Every major city will have many emergency vehicles on the roads at any given time. Drivers can often over react to the approach of these vehicles actually creating danger in the process. Dealing with emergency vehicles can be a panic situation for learners so driver trainers need to be equipped to teach the correct way to deal with this calmly and confidently.
Learners will often give an instant panic reaction to the sound of a vehicle siren. Being inexperienced, pupils feel they have much less confidence and feel they are somehow trespassing on the road. This leads to a good deal of guessing that other motorists are annoyed by them leading to inconsistent driving. The situation is made worse upon the learner driver hearing an emergency vehicle siren and not being able to see the vehicle immediately. Sirens can be heard well before the vehicle is close enough to require a driving response and the direction the emergency vehicle is approaching from can be difficult to pinpoint owing to the echoing nature of the sound. Learner drivers are accustomed to hearing sirens when walking down the street but panic can be almost instant when they are in the driving school car.
The first thing to teach a learner driver is to stay calm and continue driving until the emergency vehicle can be seen in either the mirrors or by looking ahead. When they know which direction vehicle is coming from then they can begin to plan. Plan to move out of the way as soon as possible. A learner driver's first reaction is to slow down which is often the wrong course of action. Keep the traffic flow moving so as not to block the emergency vehicle. Select a safe place to pull up. Often during driving lessons learners will panic and pull up opposite parked cars leaving insufficient room for any vehicles to get passed. This has been a reason for failure on many tests. Hitting the kerb to get up onto the pavement is also less than ideal. There is a risk to pedestrians and of tyre damage if the kerb is struck with enough force. It is the job of driving instructors to calm pupils and assist them in finding a safe and convenient place to stop.
Learner drivers need to be reminded that you cannot just break the law to clear the way for an emergency vehicle. It is illegal and dangerous to go through a red traffic light to make way and drivers of emergency vehicles will not expect you to do this. Drivers can be fined for entering bus lanes iduring their hours of operation even to let an ambulance past so learners must be taught to avoid this. Breaking the speed limit is also illegal, even in a good cause.
Driving Instruction Check Test Criteria – Risk Management
The test of continued fitness to instruct is changing for driving instructors in order to take a more client centred approach. This replaces a system which placed importance on fault finding and demands more direct pupil involvement. Risk management is a main topic in the new version of the test so let's take a look at this.
Teaching Roundabouts on Driving Lessons
Today's roads feature some very busy and complex roundabouts. Multi lane roundabouts with multiple junctions and tight mini roundabouts occur in close proximity to each other. These environments demand a wide range of driving skills. Let's look at what driver trainers need to teach regarding roundabouts.
What are Traffic Light Workshop Schemes?
When a motorist fails to stop at a red light they may opt to take a traffic light workshop course. This replaces endorsement points and a fine. The course is designed to make motorists aware of the danger of failing to stop at red traffic lights and hopefully change driver behaviour.
