Thread: The Big One! reverse in or reverse out! Is it Political :)

Originally Posted by AK83

I've been taking my daughter for a few lessons recently. She's old enough to have had her license for a few years now, but never really needed it. So she's asked me to help her learn more.

Very first thing I asked was "what have you learned" .. having had her mum do a few lessons, and also 5 or so paid lessons.

She didn't understand the question, which confused me now.

So I asked again but with more targetted examples.
Have you been taught about positional awareness, that is where is the car relative to all obstacles, how did they teach you that you are so close to the left or right side, how far ahead, behind .. etc .. is the body of the car compared to whatever is near you.

She still seemed confused about the questions.

So, I drove! .. her up to an industrial area that had little to no traffic at the time and showed her how to place the car on the road, what part of the car to use as a guide to how close she has the car to something outside .. etc.
First things I taught her was how to reverse, reverse park, reverse out of a park spot and driveway, how, and best places to do U turns .. way before I took her onto the road to actually drive a bit.

I think this is the reason for the majority of idiots on the road today, they aren't taught the simplest of basics, maybe other than parallel parking or something stupid like that.

You teach people basic skills, and the rest comes easy. That is, don't teach them to parallel park, teach them how to reverse in all sorts of situations, and any maneuver that involves reversing is understood, not just memorised once then forgotten.

So we drove around for about an hour, her confidence getting better, then back into an empty car parking area, and teaching her to drive into a park spot(forward) then reverse out and reverse into another one a few spaces to either side, trying at all times to use just mirrors, and not turn head.

I jumped out (to have my smoko) and gave her instructions on which bay I wanted her to drive into.

Couple of observations. I got my licence on my 18th birthday in 1971. It was an ambition, almost a matter of pride, to do so. In order to pass I had to answer questions on the road rules at the time. The questions were random so you needed to know. I think the only one that everybody in Vic got asked was the one about which intersections had Melbourne's infamous "Hook Turns". There were five then, and I think you got asked even if you lived in Mildura... But, then you got the practical test. This included parallel parking, reversing, lane positioning ( not many multi lanes back then, so it was a test if you could stay in the one you had ) and the one that caught a few out, the "hill start". Nearly all cars were manuals. The road law test was NOT multiple choice, and it checked if you had been bothered to study, and the road test was real world, in real cars. Failure was not uncommon. These days so much of the test is on a computer. How that tests whether you can control a car or not is beyond me.
Another thing is that so much testing is farmed out. When I first reacquired my heavy licence I went with an instructor, but the test was carried out at a VicRoads heavy vehicle testing facility, by VicRoads testers. Years later, when I went for my MC the test was carried out by the company doing the instructing.
I believe that the terrible lack of skills shown these days is a product of poor instruction and poorer testing. But hey, if you watch your speedo like a hawk you'll be fine.
In Vic we have these "diaries" learners are supposed to keep showing the hours of "instruction" from parents. How many of those are filled out with honesty? How many parents are qualified these days to teach?

As for granny not being able to reverse park, well until recently she probably never had to.

Hi,
The problem with "farmed out" testing services is the financial incentive to fail the candidate to generate further income.
Cheers

Originally Posted by austastar

Hi,
The problem with "farmed out" testing services is the financial incentive to fail the candidate to generate further income.
Cheers

In the transport industry I believe it's the other way around. Those guys talk, while waiting in various locations, to each other. A culture of failing people for profit would get around quickly by WOM, just as being likely to give a "pass" is. People aren't going to choose the more difficult path voluntarily, and they ask questions of mates or relatives who have already done the test as to which tester to choose. Making things more difficult is a quick way to empty booking sheets.

I can't speak for other industries. I am not a super truck driver in the way Ian is, but I'm better than those I see being churned out today, and the need for more drivers in the industry currently is only exacerbating this.

Originally Posted by Tins

In the transport industry I believe it's the other way around. Those guys talk, while waiting in various locations, to each other. A culture of failing people for profit would get around quickly by WOM, just as being likely to give a "pass" is. People aren't going to choose the more difficult path voluntarily, and they ask questions of mates or relatives who have already done the test as to which tester to choose. Making things more difficult is a quick way to empty booking sheets.

I can't speak for other industries. I am not a super truck driver in the way Ian is, but I'm better than those I see being churned out today, and the need for more drivers in the industry currently is only exacerbating this.

Sort of OT or not, but what concerns me is how many student drivers get taken into the hills at night or any other time? I would bet not many.

Not much of a driver if you can't follow a twisty white line & keep your eyes open for oncoming cars etc.

SiL will not drive up Greenhill/ Lobethal Road but takes the long way around & up the Freeway (M1) FFS!


Some of the worst bastard drivers I have seen are Driving School Instructors alone in their emblazoned vehicle driving like turds. Not a good look.

I am not a super truck driver in the way Ian is

Didn't know that Ian drove a Fertilizer Truck.

Originally Posted by 4bee

Didn't know that Ian drove a Fertilizer Truck.

I take it you haven't met him