Roundabouts - confront your fears!

More pupils say to me that they are scared of roundabouts than any other traffic situation...but after a single lesson with me, no longer!  The problem with roundabouts is that, by their very nature, there is likely to be lots of vehicles and lots happening at the same time.  Trying to pick your way through that can be a bit daunting.

However, if you follow two basic principles, roundabouts become a lot easier.  The first is to approach them with this thought in your mind: "Assume that I am going to go but be prepared to stop".  This is in direct contradiction to normal junctions where the thought process tends to be "Assume I am going to stop but be prepared to go".  The reason that a junction has been created as a roundabout is to keep traffic flowing so it is only sensible to approach it thinking in that way.  Once you have that thought in your mind, the decision whether to go can be one of three things: Yes I can, in which case, go.  No, I can't, in which case stop.  Or Wait, I'm not sure yet...  The first two of these are easy, the third is more difficult to judge.  Ultimately, it will turn into a Yes or a No and for the learner it is more likely to be a No than a Yes, to be on the safe side.  However, as you become more experienced you will find that judgement becomes easier.

The second principle is preparation with purpose.  When you reach the roundabout you have already identified one thing that you have to do - to make a decision!  In order to do that safely, you have to look.  It is very easy to be preoccupied with mirrors, signals, speed, gear changes, braking etc. rather than looking so do them all before you get to the roundabout; that way you are free to do the most important thing which is looking at what is happening on the roundabout itself.  Don't just look to the right.  You need to look at your approach to the roundabout so that you stay in lane and don't hit the vehicle in front, a glance to the left just to make sure, looking at what is coming straight on and so on.  Your head doesn't remain static - it moves constantly allowing you to make the correct assessment.  Because you have already done all the preparation before getting to the roundabout you only have to look and decide.

Even with the correct approach sometimes it is difficult to make the correct judgement so this is what I do.  Look for cars coming across your path.  Three things will show their intentions.  Their indicator, their road position and their speed.   Base your judgement on all three.  They may have left their indicator on by accident, they may have misjudged their position or speed but it is unlikely that they will have got all three wrong.  If all three say to you that they are not coming round the roundabout, then the likelihood is that they are not so it is safe for you to proceed.

If the roundabout is busy, finding a gap can be even more problematic.  Instructors talk about 'blocking vehicles' or some such similar phrase i.e., vehicles on the roundabout which interrupt traffic flow allowing you to get out.  The most important thing is that a vehicle becomes blocking when other traffic stops for it, not when it is physically in the way.  If you leave it too long, then the blocking vehicle itself may stop you from going.  Anticipate vehicles not being in the way as well as being in the way.

Finally, remember that you are negotiating a roundabout, not an acrossabout so stick to your lane and don't cross lanes unnecessarily.  If you do have to cross lanes, check in your mirrors (and possibly over your shoulder) before doing so that it is safe, indicating if appropriate.  

I hope the above helps to make your passage round roundabouts a little smoother and safer.

www.ashleyschoolofmotoring.co.uk

Why I don't teach Hill Starts...

There are many aspects of driving which pupils, instructors and other drivers build up to be huge issues for those learning to drive and one such aspect is that of hill starts.  Whilst I do understand the importance of being able to correctly pull away up a hill without rolling back or straining the clutch, I don't believe that it warrants being separated out as a particularly demonic aspect of driving.  So why is it often portrayed as such?  I believe the reason is two-fold; the possible consequences are more serious and any error, no matter how small, is exaggerated.

However, the actual process is very similar to any clutch/gas balancing act i.e., the clutch needs to be at biting point and there needs to be sufficient gas to prevent the car from stalling.  The difference with a hill start is that both need to be more accurate than pulling away on the flat. 

So for the good driver (and this includes learners), this shouldn't be any problem at all as long as the pupil's ability includes proper clutch control.  Good control of the car depends on good clutch control and it is an incredibly powerful tool.  Once mastered, such that the driver rarely has to think about it, this technique allows concentration on other aspects of driving, essential for the good driver.

So I encourage all my pupils to excel at clutch control both through driving, particularly in traffic, but also in the early days through a clutch exercise.  There is therefore no reason to single out hill starts for any special treatment as their clutch control is good enough to handle every situation and hills make no difference.

So does this mean that the handbrake becomes redundant?  Not at all, but what is the difference between pulling away from the side of a flat road and pulling away on a hill?  Nothing really, in spite of what some people think...

www.ashleyschoolofmotoring.co.uk

Madness on the A2

Yesterday I had to drive along the A2 a number of times both when it was raining and when it wasn't.  Frankly I was horrified by some of the driving that I saw and, believe me, I've seen plenty of examples over the years.

It started with seeing a car sliding down the opposite carriageway, sideways, in the very heavy rain, finally coming to a halt, straddling the two outside lanes.  I have no idea why they skidded but fortunately there wasn't anyone particularly close to them even though the traffic was very heavy.  Perhaps they had worn tyres, perhaps they did something a bit too sharpish.  Either way, they were obviously going far too fast for the conditions and were very lucky that they didn't hit anything although I suspect that the subsequent traffic jam probably saw a fair few accidents.

Later on in the day I was on the same stretch of the A2 and was being held up by someone doing 40mph.  It wasn't a lorry, van or clapped out car.  It was a woman in her thirties, hunched over the steering wheel, just pootling along.  It wasn't raining, the road surface was only mildly damp but she simply wouldn't go any faster.  What she probably fails to understand is that she is causing a serious hazard to other road users on that stretch of road.  If she's not comfortable on such roads, then find another route or take lessons to get confident!

Finally, and this is a bit of an issue for me, we have a tailgater!  A young woman in her KA completely oblivious of everything around her, about 15 feet from my rear bumper.  I got out of the way and she promptly drove right up behind the car in front and did the same to him.  At 60 miles per hour, thinking distance is 60 feet.  She is a quarter of that distance from the car in front.  If they sneeze, she is in the boot.  Why, oh why do people do it?  And she just seemed completely unaware that she was doing anything wrong.  She was obviously in a hurry - to die?

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It's all about attitude...

Belonging as I do to a number of forums where people talk about learning to drive, I am constantly amazed by the differing attitudes to aspects of driving.  Instructors tend to discuss points of law, driving etiquette and how to deal with unusual situations (or unusual pupils).  Pupils tend to discuss the incompetence of instructors or the personality disorders suffered by examiners - they are evidently not human!  Rarely do their own failings come up for discussion.  One thing that I find astonishing is the attitude with which some people approach learning to drive. 

People tend to think of learning to drive as an academic exercise which can be mastered by listening to an instructor or reading books or just watching other people.  I suppose this is not unexpected as the vast majority of learning done by people is done in this way.  However, driving is fundamentally different.  It requires constant, repetitive practice just to master the mechanics, co-ordinated control of the pedals, clutch, gas and brake, steering, observations etc.  For many people it is the first time that they have to specifically learn to use many parts of the body at the same time in a co-ordinated fashion.  Babies don't learn to walk by reading a book - they do it by constant, repetitive practice which involves failure as well as success.  It takes time!

Isn't it therefore amazing that people think they can learn to drive without practice?  So many times I am contacted by people who have their test booked and 'need a few lessons' just to get through the test.  They may be right; more often than not, they are wrong!  They may have the mechanics perfected but their road craft might be bordering on dangerous.  Their general driving may be fine but their manoeuvres would be better if they got out and pushed.  "I'm a safe driver - but I failed my test because I pulled out in front of someone on a roundabout" is a fairly typical statement made to instructors across the country.  It doesn't sound that safe to me...!

Trying to circumvent the learning process may work when studying for an exam but it doesn't when learning to drive.  It requires commitment and dedication, common sense and lots of practice.  Yes you may be able to do it without some of these but ultimately it will probably cost you more, take longer and you won't be a particularly good driver as a result.  Is it worth it?

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Why did I fail?

I really do understand the immense disappointment of pupils who fail tests, particularly for seemingly innocuous things but I am amazed that they don't really understand why.  Being safe on the roads is far more than just managing to get through a 40 minute test without doing anything outrageously silly or accumulating too many minor errors. It is about being in control of the car and being able to react safely to changing situations.  This is far more than just learning a set of rules and regulations and is what examiners are looking for.

Many test failures complain that the fault they committed was minor and they should not have been failed for committing it and, on the face of it, it may appear that way.  For example, failing to signal when moving back in to the left after passing parked cars on a dual carriageway.  Is this a serious fault?  Well I have seen it marked as such and also completely ignored.  This is because driving is not about following a hard and fast set of rules; it's actually about doing the right thing for the circumstances that exist at that time.  Yes, we can teach pupils what the usual action should be in a given situation but they have to think for themselves constantly and make decisions based on what they see around them. 

I teach my pupils to do just that, to be aware of road situations and other road users and adjust their behaviour accordingly - it's called road craft and is essential for safe driving.  I recently had a pupil who clipped the kerb driving out of the test centre and still passed.  Why?  Because her driving overall was at a level where the examiner could see she was thinking sensibly and logically and not just doing what she was taught - and no, I didn't teach her to clip the kerb.  Throughout, she was applying road craft and the initial mistake was just a nerve-induced error.

Once reasonably competent on the road, I tell my pupils that they are driving the car and therefore they must make decisions about what to do in any given situation.  After all, once they have passed their test and are out on their own, they won't have an instructor sitting next to them telling them what to do and making sure they are safe.  It's their responsibility then and the sooner they get into the habit, the better.

This approach encourages the pupil to take complete responsibility for their driving so that passing the test is easy and driving safely is completely natural. 

www.ashleyschoolofmotoring.co.uk

How many lessons?

This is one of the most common questions asked by people learning to drive and is one of the most difficult to answer accurately.  This is because the number of lessons someone needs is affected by their ability, commitment, practice and the ability of their instructor.  There are people out there on the roads who have had no lessons at all and some who have had more than 100.  In my opinion, the former is far too few and the latter is way too many.  Furthermore, the more attempts at passing your test, the more lessons you will inevitably end up having.

So how many is too many?  Well if you consider that the DSA say that the average is around 45 hours of tuition, coupled with 30 hours private practice, then that gives a really good indication.  Your instructor should always be able to give you some idea of how many lessons you will need but the actual number may change as you work through the syllabus.  As a guide, you should be aiming to complete your training and pass your test within the 45 hours.  If it doesn't look as though you are going to make it, then you should talk to your instructor about your progress.

If you are still not happy, then take an assessment lesson with another instructor and see if they can give you an idea of the progress you are making.  Do bear in mind that your instructor is (or should be) a professional and therefore is best placed to assess your driving and identify when you should take your test.  However, you are the customer and as such you should take ownership of your learning process and ensure that you are getting value for money and are not being taken for a ride.  It is a difficult judgement to make sometimes but the overriding consideration should be this - if you are not entirely happy with your instructor's approach, then do something about it.


Emma Ashley
www.ashleyschoolofmotoring.co.uk

A Parent's Responsibility...

There is an awful lot of criticism of drivers these days, some of it justified, and the authorities are constantly trying to make our roads safer by introducing a variety of road safety measures.  I understand their motivation entirely and have as my goal making the roads safer by producing safer drivers.  However, now I'm going to have a rant! 

The responsibility for safety on the roads does not only lie with motorists but also with pedestrians.  Everyone who uses a road (which includes the pavements) is a road user, something which I constantly reinforce to my pupils.  It is therefore extremely aggravating when pedestrians take unreasonable liberties with traffic.  We can all think of examples but for some reason, parents with children are the worst.  Those who seem to think that hanging the front wheels of a pushchair or pram over the kerb is a good way of signalling their intention to cross the road.  Those who carry children into the road in order to put them in the back seat of their car and then stand with their head inside the car strapping the child in working on the basis that if they ignore the traffic it will miss them.  Even worse, those who shepherd the children out alongside the car in an erroneous belief that their protective hand will somehow prevent an oncoming car from mowing everyone down.  I just don't understand the mentality of parents who have such a cavalier attitude towards their children.

Parents, you do not have some bubble of immunity around you which will protect you from an error by a driver.  Are you really happy to play the lottery with the lives of your children?  For their sake, think before putting them, or yourselves, in harm's way!

www.ashleyschoolofmotoring.co.uk