Driving Instructors

[The 2nd Womble]

Tonight I spent my time from the Logan Offramp to Springfeild Lakes (The Escarpment) stuck behind a Driving Instructor in a red Mazda3 hatch.
Within that 5 km period she hugged the outside white line (70% distance travelled), her speed varied in the 100km zone by up to 23kph constantly, approaching the Offramp and to the roundabout she tailgated the car in front (100% distance), failed to indicate right and left until after having commited to the turns, and when I pulled up beside her as she slowed, she was sitting so close to the wheel that I doubt she'd sutvive any impact that caused the airbag to fire. On Tuesday I witnessed a blue Driving School car reverse into a Shade Sail post at Booval Fair.
It would be nice to think that these displays of outright incompetance were isolated incidents in Brissy, but unfortunately - IMO - the ability of instructors here to drive safely, courteously and predictably is to be frank, abhorant. I have been cut off by them, parked in by them, narrowly missed by them at many intersections and the list goes on.
I don't think it is unfair to expect a professional driver in such a position to drive in any way other than close to perfection, particularly given that we - and many of you with teens getting to that age - are paying them teach lifelong skills which help save countless lives. It has got to the point where if I see an Instructor in control of their own vehicle, I can point out several glaringly poor actions within a 5 minute period.
Is it possible that the market is saturated with cowboys and retired Taxi drivers looking to make a buck? When I started driving it seemed that Driving Instruction was seen as a profession, and that you were amongst the best of the best. now we have what appears to be the off cuts of the rest teaching people to drive below the standards I would expect from any reasonable driver.
Can we fairly attribute the woeful state of affairs on our roads in part to young drivers not being prepared for a lifetime on our roads from the get-go in part because of the lacking of truely professional driver education behind the wheel?

[The 2nd Womble]

I'll get in quick so as to point out I have 12 points on my licence, I drive 10-12 hours a day, and my conduct is perminantly on display with my company's signage plastered everywhere in addition to Head Offices phone number

[jet-ski]

Footage!

It's bad though. It would be great if driving instructors could drive.

[Mulger bill]

Can't say I notice them as much because they are a distinct minority compared to taxi and skybus twerps where I ride.

Some people have claimed that parents should not be allowed to instruct learners "because they will teach them bad habits". I've got a lazy tenner to say these people are part of or have connections in the industry. The only advantage I can see to that is that all students of instructor X will have a standardised set of bad habits.

More on-road patrols, NOW!

[The 2nd Womble]

I've been concidering installing a dash cam for a while. I should just do it.

[Mulger bill]

Yes Womble, you should.

Just remember to point it outside the truck, don't wanna traumatise any kiddies with video of your mug

[The 2nd Womble]

Yes Womble, you should.

Just remember to point it outside the truck, don't wanna traumatise any kiddies with video of your mug

Bite me

[GraemeL]

I've been concidering installing a dash cam for a while. I should just do it.

This what I do, I use my GoPro and have it mounted under the rear view mirror. I have the camera in the car everytime I drive.

Graeme

[gorilla monsoon]

This, Womble 2, is what you get from a deregulated industry. Blame the various state governments that have allowed it to happen.

BTW, I am one of those professional drivers who blames bad driving habits on bad teachers and if I had my way the industry would be far more rigorously controlled, licences would be much harder to get and parents/family members would not be allowed to teach youngsters to drive.

The Germans have the right idea.

[David_G]

Was the person involved instructing at the time you saw their bad driving?
It's usually a case of
"Do as I say, not as I do" so if there was no student in the car they weren't on duty. Probably a bit stupid to be driving like a dill with signs on the car though
I also think you're generalising a bit(maybe a lot), which is curious on a forum that rages against cyclists being all put in the same category

[The 2nd Womble]

Unortunately Mr G, it's becoming the norm. I try to avoid generalising these days with what I do ((well I'm less judgemental anyway)sometimes), but it is now very noticable.
If anyone knows Darra at all and you see the local instructors with or without students, pull over, get out of the car and hide behind something solid. Someone is gonna get totalled one day.

[Sweeper59]

I can recall when my oldest son (who is now 24) was learning to drive, we arranged for some 'professional' lessons before he went for his test. Any time Mark wandered over the edgeline, or cut a corner, the instructor called out that he had run over an 'imaginary' cyclist. He has now been driving for 7 years, is licensed to drive anything up to B-doubles, but he still recalls those lessons with the instructor.

[stanevelyn]

By the way, why are seventeen and eighteen year old children given licences to control a motor vehicle in the first place?

Far too young in my view.

[Aushiker]

TBTW, I am one of those professional drivers who blames bad driving habits on bad teachers and if I had my way the industry would be far more rigorously controlled, licences would be much harder to get and parents/family members would not be allowed to teach youngsters to drive.

This is an example of why parents should not be involved. I do like the Department's response but ...

He said the department would not comment on test results of individual candidates, but if a person failed any part of the process then it was fair to assume they were not yet ready to drive without an instructor.

Andrew

[trailgumby]

The problem is the testing regime. Human nature being what it is, people are going to always teach to the test. So the test needs to change. Periodic re-testing wouldn't be a bad thing either, along with periodic defensive driving courses with an exam at the end.

People will whinge and moan about the cost, and the disadvantage to the less well off, but the problem is the assumptions behind all of that, treating driving as a right instead of a privilege. Bring back fuel price indexing!

As for not involving parents, sorry, never gonna fly. In my view it won't achieve the desired outcome anyway: it seems to me there is a certain percentage of the population who are idiots, all you would do is change the point at which they exert an influence on the pupil. As womble has pointed out, they seem to be over-represented as driving instructors.

[sogood]

Tonight I spent my time from the Logan Offramp to Springfeild Lakes (The Escarpment) stuck behind a Driving Instructor in a red Mazda3 hatch.

How can you be sure that she was an instructor, not a family member or friends who borrowed the vehicle? Just thinking objectively.

[Aushiker]

By the way, why are seventeen and eighteen year old children given licences to control a motor vehicle in the first place?

Far too young in my view.

In NZ I could have got my licence at 15 and here in Australia getting my motorbike licence involved with the first licence a ride around town on a motorbike without a speedo (Police Officer told me afterwards I needed to build my confidence as I was going to slow ) and the second one involved a chat at the Police Station (no riding at all).

Andrew

[Aushiker]

The problem is the testing regime. Human nature being what it is, people are going to always teach to the test. So the test needs to change. Periodic re-testing wouldn't be a bad thing either, along with periodic defensive driving courses with an exam at the end.

<cynical> That is the way our education system works ... students are assessment driven ... staff become assessment focused ... learning isn't part of the game.</cynical>

Andrew
Who is struggling through exam time

[trailgumby]

Yep, got it ...

[The 2nd Womble]

Tonight I spent my time from the Logan Offramp to Springfeild Lakes (The Escarpment) stuck behind a Driving Instructor in a red Mazda3 hatch.

How can you be sure that she was an instructor, not a family member or friends who borrowed the vehicle? Just thinking objectively.

I don't know, but there are plenty like her

[The 2nd Womble]

I was the same back home Aushiker. I got my full licence at fufteen as well.

[myforwik]

I ride past a QLD motor license center so there are driving school instructors all over the place. IMO they are up there with taxi drivers as the worst drivers on the road. Just speeding from one destination to the other.

[The 2nd Womble]

Exactly. Wouldn't be around Sherwood at all?
IMO it should be next to impossible to obtain an instructors qualification. I'm sure there would be a marked improvement in driving standards

[Ross]

I ride past a QLD motor license center so there are driving school instructors all over the place. IMO they are up there with taxi drivers as the worst drivers on the road. Just speeding from one destination to the other.

Up until now I had the view that some others do in this thread that kids ought to be taught by proper driving school instructors but after reading this thread I'm not so sure. I haven't really experienced (either first hand or witnessed) any bad driving by driving instructors. Seen plenty of bad driving by taxi drivers though - mostly parking actually, they think they can literally pull up anywhere regardless of how dangerous or how much they are blocking the road.

I don't think in ACT you need any special qualification to be a driving instructor. Just need a car and a licence.

[gorilla monsoon]

Exactly. Wouldn't be around Sherwood at all?
IMO it should be next to impossible to obtain an instructors qualification. I'm sure there would be a marked improvement in driving standards

AFAIK you don't need qualifications. Just a car, a drivers' licence and a registered business name. Might be different in Qld but I don't think so.