You failed your test for....

[sunnyjim]

I had to fight off an attempted push off the road / left hook from a BSM car (single occupant) a couple of weeks ago. Local shop not interested, but bloke at BSM main office sounded like he would do something. AIUI BSM is a franchise operation, so presumably the guy could be removed pretty quickly if they wanted to avoid this sort of bad publicity.

I thought that a display of bad driving from a 'driving instructor' especially in a highly visible liveried vehicle would have been rare but this thread suggests otherwise.

 

[BentMikey]

Bad luck mate! These things have a habit of happening at the worst possible time!

Anyway, as you drive more, you'll get more experience. My rule is, "If someone looks like they might be about to do something stupid, then they probably are!".

Good luck on your next test; I am sure you'll find it much easier (I passed on my second attempt!).

I think you might have misread that - I took it that Bollo was the cyclist.

 

[Bollo]

The industrial park where I work is often used by instructors for beginner lessons as the roads are generally very quiet. I've never been hugely impressed by the teaching, as they're one of the worst offenders for close passes.

It'll depend on the company, but most driving schools work on a franchise basis. The instructor pays a fee to have AA or BSM emblazoned on their car. As long as the subs are up to date, the host company usually couldn't give a flying eff about complaints.

 

[Tinuts]

I had to fight off an attempted push off the road / left hook from a BSM car (single occupant) a couple of weeks ago. Local shop not interested, but bloke at BSM main office sounded like he would do something. AIUI BSM is a franchise operation, so presumably the guy could be removed pretty quickly if they wanted to avoid this sort of bad publicity.

I thought that a display of bad driving from a 'driving instructor' especially in a highly visible liveried vehicle would have been rare but this thread suggests otherwise.

Yes, I saw a BSM driver reverse from a side road out onto the main carriageway - all whilst talking on his mobile phone. Yesterday got passed too close twice by the same twat of an instructor in an AA driving school vehicle.

 

[John the Monkey]

... as they're one of the worst offenders for close passes.

I find that for driving school cars too, regardless of whether they have a pupil on board or not.

 

[BentMikey]

Yes, I saw a BSM driver reverse from a side road out onto the main carriageway - all whilst talking on his mobile phone. Yesterday got passed too close twice by the same twat of an instructor in an AA driving school vehicle.

Hope you filmed it and put it on youtube? That might get the franchisers to start caring a little.

 

[hackbike 666]

This is scary but probably not surprising if this is what the driving instructors are allowing during the training of new drivers.

 

[Joe24]

In Preston during my LEJOG I had a driving instructor lean out of his window (whilst teaching) and shout at me to get in the cycle path

Ive had that aswell. It was BSM.
I complained, and the manager called up. Gave me some rubbish, apparently the driving instructor told her to say sorry to me, but i 'should have been in the cycle lane' he called up the police to check(although the manager never said that he found out he was wrong)
But apparently i called him a moron. To which i said, "no, i didn't call him a moron, i called him a ****ing retard"
Which i think shocked her

The driving instructor in this case grabbed the wheel and moved over closer to me.

If only he had pulled in, i would have loved to have slammed his face into the tarmac infront of his learner, which he was trying to show off to.

Another time(which very nearly put me off cycling) was when a learner driver came to come past me, on a blind courner, which i was in primary on(was aa this time) and he was on the complete wrong side of the road. Coming face to face with him was another car, i was signalling for the driver to get back in, but no he couldn't listen to the cyclist, and my frantic waving and shouting "get in there's a car"
But, it was my fault, i was in the middle of the road. Heckling from drivers behind pissed me off more, and i just charged home.
It pissed me off so much, that i got home, punched doors and walls, then lay in my bed.
That was nearly the point where i hung up my helmet and cycling shoes and said that's it.

 

[thomas]

Ive had that aswell. It was BSM.
I complained, and the manager called up. Gave me some rubbish, apparently the driving instructor told her to say sorry to me, but i 'should have been in the cycle lane' he called up the police to check(although the manager never said that he found out he was wrong)
But apparently i called him a moron. To which i said, "no, i didn't call him a moron, i called him a ****ing retard"
Which i think shocked her

My driving instructor and examiner were both fine...however, once crossing the road with a group of friends. This crossing doesn't have lights for peds, and as the road was reasonably clear I start to cross. This learner (or more correctly the instructor), rather than just slowing down slightly, kept going at the same speed with the instructor holding the horn down. If I was by myself I would have just stood there and made them do an emergency stop.

 

[skrx]

My driving instructor and examiner were both fine...

It's easier when you've got rails... :-D

 

[thomas]

It's easier when you've got rails... :-D

That Thomas the Tank Engine reference took me about a minute to get ...Nah, I passed a car driving licence first time - every single criticism the examiner had I thought was entirely reasonable and was taken on board....so when people start blaming the instructor for them failing just ignore them.

 

[Bollo]

Was the passenger wearing a hi-vis vest? If so then the pupil was out on test, if not then it may have been just a mock exam. Even so you would think that the examiner/instructor would use the dual-controls.

I couldn't say for sure, but he might well have been thinking back. Its a roundabout that I treat with caution anyway as the layout encourages people to drive through the junction in question without scrubbing off any speed if they can help it. I was covering my brakes, the instructor/examiner was probably covering the duals. No real harm done.

 

[fossyant]

It pissed me off so much, that i got home, punched doors and walls, then lay in my bed.
That was nearly the point where i hung up my helmet and cycling shoes and said that's it.

That's your Testosterone you haven't learnt to deal with.......yet......

Hard you kids are....until............. BE SAFE...........

 

[PBancroft]

I couldn't say for sure, but he might well have been thinking back. Its a roundabout that I treat with caution anyway as the layout encourages people to drive through the junction in question without scrubbing off any speed if they can help it. I was covering my brakes, the instructor/examiner was probably covering the duals. No real harm done.

Which roundabout was it?

 

[Joe24]

That's your Testosterone you haven't learnt to deal with.......yet......

Hard you kids are....until............. BE SAFE...........

It was more the fact i couldnt see the point in going out to do something, and being given shoot by a bunch of dickhead motorists, for a learner driver, and instructor being complete and utter ****ing ****, and me getting the blame.
Waste of time going to the police, so they are basicly untouchable. I can email the company, and its not treated serious, so whats the point? They can do what they **** they like, and often do, but will give shoot to cyclists for how they ride, trying to ride safe, and moaning that cyclists just do what they want.
There is no point in complaining, there is no point in saying anything, "you were in the middle of the road"
"yeh well, you were ****ing overtaking on a blind bend, i was in a safe position and trying to stop you overtaking when i saw the car"
"you shouldnt be in the middle of the road"
Its the same old thing pretty much every time something happens.
And then ofcourse you get the driver, who wants to just take it out on the cyclist because they have had a bad day, which ice had happen to me a few times, which gets annoying after abit.
Im a ****ing person, with a home to go to, that im often trying to get to, and a girlfriend, and friends, and family, i dont want this twat knocking me off, because hes had a hard day, or is giving up fags, or has had a bad day at work, or an arguement with their wife.
Just goes to add to the point of, why the **** am i still cycling, and wasting my money on cycling equipment