Smart Training Improving training skills is fine, but what about ADI professionalism? John relates an all-too common tale Not me, Gov! John Farlam You know the drill: pull up outside your pupil's house (preferably on a yellow line), sound the horn a couple of times and then clamber over into the passenger seat ­ being careful to scuff your dirty shoes on the driver's seat as you do so. Then, if your pupil doesn't appear immediately, you can light up a cigarette and read the paper for five minutes before blasting the horn again. I'm sure that some will berate me for criticising my fellow instructors, but my guess is that there are some instructors out there who regularly start their lessons this way (I've seen them!) While there are an increasing number of dedicated instructors doing a good job and wishing to improve their lot, and that of their pupils, there are still a lot of 'cowboys' out there who are letting the side down. The following is a true story that happened last year. It is probably about as extreme as it gets (unless you know better!). I was early for a meeting with a new client and rather than hang around waiting, I decided to take a ten minute drive around town and do some 'driving instructor spotting', a hobby I indulge in from time-to-time. The idea is to (discretely) follow an instructor's car for about five minutes and see if I can work out what the lesson is about. On this occasion, however, the instructor I spotted wasn't on a lesson. I saw a driving school car some way ahead of me with a very flat rear tyre. Being a good citizen, I decided to alert the driver as soon as possible. I followed for about 300 metres and, finally, the chance arose to pull alongside at a junction. Before this I had tried to alert the driver by flashing my lights and sounding my horn (which I figured was OK given that the situation involved danger to another moving motor vehicle). The driver wound down his window and I pointed out the problem. He seemed to be a nice guy and thanked me for my trouble. I expected him to get out then and there in order to check the wheel for himself, or to park up and investigate the problem (there was a car park virtually opposite the junction). But no. He drove on for about another 200 metres until he found a bus stop to pull into. As I drove past he gave a friendly wave of thanks. But, little did I know, there was more to come. I neglected to mention earlier that the driver had a passenger ­ possibly his mother or mother-in-law. I'm fairly certain from the passenger's reaction to the situation that she was not a pupil. I only mention this fact because when I next saw the car, this passenger was no longer on board. I duly parked my car for the day and met my client. We sat chatting for about ten minutes before heading off to our training location. As we headed towards our car park exit I saw something that I could hardly believe. The car park where I meet my clients is about a third of a mile from the bus stop where I last saw the guy with the flat tyre some twenty minutes earlier. During the intervening time he had lost his passenger and picked up a new one, who I knew was definitely not a learner. My guess is that, in order to do this, he had driven more than the third of a mile; not a problem ­ except the tyre was still flat. To be fair he was going slowly with his hazard lights flashing (illegally), and maybe I am misjudging the situation. Perhaps our friend had been unlucky enough to get a second puncture. I don't know. What I do know, however, is that driving for a mile or more when you are aware that you have a flat tyre is illegal and pretty stupid. To do this in a driving school car with decals and headboard beggars belief! But, hold on, our story has yet another twist. I have already mentioned that the driver (who I now presume to be an instructor, as I have since seen him giving lessons) had a new passenger who was definitely not a learner. The reason I knew this to be true is that five year old kids can't get a provisional licence! Another dead giveaway was that learner drivers do not usually stand up, unbelted in the front passenger foot-well with their noses pressed against the windscreen. What hope is there for this guy's pupils when he doesn't even care about the safety of a child, possibly his own, in his charge? Perhaps it's time we started screening for attitude problems rather that checking all ADIs to see if they can remember specific minutia of information that is readily available in reference books or pass an onscreen hazard perception test which, no matter how well constructed, cannot replicate 'real world' conditions. I'm almost certain that well over 99% of the ADIs in this country would not display the outrageous behaviour that I witnessed, but how well does your professionalism measure up? I think it fair to say that none of us is perfect. I was given a sharp reminder of this recently when I had a couple of clients fly to Ireland to improve their instructor training skills. Both these guys were ex-police drivers and trainers; in addition they were IAM and RoSPA examiners. With these guys sat in my car for three days, I realised just how sloppy my own driving had become since moving to Ireland. They didn't have to say anything; I just hope they noticed an improvement by the time they left! Although my interests are more in the development of better training techniques, I work in an industry that is primarily about driving. As such, if I wish to label myself as a true professional, my driving needs to be up to scratch. Until next time, keep busy and stay safe.  HOW DO YOU MEASURE UP AS A PROFESSIONAL ADI? Improving training skills is fine, but what about ADI professionalism? John relates an all-too common tale never some times often  1 Parked on yellow lines with pupils        2 Parked on yellow lines without pupils        3 Sounded my horn illegally        4 Been aggressive towards another road user        5 Been aggressive towards another road user with a pupil in the car        6 Neglected to keep my tuition vehicle clean and tidy        7 Driven (apart from lesson-to-lesson) while displaying 'L' Plates        8 Put on my seatbelt after moving off        9 Flashed my lights to give way        10 Turned up more than five minutes early or late for lessons        11 Conducted personal business during lessons (shopping, phone calls, etc.)        12 Discussed specific customers with other customers, instructors, friends etc.        13 Been dishonest with pupils with regard to test readiness, etc.        14 Been happy with a Grade 4 result on my Check Test        15 'Cheated' by rehearsing a specific lesson for Check Test        16 Failed to give pupils a copy of my 'terms of business'        17 Made a statement such as "I'll be surprised if my pupil passes" when waiting in the test centre with other instructors        18 Stopped for fuel during a lesson (other than on a planned 'service station routines' lesson)        19 Gone more than 24 hours without checking the operation of my lights/indicators        20 Gone for longer than 7 days without checking my tyres (with a gauge)        Now, for each 'never' score 6 points; for each 'sometimes' score 3 points; for each 'often' score ­2 points. Add up your score. If you have scored 90+ congratulations and keep up the good work. Anything less and you might consider why you are not charging as much for lessons as you might be. You can contact John Farlam by: email: John@smartdriving.co.uk and/or get free driving, training and business advice by visiting: www.smartdriving.co.uk