Watching the learner

Watching the learner is an essential skill for driving instructors, and this is where we start to rethink our relationship wit the "front passenger seat", in our workplace this seat has a more important purpose, it is the instructors' seat.  It is from here we are going to be offering knowledge, advice, support, encouragement and guidance.  None of which we can do productively with out really knowing what is going on.

Many trainee (and qualified) instructors are so busy watching the road ahead that they miss the obvious causal-issues that arise inside the car. The irony is that they watch the road in order to keep the car safe, when you are undergoing in car learning with your instructor you will perform exercises to demonstrate that the instructor can keep the car ‘safer’ by simply watching the learner effectively.

For example:

A learner is at a junction turning left.

In order to keep everyone safe the instructor looks left to check all is ok, recognising the learner is looking right. As they exit the junction the learner drives out wide crossing onto the oncoming lane and the instructor needs to stop the vehicle as a lorry is approaching. This causes a lot of friction and upset in the car.

Had the instructor been watching the learner correctly they would have seen them staring right, not looking left at all, this will have an influence on the direction of the vehicle. Before even crossing the line the instructor would have told the learner to stop and ask questions relevant to observation, where is the learner driver looking and why.  The danger of the oncoming lorry would not have been an immediate issue as the instructor will not allow the learner to proceed without appropriate observation.

Driving errors can manifest themselves in many ways – but they all start with the driver. When instructors know what the driver is doing and how the driver appears to be feeling, they will be much better placed to identify and work with mistakes and omissions and to develop other aspects of driving.

Here is an exercise you can practice when out with other drivers, Remember that you are not there to try and adapt the driving styles of family or friends but take advantage of watching them drive to gain some valuable reference  points for in car learning.

This exercise is not about ‘spotting mistakes’ – although some may become apparent, I suggest you bite your tongue unless you believe there is a real safety issue.  This exercise is about awareness of what the driver is doing/not doing. This awareness becomes the foundation for remedial action and development.

The exercise is designed to give you an insight into how you would study a learner as a driving instructor in order to spot faults at a later date but ultimately how to keep the car safe. to watch the learner effectively whilst keeping the car safe.

The exercise:  With a friend or family member driving tell them you will be watching them when they approach and turn corners and junctions exit junctions onto major roads.  You will need to watch the driver quite intently so if they are uncomfortable with this find some one who is comfortable with being watched.

As you are approaching any kind of turn / junction / exiting a junction turn your head and face the driver, look directly at their jaw line.  Watch how they check their mirrors, watch them and observe their observation practices approaching the manoeuvre, try to watch them until they are fully into the new road and driving away, then and only then, look forward.  Try to avoid looking into the new road, try to avoid looking where you are going.  Remember you are not a driver in the passenger seat, you are an instructor in the instructors seat. 

During the workshop we will discuss how you felt during the exercise, in particularly how you felt about not looking where you are going.  How this helps with understanding driver actions and observations and safety aspects.