Social Media is big business.  Not only for the companies themselves, but also for its millions of users who are using it to promote their businesses.

Having in excess of 1,000 ADI Facebook friends, I am in a privileged position to share thoughts, information and ideas with others in an instant, learn new things, gauge opinion by asking a question, or even advertise to my target audience if I need to.  But it would be very easy to alienate myself from my colleagues and potential customers if I wasn’t careful about how I use this fantastic (and free!) network.

Now I’m certainly no expert, but over the years I have noticed a fair few ADIs who are far less careful, and I have seen reputations tarnish within seconds of posting an inappropriate comment or picture.  This article is by no means intended as an attack on these individuals – in fact, quite the opposite!  I write it in the hope that ADIs new to Facebook can learn from the mistakes of others (including myself – I’m no saint!), and avoid pressing the ‘self-destruct’ button when it comes to joining the wonderful Social Media revolution.

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The bay park exercise can be one of the most frustrating to teach and to learn.  Getting the car in between the two white lines first time isn’t always easy, especially from a 90 degree angle to the bay, and when there are no other parked cars in the adjacent bays to help guide you.

But does it have to be done this way?  Not at all!

Two common myths among learner drivers (and even some instructors) seem to be that on driving test day:

1.       You have to park from a 90 degree angle, and
2.       You will fail your driving test if you don’t get the car into the bay in one movement.

A recent trainee driving instructor I was training believed the above to be true because she was told this by her previous ADI trainer.  Many other instructors will have been told the same by their trainers.  Inevitably, this gets passed on to the learner driver.  They too believe they have to carry out the bay park from a 90 degree angle and complete it first time.

The ‘90 degree’ method

The ‘90 degree’ method is often the preferred option by instructors for the following reasons:

• It can be easier to develop a ‘method’
• It helps them relate to the reverse around a corner exercise
• It can encourage the learners to not rely on their mirrors as much.

It can be easier to use reference points from a right angle to the bay, but this relies on the driver starting the manoeuvre from the same distance from the bays, and the width of the bays being the same in each car park.  If these conditions are met, this method regularly results in success.

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Wouldn’t it be great if we could help reduce or even eliminate the crash rates for young drivers?

Road crashes are the biggest killer of young people.  In 2009, 11 young people were killed and 125 more were seriously injured every week in Great Britain.

Chris Dale was one of those killed.  He was hit as he crossed a road in Oldham by a young speeding driver, showing off to his 2 female passengers.  Read a news article about the incident here.

Becca, Chantel & Charlotte

Charlotte Kilroy & Chantel Birtwistle of Oldham Youth Council decided something needed to be done.  They, along with Chris’ sister, Becca Dale created ‘Every Life Matters – The Chris Dale Campaign’ (ELM).

They have campaigned tirelessly with fantastic results.  After 8 deaths on the same stretch of road, ELM succeeded in their campaign for not one but two speed cameras to be erected close to where Chris and others were killed.

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‘Coaching’ is seen as a dirty word by some driving instructors, not surprising with some of the industry media attention it’s attracted.  But can all instructors embrace the benefits of coaching?  Do you think you use coaching already?  Read on and decide for yourself!

To illustrate effective coaching in action, let’s take one example of a risk increasing factor – passengers.  Any distraction can increase the risk of a driver crashing, we all know that.  But the distraction of carrying passengers and the effects of peer pressure are quite often a contributory factor as to why young drivers crash, especially young male drivers.  How do you address this issue with your learners?

As driving instructors, we’re in a unique position to deal with this issue before it results in your learner becoming just another statistic once they pass their test.  You may deal with this issue with your learners already, e.g. you may advise them not to be distracted by passengers, to ask the passengers to be quiet, or perhaps even to avoid carrying passengers, where possible.  And young people have this uncanny ability to let things go in one ear… and out of the other.  In actual fact, some have the determination to do exactly the opposite of what they are told (‘advised’).  I know I did at that age!  Not surprising then that this approach to dealing with crash causation factors, although meant with good intention, will not have a great deal of effect.

Coaching enables the coachee to experience and to learn, to make errors and to find solutions.

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“Hi Ged & Claire.  I failed my Part 3 test last week and the examiner told me that although I spotted all his faults and tried to fix them pretty well, my fault analysis needed work.  But I’m not sure where I went wrong, because I did what my trainer had told me.  For every fault, I asked him why he did it, but he just said, “I dunno” or “not sure”, and at one point he acted really defensive.  Is my trainer right, or was my examiner just having a bad day?”  Jim (PDI)

Thanks for your question, Jim.  Fault analysis, the second of the three main core competencies on the Part 3 test and ADI Check Test, is often an area of weakness for PDIs and ADIs, so hopefully I can help clear things up for you!

To explain the basic principles of the core competencies in simple terms, imagine you have terrible stomach pain and decide to pay a visit to your local GP.  After entering his room and briefly explaining your symptoms to the doctor (IDENTIFYING the problem), what would his next step be?  Is he likely to ask:

a)    “Why do you have stomach pain?” or
b)    “When did the pain start?  Where is the pain, specifically?  Are there any circumstances in which it is better/worse?”

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“Hello Ged, I’m looking to get your opinion on the “use of signals”.  A discussion has started up in our local association with regards to following traffic and giving signals.

Some say that once you have stopped and taken up position in a meeting situation, you should put on your signal to show your attention to all parties. Others say that you should solely use your vehicle position to show your intention and no signal is required.

Basically, would you give a signal every time you are stopped from making progress?

Another question on signals also came up today – some instructors are saying that when changing back to lane 2 or lane 1 on dual carriageways or motorways that we should always give a signal.  Would you say that it’s necessary?

I would be interested to find out your opinion on these points and pass them on to the association.”

This is a regular topic of discussion with many PDIs that are working towards their Part 2, and I also often come across it when assessing ADIs in preparation for their Check Test.  In a nutshell, many PDIs and ADIs are guilty of trying to create a ‘one rule fits all’ approach.  In the modern world, this just isn’t workable – there are far too many factors to take into account, and besides, a good driver should be able to decide if and when a signal is appropriate, or when one could lead to confusion or even danger.

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Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of being asked to give a presentation on Coaching & NLP with Kathy Higgins at the MSA (NW) Seminar & AGM.

It was a truly excellent day, with some great speakers.  Towards the end of the event, Peter Harvey (MSA’s National Chairman) gave delegates lots of latest industry news, having very recently met with the new Minister for Transport, Mike Penning.

Mr Penning is the person responsible for the decision to cease the publication of test routes and the theory test questions, so it appears he is not afraid to take immediate steps to change our industry.  A few interesting things appear to be coming our way, which will obviously not come without much controversy!

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Mike Penning MP

Road Safety Minister, Mike Penning, has announced that the DSA will cease publishing the theory test multiple choice questions  Tests taken from 1st January 2012 will be generated using new, unpublished questions.

This decision follows the move to stop publishing practical driving test routes from October this year, making it easier for examiners to test a learner’s ability rather than their capability to memorise routes.

The decision will ensure that learners have better knowledge and understanding of the theory of driving.  It will also ensure they have prepared well for the theory test rather than just learning answers from the published question bank.

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With effect from Monday 1st November 2010, the Driving Standards Agency will accept vehicles fitted with any type of electronic parking brake on practical driving tests.

Electronic parking brakes had until recently mainly been fitted to some higher specification vehicles, but now more mid-range vehicles are having them fitted, too, including the popular new Vauxhall Astra.

Marie Law DSA ADI, with her new driving school car

Until now, the DSA had refused the use of any vehicle fitted with this technology on driving tests, which in recent times has meant that ADIs have been restricted as to which training vehicle they choose. Marie Law, a driving instructor with Latics Driver Training in Oldham had been unaware of this restriction when she recently traded in her 2006 Vauxhall Astra at her local dealership in Rochdale for a brand new 2010 model which arrived with an electronic parking brake. After voicing her concerns, the salesman assured her that all new Vauxhalls were being fitted with the new parking brake. As Marie had purchased the car through Vauxhall’s Driving Instructor scheme, she took his word for it and drove off in her new car.

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“Hey Ged.. I got a really difficult pupil later. Good control of the car but in a ‘boy racer’ way. Very impatient, slightly aggressive to other road users, especially cyclists. He does know all the dangers/hazards but has the ‘it’s their own fault’ attitude. Any advice?”

Great question! Firstly, the problems of attitude, peer pressure, etc, cannot be dealt with on a superficial level, which ‘traditional’ driving instruction deals with. Rather than concentrate on the dangers/hazards OUTSIDE the car, this guy needs to take a closer examination of the dangers/hazards WITHIN the car, or more specifically… the person sat in the driving seat. For this reason, I would definitely deal with this issue using a coaching approach.

I would first start off by suggesting that this be carried out at the start of the lesson. It may take 10 minutes or so, so if you are conscious of the time taken to do this, ask if it’s ok for the lesson to run over by 10 minutes. Then say something along the lines of, “OK, so what I’d like to do this afternoon is to explore what your thoughts are on driving. So I just want to ask you a few questions to find out your opinions; some of these may be a little challenging, but I’d like you to answer as honestly as you can – that way you’ll get the full benefit. Is that OK with you?”

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