General conduct

General Conduct

As you read these I will fully understand if you read some of these points and think to yourself that surely no-one would behave that way. These terms and conditions are written purely from personal experience. They have, do (though thankfully rarely), and almost certainly most will be repeated at some point.

There is after all, nothing as funny as folks!

Provisional Driving Licence

If you cannot provide a UK Provisional Driving Licence then I cannot teach you. I am required by law to check the validity of your UK Provisional driving Licence at the beginning of the first driving lesson. If you have misplaced it I am not going to shout at you. Please contact me and we will rearrange the first lesson. No matter how nicely you ask I cannot provide any lessons without having checked your provisional.

Eyesight check

If you have vision corrective aids please wear them. I am also required by law to check your eyesight. This is simply achieved by asking you to read a number plate at a distance of twenty metres. This is the standard of the practical driving test as set by the DVSA.

If you have any doubt at all about your vision you can easily measure twenty metres from a parked car and see how easily you can read the number plate or alternatively consult an optician.

Voluntary code of practice

I am happy to be a signatory to the DVSA ADI Voluntary Code of Conduct.

Physical contact

The only circumstance under which I make physical contact with a pupil is if there is a need for me to take avoiding action to prevent a road traffic accident. It can happen that pupils take an observation but mis-judge distance and steer at an inappropriate time. If this happens on a roundabout then I am taking the steering wheel and if my hand is on top of yours then I am going to hold your hand for a second or two, all in the cause of preventing a road traffic accident.

Use of mobile phones during lessons

My mobile will not interrupt the lesson in any way. You are not paying me to conduct either my business or my social life. I request that you either turn yours off or set it to silent. I will not object if you need to take/make a call but not only does this interrupt the driving lesson it seems a waste of your money to me.

Medication

If you are taking any medication that comes with the advice not to drive then please understand that this includes driving lessons.

If you have any medication that you need to bring with you this is fine. I have no means of keeping medicine cool and I will take no part in the administration of medicines, eyedrops etcetera.

Smoking is prohibited

By law my car is a place of education and has to be a smoke free zone!

Abusive behaviour will not be tolerated

Abusive language

I have never abused a pupil though I have been abused, thankfully not in years. This is nearly the quickest way to terminate a driving lesson.

Physical abuse

This is the quickest way to terminate a driving lesson! You will find yourself standing on a footpath wherever we happen to be at the time. Don't know your way home? It's around here somewhere.

Drink or drug use

I have a zero tolerance policy. Not only will I terminate this driving lesson you are not coming back. I am not open to the plea that you had no idea that alcohol dissipates slowly from the body and you can still be under the influence the following morning.

Comfort

Please wear clothing and footwear that you feel is appropriate for driving. there are a couple of points that I think worth making below:

Continuing Professional Development

A commitment to Continuing Professional Development shows that your ADI is keeping up with the latest changes to the driving test and the teaching techniques that will get you there.

Clothing

Please get dressed! I am not a fashion icon but I will do not like delivering a driving lesson to a pupil wearing pyjamas or onesies.

Footwear

Different styles

If you wish to try different styles of footwear for driving there is nothing wrong with that. Comfortable air cushion soled trainers will feel different from soled shoes. Wellingtons will not work because you will press more than one pedal. The next time I see a pupil walking towards the car in high heels will not be the first; though none have yet successfully managed to complete a lesson, or usually move away from the kerb, without changing them.

open toed footwear

The law is that you must wear footwear which allows you to control the car safely and for this reason it prohibits open toed footwear. In cases where you have to move your feet unexpectedly it is easy to get flip flops for example caught or you could find yourself with your toes fractionally above the pedal but the sole underneath which is obviously a control issue. Not to mention painful.