driving instructor and phone

Blackpool_Saver

Apart from the dangers of not concentrating fully on the learner, it is downright rude. You are paying for the instructors time, the phone should switched OFF

webtalk

Blackpool_Saver wrote: »

Apart from the dangers of not concentrating fully on the learner, it is downright rude. You are paying for the instructors time, the phone should switched OFF

:T:T:T

Quite right. You are not paying him to talk to people.

He is taking liberties.

Jack_Regan

londonTiger wrote: »

the whole dont talk while you're on the phone thing is really silly. We're allowed to talk and drive (with hands free) a few years ago we were actually allowed to have the handset in our hands while we're driving!!

IMO a driving instructor is skilled enough to multi task and talk on the phone while ensuring the student is safe. Obviously it depends on the level of proficiency of the student. I rememebr during the latter perioud during my driving lessons just before I was ready to take the exams the examiner would take sales calls.

I personally didn't care, instructor knew I was competent enough and the road was safe enough. A lot of driving insutrors are independants and they get students calling them to arrange lessons - they also get first timer lessons too. It's important for them to be able to take the call.

Shame that your opinion of someone you're never met and the law differ.

How many tests did you take, or was the examiners call a one off?

alastairq

I teach, instruct, coach, mentor full time on aspects associated with driving, vehicles, and accompanying procedures.
My victims vary from 17 year-olds who have just passed their tests, to ancient fossils who have held licences for many years.....I currently [by choice] have little to do with licence acquisition, but have done so for many years..and can continue to do so should my employer's business case demand it.

My work involves one-to-one, two-to-one, or twenty-plus-to-one instructor-student ratios....and can involve in-vehicle, or area, or classroom environments, depending on what part of what course I'm involved in at the time.

'On' road, and 'off-road'...

I do not answer my mobile phone under any circumstances whilst with students for any reason......

I consider the use of a mobile phone in such circumstances to be rude and disrespectful to my students.

Even though they themselves are not paying for my time of skills.

The advent of the mobile phone in general usage has, in my view, placed extreme strains upon normal social and professional interactions..manners and courtesy have taken a back seat.

I find its intrusion, and use, during personal interaction to be rude, and ignorant.

Yet, to be [rudely] interrupted when in conversation by the mobile phone [and the subsequent 'cut-off' of proceedings by the party answering it], seems to be accepted as the 'norm' nowadays.

The mobile phone has acquired a social priority far beyond what {I, personally] find acceptable.

The distraction they provide has now been deemed of paramount importance..more so than simply apologising when walking into someone whilst texting.

Instead of being apologetic for allowing the mobile phone to intrude, one is expected to be apologetic for intruding on the mobile phone.

robatwork

Regardless of whether you feel happy with it or not....if you had an accident while he was on the phone...perhaps injured someone seriously - he would be in deep doo-doo.

And rightly

Vicmeldrew

robatwork wrote: »

Regardless of whether you feel happy with it or not....if you had an accident while he was on the phone...perhaps injured someone seriously - he would be in deep doo-doo.

And rightly

If the learner had an accident the instructor would be in deep doo doo whether phone related or not. Last I heard, there wasn't much call for walking instructors.

Intersting that cabbies can use two way radios without falling could of the law though. Much difference?

[Deleted User]

Not many cabbies use radios these days, round my area at least. Most are high tech with little screens and chip and pin pads etc.

Driving_Instructor

Seeing some of the comments here has made my blood boil :mad:
a) its illegal to supervise a learner whilst on the phone;


b)the instructor in question is NOT setting a good example from the start, as you are paying them for! What other laws will they ignore next at their convenience ........?

c)even using hands free is a distraction, there are plenty of articles warning about it,



d) learner drivers are notoriously unpredictable ( I should know ) and the instructor needs to be on the ball ALL of the time for the sake of everyone on the road.

I did want to post some links but as a newbie I am not allowed :mad::mad::mad::mad:

atrixblue.-MFR-.

my driving instructor never picked up a mobile phone when i was learning, he had them on and IF family emergency they had to ring him twice in quick succession for him to tell me to pull over so he could take the call, this was when there were no points for it.

if he had to cut the lesson short, he would simply pen in more time on the next lesson, if it was something he could sort over the phone he would have me pull over, note the time on a peice of paper, then depending on time of the lesson either do as above or give me a refund of part of the lesson or overlap the time onto the lesson there and then.

its simple a instructor is operating a service, if your unhappy with the service complain.

if an instructor pick the phone whilst your driving, pull over safely, turn the engine off, and give him/her the stare point at the clock, note the time, and when their done on the phone, say youve taken 10 mins on the phone wich is illegal to do, please dont do that again, im not happy you used my paying time to take care of personal or buisiness pleasures.

lister

Driving_Instructor wrote: »

Seeing some of the comments here has made my blood boil :mad:
a) its illegal to supervise a learner whilst on the phone;


b)the instructor in question is NOT setting a good example from the start, as you are paying them for! What other laws will they ignore next at their convenience ........?

c)even using hands free is a distraction, there are plenty of articles warning about it,



d) learner drivers are notoriously unpredictable ( I should know ) and the instructor needs to be on the ball ALL of the time for the sake of everyone on the road.

I did want to post some links but as a newbie I am not allowed :mad::mad::mad::mad:

Quite - all the research in the area of phone use shows no difference between handheld and handsfree usage - both create an impairment of similar level to being around the drink drive limit. The impairment is substantially larger than that created by talking to a passenger (which also impairs driving ability).

I am also a driving instructor. My phone is set to a very quiet beep while on lesson and I ignore it - it is just to let me know that between lessons I need to check it. I often have students telling me it is ok to take a look (while driving or stationary) - it is a good teaching point when this happens...

I also won't use handsfree at any time, or a satnav (they are just as bad as distracting attention from the road). I am also renowned for talking very little while driving (unless driving a new student and using the time for a little bit of teaching). I never listen to music, and only ever have the radio on while on main roads with low traffic levels, usually for a few minutes to catch the news.

22 years of driving, no accidents, no endorsements, no police stops of any kind - is not chance - and I don't drive like a nun (especially once out of my driving school car). I drive legally, robustly, and above all with 100% concentration at all times.

Students at any stage can be unpredictable at times. Just a couple of days ago I had a very compentent student attempt to turn right on the wrong side of a keep left bollard. Complete mind-blank from the student, but if I had been even slightly distracted this could have been catastrophic as there was very little vision as to what might be coming on the wrong side of the road (and the vision was better from my side than the driving seat).