday 8th May 02:38

[Pints]

That sounds utterly daft.

[Bungleaio]

That sounds a stupid technique. In order to coast all the way around a roundabout you'll have to enter it at a decent rate unless it's acceptable to come to an almost stop.

Coasting was a big no no when I was learning but techniques do change. I was taught to engine brake but my sister was told not to do that as it adds wear to the clutch. It's cheaper to replace brakes than clutches.

[vikingaero]

I've done the Smiths System at work which was fine. Usual guff but OK to refresh yourself. Then on a refresher I had an Instructor who wanted me to brake from 400m+ at every junction "in case my brakes failed". In 25+ years of driving I've never had them fail and am willing to take a chance.

[gforceg]

You have my support and sympathy. It's no longer a source of wonder to me why there is so much poor driving these days when you see the driving and behaviour of the instructors.

The whole system seems to need a reset but I won't be holding my breath.

[shake n bake]

I'd ring the instructor and ask for his reason why he teaches people this habit.

[Cmakka23]

Morning everyone, I'm an Instructor and Coasting is a Big No in my car! (and most Instructors quite honestly!) If you do it on your test I'd certainly expect with our examiners that you wouldn't be passing!

[vikingaero]

deltashad said:

Anyway, my gf just passed her driving test, the biggest problem I have is with how she was told to approach and go around round abouts, and junctions. This is with her foot on the clutch all the way until exited and safe. Basically have NO engine braking control. She passed her test and still has this awful habit and does not trust me that this is incredibly dangerous and just wrong. She has no drive, coasting.

Can I please have some agreement on this.

Edited by deltashad on Sunday 8th May 02:38

I don't think it matters how someone is taught, good or bad. Very few will take on board the correct and moral manner in which to negotiate a roundabout. For most drivers it's the world revolves around me method of driving.

[Valgar]

Cmakka23 said:

Morning everyone, I'm an Instructor and Coasting is a Big No in my car! (and most Instructors quite honestly!) If you do it on your test I'd certainly expect with our examiners that you wouldn't be passing!

This! I don't think a tester would've passed your GF if she'd done this on her test. Maybe something she's misunderstood after passing.

[FreeLitres]

deltashad said:

... my companies annual driving test, compulsory for driving a company vehicle...

Never heard of this before. I've had various jobs that include a company car including my current one.

Have you had a lot of colleagues crashing company cars or something? Is this is a requirement of the insurance company?

[TooMany2cvs]

deltashad said:

What really got me was being told to maintain road speed limits even on a dual carriage way, restricted to the outside lane
when I questioned, the answer was- I was staying away from hazards- people pulling out from junctions etc.... utter BS.

What...?

Assuming you mean "Stay out of L1", then either there was some serious chinese whispers going on, or the person taking this course was a severe muppet.

As for the g/f, that's definitely going to be chinese whispers.

[X5TUU]

FreeLitres said:

deltashad said:

... my companies annual driving test, compulsory for driving a company vehicle...

Never heard of this before. I've had various jobs that include a company car including my current one.

Have you had a lot of colleagues crashing company cars or something? Is this is a requirement of the insurance company?

Years ago I worked for a company that did this, it was because they lowered insurance costs for the company fleet by having a £15k excess on each incident meaning in effect they just a new vehicle when one got crashed and it was almost like a misplaced assurance for management on staff capability

[Cmakka23]

Once again, being told to stay in lane 2 of a Dual Carriageway would result in a fail on a driving test. There's not an instructor I know that would teach that. It's just not true!

I think the tread title of Bad Driving Instructors is way too harsh. These things just are not the way 99% of us teach!

[powerstroke]

I think the rot started when they came out with gears to go brakes to slow st
Mind as long as you keep to speed limits and think about the environment !!!!!!
I think everybody should be made to learn to drive in somthing from the 1950's
manual brakes, no power steering etc then they would have some idea about what is happening both around them and what the mechanics of the car are doing....

[S. Gonzales Esq.]

TooMany2cvs said:

What...?

Assuming you mean "Stay out of L1", then either there was some serious chinese whispers going on, or the person taking this course was a severe muppet.

On a two lane urban dual carriageway, there's often a case for staying out in lane two away from the potential hazards on the near side. However, you'd only do this if there aren't any vehicles behind you that want to get past.

Lane hogging is not part of good driving.

[Valgar]

Cmakka23 said:

I think the tread title of Bad Driving Instructors is way too harsh. These things just are not the way 99% of us teach!

I am a training ADI and to pass it's fairly difficult, the pass rate to pass the teaching part of the exam (3rd stage) is around 33-35% so instructors really need to know their stuff and the suggestion that these instructors don't know what they're doing is absurd.

[powerstroke]

Cmakka23 said:

Once again, being told to stay in lane 2 of a Dual Carriageway would result in a fail on a driving test. There's not an instructor I know that would teach that. It's just not true!

I think the tread title of Bad Driving Instructors is way too harsh. These things just are not the way 99% of us teach!

I would guess there are plenty of driver "training" firms springing up to milk gullible transport managers for on going safety training !!!!!

Edited by powerstroke on Sunday 8th May 09:23

[vikingaero]

Valgar said:

Cmakka23 said:

I think the tread title of Bad Driving Instructors is way too harsh. These things just are not the way 99% of us teach!

I am a training ADI and to pass it's fairly difficult, the pass rate to pass the teaching part of the exam (3rd stage) is around 33-35% so instructors really need to know their stuff and the suggestion that these instructors don't know what they're doing is absurd.

As in every profession your have poor performers and people who cut corners - look at professional HGV drivers.

It's far more noticeable when a professional does something wrong. There's a roundabout near me where one instructors insists on lane 2 for straight ahead/exit2. Fine if you are the only person on the road at 4am, not fine in heavy traffic. The problem is that if the professional doesn't know how to drive properly then how do they teach their students properly?

[snorky782]

X5TUU said:

Years ago I worked for a company that did this, it was because they lowered insurance costs for the company fleet by having a £15k excess on each incident meaning in effect they just a new vehicle when one got crashed and it was almost like a misplaced assurance for management on staff capability

I don't think you understand which part of car insurance is compulsory and why. That's worrying for someone who apparently has a lot of years experience.

[*Al*]

Last week I has an 'AA' driving instructor pull out on me (I was on my motorbike) from a side road on my local streets (30 mph), not big deal I saw him but he never looked or indicated so I had the time to stop and politely ask what he was doing? He flatly denied it and said I was speeding! I wasn't as I'd just turned into the road I was on, he hadn't looked or indicated. If I was speeding he must have seen me but was having none of it, if he would have just put his hand up at the time I would have gone around him and that would have been the end of it but he chose to argue like he could never be at fault which he obviously was. He was on his own and not with a pupil.