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Notes
for Supervising a Learner
"When I learned to drive I had 10 lessons and passed first time", unfortunately this is not a realistic view of modern driving. The DSA driving test is very demanding. The sheer volume of traffic, the complexity of junctions, the speed of traffic and other drivers lack of manners, signals or basic understanding of the highway code make learning to drive extremely difficult for todays learners. I welcome private practice for all pupils provided it is constructive. Here are some tips to help make private practice more enjoyable and rewarding. Supervising a Learner, The Law: You must be over 21 and have held a full licence for the category of vehicle for at least 3 years. The car must have insurance cover for the learner driver. The car must have proper L plates fitted front and rear so as not restrict vision through windows. L plates must be of the prescribed size, you can't just make them up with a red biro! You must not use a mobile phone whilst supervising a learner. The supervising driver and the learner must not exceed the drink drive limits. So you can't let them drive you home from the pub! Safety: Fit an additional suction mirror so you can see what’s going on behind you. You can buy one from Halford’s for about £5. Sit in the front seat and be ready to steer the car. Don't put yourself or your learner in a dangerous situation, plan out your route. Structured learning Each lesson with an ADI is designed to develop independence in an area of the pupils driving. The syllabus follows a proven structure beginning with car control then introduces road procedure. Private practice should reflect the level of the pupils ability so that they can "practice". Ideally the private practice should deal solely with the items covered on the previous lessons. The supervising driver may need to drive the learner to the same location that I used for the lesson to allow the practice then drive home again. I am happy to give guidance on what to practice and where to practice it. "My dad says" Recent cars should be driven differently to those of 20 years ago, my tuition vehicle has disk brakes front and rear, a 6 speed gear box, cruise control and various other driver aids. As the vehicles have evolved the methods used to drive them have also evolved. I encourage block gear changing up and down the gear box where in the past this was not encouraged. I teach vehicle balance to maximise traction and control of the vehicle especially when changing speed or direction, vehicle sympathy to reduce wear and tear and help improve fuel economy. The current DSA test reflects these methods. I am happy to discuss any aspect of the DSA test with supervising drivers to ensure that my pupils gain the most benefit from their private practice. If your up for a challenge why not try the DIAmond advanced test, I can provide training for this if you are interested.  |
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