Safe Speed Forums

But then --- think back to the learner days - remember the idiot (always one ) that was impatient. I know i do ,after 40 years - and i try to give learners room/ show them patience and try to show them that courtesy costs nothing. And above all , i'll try and anticipate their moves ,and be in a position where i can assist them to carry out what they want to do.
Worth a few minutes of time to show courtesy to learners - they might just pass it on to learners after they've passed - and keep the courtesy snowball rolling.

Thats what is mising on our roads today - courtesy/patience / understanding. The lack of it causes more jams than Robertsons.
Pass the habit on to learners - and hope the ideas snowball.

I've been behind plenty of drivers who aren't learners who take ages to pull away when the lights are green and they've got no excuses. You've got to teach learners how to drive properly when they pass. If they never learn to pull away promptly when learning, then they won't do so when they are finally driving on their own (assuming they get through the test somehow).

While I agree with being tolerant and patient of learner drivers, you also have to take into account the common good of the traffic on the road. The first car behind the learner stuck at the traffic lights may see the L-plates and be ready for a mistake or delay, but the 5th car back who can't see the L-plates is going to get frustrated when the lights have turned green and red again and no-one has moved. I keep reminding SWMBO that the L-plates she's got on have saved her in a few situations where driver's around her were clearly ready for her errors.

I'm teaching SWMBO in London too, so any delays from her tend to cause gridlock pretty quickly. Being able to pull away at lights, T-junctions and roundabouts and timing gaps in moving traffic are vital in urban driving. Making the car go within a second of you wanting it to is a vital skill a learner needs. Faffing around trying to find the biting point while rolling back into the X5 behind you is not a good thing!