Car driving instructors rant

[fuzz]

I've finally had it with learner car drivers. Not so much the drivers themselves, perhaps, but the instructors that accompany them. Why do they insist on letting their student do 20mph on a 30 road? They all do it. I can imagine many are nervous; I was while doing CBT, but I was not allowed to drop below the speed limit. I got a 'catch up' or 'quick as you like' if I failed to reach the speed limit quickly enough, but it seems the speed limit rules of the road do not apply to those undertaking car lessons. Not only that, but they do not even try and get to the speed limit in any amount of hurry. How do they suppose they can pull into a busy junction without knowing how to accelerate promptly. The second road I was taken on was a four lane A-road in busy traffic. I was shitting it, but still managed to negotiate it without any problems and no tooting of horns behind me.

'Overtake them then' I hear the reply. Well that's exactly what I would do, except I'm very rarely right behind them. There's always one or two cars between me and the novice. It's not really possible to overtake on a 125 in a controlled way unless the road is straight and clear. I've seen plenty of larger bikes pull infront of the first car ahead and pull back in, wait for the next clearing and go for it again until they're clear of the obstruction. I have the option of dropping two gears and deciding if I can pass two cars before that bend gets too near and I can no longer see far ahead enough. By the time I've sorted this out, it's too late and I'm already at the corner (well, the learner is anyway).

Car instructors, make your students do the speed limit at all times

[/rant]
____________________
https://www.bikepics.com/members/fuzzbcf/
Bikes: '99 NSR125R, '00 SV650S, K1 GSX-R600, '97 CB500, K3 SV1000S, '16 VFR800

[mchaggis]

If it's anything like my CBT, it wasn't made abudantly clear that accelerating from 20 mph up a hill in fourth wasn't really a clever idea. Hence, I ended up going about 25 everywhere, desperately trying not to hit any kerbs, and wondering how the hell you're supposed to go round corners by 'leaning'.

It's not the students fault however, I don't know if they're advised of the best gear to be in at all speeds, or if they're actually told to keep up to the limits. They might be too timid too want to thrash the machine too, I certainly was, resulting in upshifting too early and generally going nowhere.
____________________
I must not be a troll...
Mmmm, Guinness
Discovering the delights of Hammerite and a 3/4" brush.

[Vespa]

.

[fuzz]

I agree, but if you're siting next to someone in a car, you can see what gear they're in and how fast they are doing. A little incouragement from the instructor wouldn't go amiss. They are learning to drive to pass a test. If they do 20 in a 30 on a test, they fail.
____________________
https://www.bikepics.com/members/fuzzbcf/
Bikes: '99 NSR125R, '00 SV650S, K1 GSX-R600, '97 CB500, K3 SV1000S, '16 VFR800

[Sparks!]

[fuzz]

Yams, I meant the instructors not telling their students to speed up, not the students all being too slow.

In the words of Mr Myagi "Teacher say, student do."
____________________
https://www.bikepics.com/members/fuzzbcf/
Bikes: '99 NSR125R, '00 SV650S, K1 GSX-R600, '97 CB500, K3 SV1000S, '16 VFR800

[cagiva gezzer]

My driving lessons suck. Slow car. Wide car. Sharp brakes. Too many pedals.

A few more lessons and it might all be over. I hope.

I keep going to fast as i'm less aware of the speed in a car. Add to that my lifesavers all the time...
____________________
"because one stroke isnt enough and four strokes waste two"

[Sparks!]

[Fruit'n'nut]

I frequently see driving school cars dawdling along on main roads round here too. When I learnt to drive, I didn't get instructed to drive anywhere except round a quiet trading estate until I was good enough to get up to and maintain the speed limit of the road I was on.
____________________
Power Ranger

[cagiva gezzer]

Slow & wide by my stds. Its a new Mini TDI. £25ph makes drinking seam really cheap!
____________________
"because one stroke isnt enough and four strokes waste two"

[Davo]

My driving instructor wouldn't let me go below the limit if it was safe to do so. He insisted that I do maximum safest speed.

On my first lesson I was driving down the dual carriage way at 70mph.

Second lesson accidently ended up on a motorway.

Good instructor, passed first time.

[fuzz]

[stinkwheel]

Well they must teach them at some point because the people pass their test eventually. You will fail if you don't "make progress when you can".

When I come up behind a learner driver, I sit behind them at a safe distance for a bit and slowly move about in their mirrors. I do this until I see either the driver notice me or the instructor notice and comment upon it to the driver. I like to hope the instructor takes the oppertunity to give a "Now there is a motorbike behind you, notice how you need to use both mirrors to keep him in sight, he will pass in a minute, notice how he disappears into your blind spot when this happens." type speil.

Maybe wishfull thinking on my part.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[haGGard]

I'm taking my first driving lesson this Thursday. I wont be going slow though Wont be breaking the speed limit too

I wouldn't say im nervous though I've had some experiance driving a car. Everytime i drive one i get all excited for some reason
____________________
chaff mans random tingz on loot
"Why dont you go and weld your face to a moving train, you sack of pus" - tobyr
"ROFL MY TOFFLE I AM TEH 1337 SPELLING MISTAKE FINDER!" - BikerBen

[A J]

They are just nervous and no one drives exactly at 30 anyway but they cant realy go above with the instucter sitting next to them.

On my CBT it was like trenchel rain and we had to go on a dual carrige way and when we were travilling at 40 i couldnt see anything because of the rain but i was too afraid to take one hand off to put my visor down but it was an experiance. and i was the oppiste i for some reason didnt like changing gear so i didnt and i was ragsing the B#lix off of that little champ.

I did it with my brother and we decided to have a little race on the dual carrigeway completly stupid but it was a battle of wills until the instructer told us to stop farting about.

[zip70]

[Kaben]

my instructor made a point of going up the gears quickely (with correct acceleration obviously and revs for each gear). He had a go at me when i was taking so long to go up the gears lol!

so its a bit of a generalisation, but i guess some instructors are more clued than others. If a learner is on his first couple of lessons, you gotta cut them slack as it can all be very daunting.
____________________
Its Not a Melon, Its Clearly a Lime!!
Yamaha Fazer 600Now dead, MZ 125 SM
My Deviant Art homepage https://robabloke.deviantart.com/

[map]

[fuzz]

OK, so maybe a big generalisation, which is not something I'm usually prone too honest but the point was why did I have to do the speed limit at all times on my first nervous ride out on two wheels, but nervous car drivers can get away with it for a short time?

When I said they all do it, I meant if a learner driver is going a bit too slow, I have never seen them pick up the pace, so the instructor is therefore not telling them to speed up.
____________________
https://www.bikepics.com/members/fuzzbcf/
Bikes: '99 NSR125R, '00 SV650S, K1 GSX-R600, '97 CB500, K3 SV1000S, '16 VFR800

[0ni]

If an instructor doesn't push a student forward and make them reach speed limits and make progress, that person is going to take longer to get to test standard and/or fail and have to come back for more lessons.

More moola $$$

In my bike lessons I was fairly reserved, keeping to speed limits etc Didn't have much choice until I was complaining of lack of speed in national speed limits..

..."Drop a gear, get your head down, rag the tits off it."

I think bike instructors and car instructors are a much different breed.
____________________
Its a lovely day, just wait until some bastard spoils it.

[bigedyant]

Unless you have taught a good many people to drive , you are unlikely to know what a difficult job it is to do.

Pupils don't always do what you tell them, so even telling them to speed up doesn't always work. They can be panicked by the least bit of a thing so the last thing that is needed is one of us bikers or anybody for that matter, peeping and trying to force their way past. And to have a go at the instructor is just plain ignorant.

Please be patient with learner drivers, and remember not everyone is as natural a driver as you.

Bigedyant D.S.A.A.D.I. - Driving Instructor & Biker
____________________
It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

[jimster]

Clearly this isn't true - I think learners go slightly below the correct speed (say 28mph), and as most people are going 33mph, they get a long tail. I know I did, and that was even though I went at 30 in a 30 zone when I was learning, otherwise my instructor would tell me to speed up!

Even now I've passed my test, whenever I drive I do 27-30mph and I still get loads of people hammering up right behind me, then braking and skidding, swearing and tooting their horn as they try and avoid tailgating me. It's really annoying, but maybe I should learn to go a bit faster on motorways

Seriously though, I think the tailback problem is caused by the majority of people edging over the limit than learners going at the correct speed. And they're only learning after all.

[Bomberman]

[Visitor Q]

Well i felt sorry for the poor bugger who went down the A507 (aka baldock buntingford road aka 4 miles of beautiful twisties on wonderful conditioned road traversed by buses, trucks and people on very powerful sportsbikes with death wishes), obviously bricking it. Doing literally 20mph down a NSL i do 100 down most of. Slightly concerning.

Never mind. Good for tormenting at least.
____________________
China traffic/travel bike vid - When I make a sweeping statement, please add the word 'statistically' in to the sentence before you bitch...
From September 2014 to January/February 2015 I will not be using any English, nor reading any. As such, I won't be on here. PM at will, but I won't be checking/posting unless in emergencies. Certainly not for the first couple of months. Please berate me savagely if I break that rule...

[ginguar]

My driving instructor annoys me sometimes. I will have a car hammering towards me which I know isn't going to stop and he will say "don't worry it's your right of way" and I am thinking well yes but that isn't going to stop the laws of physics.