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It Shouldn't Happen to a 
True Stories of Road-Side DisasterWhat follows are some of my favourite stories about the crazy and incredible things that happen to us driving instructors. Whether it be the actions of a learner driver, a reaction from the public or even a brush with the law, I'm sure that after reading this you will agree......It Really Shouldn't Happen to a Driving Instructor.Names have been changed to protect the stupid!!
I want to go home..!
I took on a new pupil who told me when she enquired about starting lessons that she had already had about 20 lessons. Great I thought someone had done the hard work. How wrong could I have been?
On the first lesson she came out with 2 young childen, "Can they sit in the back?" she asked. After finding a baby sitter I drove first asking her some questions on the way to give me an idea at what stage she had got to, but I soon realised that she hadn't had any lessons at all.
Eventually, it was her turn to sit in the driver's seat. First I asked her to adjust her seat and to press the clutch down. Her action to this request was to raise her right foot and press the clutch!
"Shall we start from the beginning?" I said. She didn't agree and said she had got a migraine... not the only one I thought.
www.paulbennett-schoolofmotoring.co.uk
Patient, friendly and professional driving instructor.
Girl or Goldfish..?
We were approaching a junction, where the main road bears sharply round to the left and a side road goes off ahead.
My pupil said to me, she remembered how nasty the junction was from the last time she went there. I agreed with her and reminded her about the overgrown Sharp Left Bend Ahead sign and faded road markings.
She slowed right down, and smoothly got 2nd gear, then went straight ahead! There just so happened to be another driving school car approaching the junction from the other direction. Needless to to say we both ended up using our duals!
After we moved off again in the CORRECT direction my pupil said: Oh I'm so sorry about that, I can't believe I did that, we were just talking about that as well weren't we?!
For anyone who knows Coventry we were on Woodshires Road travelling under the bridge towards Oban Road. Anyone else had a similar incident?!
Dave Jones DSA ADI
Coventry and Nuneaton
www.davejonesdriving.co.uk
Pedestrian Crossing overload...
I had been giving a lesson and incorporating the different types of pedestrian crossing to a lady pupil.
We had covered uncontrolled crossings and then the light controlled Puffin, Pelican and Toucan, including all the markings and signs etc associated with each type of crossing.
A short time after the last Pelican crossing we were coming to a bridge over a river and at the side of the road I saw an RSPCA man catching a swan which had landed on the bridge instead of the river.
I said to the pupil, 'look there is a swan on this bridge we are coming to'.
'Oh NO' she said, 'I have had all the pedestrian crossings I can cope with for one day'.
Colin Atkinson
Reading - A Skill For Life...
O.K. Perhaps I should know better!
Driving Test Appointment, 3:27, Arrived to pick up the pupil 1 hour before test, no-one home, o.k. maybe he is running late, so I wait, there is no answer from his home phone or mobile, at 2:50 I decide to leave, only to find him getting off the bus around the corner.
When asked if he intended to take the test, he said it was 2 days later. Of course when he checked it was the right day. So we race 10 miles to the test centre, through 2 sets of road works, and arrive with 5 mins to spare.
What do you know, he had been sent a letter of cancellation and his test was the following day. Worse still was the fact that he said he had not received this letter, and it was discovered in his file, in his possesion, opened, and he had not read it!!!!!!!!!!
P.S. He had booked the test himself and I had seen the confimation letter.
I HAVE BEEN AN INSTRUCTOR FOR 7 YEARS, AND THOUGHT I HAD GOT IT SUSSED BUT I NEVER EXPECTED THIS
Liz
Both eyes on the road ahead...
It's always a little daunting when you first get into the car with a new pupil, especially one who has told you over the phone that he can already drive! I find myself wandering what experience they have had, how well they can actually drive compared with how well they think they can.
Having said that, I am generally releaved to find that they do have some driving skill and I will just need to tidy up their technique. Other times, however, I am not so lucky.
When I collected 'Sam' who told me he'd been driving for five years in his own country (I won't say which) and for a further year in this country on his international driving licence, I was quite confident in his ability.
Unfortunately the first action he took was to tilt up the rear view mirror to face the roof. When I asked why he'd done that, I was told with all sincerity that, "I can't drive with a mirror there. I can see things moving behind me which is distracting."
I felt this may be a rather longer lesson than first anticipated.
Phill Godridge ADI
www.godridges.co.uk
Too many cars on the road...
Having methodically completed the cock-pit drill, Tracey was ready to pull away and begin her driving lesson. She waited patiently, eyes fixed to the mirrors, but not moving.
By way of encouragement I said, "Whenever you're ready then."
To which she replied, "I'm ready, but I'm waiting for that car to make up its mind."
I looked round, but saw nothing. No other cars in sight.
"What car?" I asked.
"That one." She replied, still looking in the right door mirror.I looked round again, but still saw nothing. Then it came to me.
"Is the car you're looking at green?" I asked.
"Yes." She replied."Does it have a white sticker on the door?"
"Yes." She replied."That would be us then." I suggested. "You've been looking at the side of our own car in the wing mirror!"
"Oh." She replied. "I bet you think I'm a bit stupid now, don't you?"
"Yes." I replied.
On the straight and narrow...
About half an hour into her driving lesson, Beth was feeling quite confident and I decided to take her across some busy roundabouts. I didn't want to throw her in at the deep end, so I thought we'd turn left at the first one to let her get the hang of it.
She signalled left and approached correctly, but instead of turning left went straight on taking the second exit. There was no-one around so I let it slide. I just informed her that she had taken the wrong exit and was supposed to have turned left.
"Yes. Sorry." She said.
It was over a mile to the next roundabout, but as we approached I asked her again to turn left.
She went straight on! Again I pointed out her error and asked if we could possibly, actually turn left at the next one?
"Yes. Sorry." She said.
After going straight on at the third roundabout and travelling almost 5 miles off course, I was getting a little concerned. She was taking no notice of me. None. I asked her to stop.
When I asked her what was going on, she replied "I thought you were still banging on about the mistake on the first roundabout. I didn't know you were giving me new directions."
Give me strength!
A Police state..?
The Police had coned off a lay-by ahead and were conducting random spot checks on vehicles in the area.
"I hope we don't get nicked." Laughed Sarah, my pupil. "I shouldn't think so.." I was just saying, when surprisingly we were directed into the lay-by.
Now some drivingschool cars are not obviously driving school cars, but mine has signs on the bonnet, boot, doors and even the roof. It is without doubt - a driving school car. Which is why we were astonished by the Police Officer's opening question...
"Can you tell me the purpose of your journey, miss?"
With more than a little disbelief, Sarah replied, "I'm on a driving lesson!"
The Officer stepped back and took another look at the car, we could both see his discomfort, and sheepishly he said, "Oh yes... Of course you are... Carry on." And with that he waved us through.
Good to know our Police Force have such amazing powers of detection.
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