What the ADI Part 3 Doesn’t Teach You About Driver Behaviour

Dave Allen ‘A’ Grade Driver Training

Introduction

Are we the short-term botch repair person or the long-term road safety professional?

Why is driving behaviour not being addressed?

Whilst you have been working you must have noticed the poor actions of other road users whilst conducting your lessons, with other road users committing all sorts of things for any number of reasons.

We would never like to see our pupils doing these things, would we?

Future Behaviour

After passing their test, a new driver’s behaviour will depend on:

• Themselves
• The environment they drive in
• Their thoughts, feeling and beliefs

As an instructor I have come up with several techniques that can take more than a few minutes to apply.

I know they will have huge benefits over the long term, after my pupils passed their driving tests.

Hopefully they will come up with behaviour coping strategies or at least be aware that they are impaired and have the emotional intelligence to deal with it.

Current Pass Criteria

The qualification process to be an ADI is not comprehensive enough to train new driving instructors to help pupils with future behaviour issues.

The Hermes project in 2010, highlighted the main causes of collisions which were to do with the higher levels of the GDE, which are the journey and the person, not the lower levels which are vehicle control skills and road procedure.

At present, it’s quite possible to pass an ADI Part 3 at a low score by just keeping the vehicle safe and fixing mistakes that your pupil makes.

This can be done without a good all-round knowledge of safe driving practices as you only have to demonstrate enough knowledge for that particular pupil at the time of the ADI Part 3.

Whilst another pupil on a different lesson might require more information to help them succeed.

So, in theory we are making short-term fixes to problems that may require more careful and deeper analysis of the root causes.

This deeper solution would affect the learner, not only in later lessons but after they leave you when they pass.

Example

The pupil tries to emerge out in front of another vehicle at a T-Junction, you stop them and then park up very shortly afterwards to discuss.

Your relationship with your pupil is quite good and they feel comfortable enough to explain their actions.

From the pupil’s perspective, this happened because they felt pressured by the vehicles behind, thinking that other drivers were cursing them – something that your pupil has witnessed before as a passenger.

The appropriate tool to use here would be Cognitive Behavioral Coaching (CBC) or the NLP Meta model to challenge or update their thoughts.

Both of these techniques require more than a few minutes at the side of the road.

Long-term behaviour change matters, as your pupil needs to know how to respond under pressure from other road users in future situations.

Problem

If you are only trained to fix issues in the short term, long-term issues don’t get resolved.

This might be because ADI examiners like to keep the vehicle moving, so they can see how you manage risk.

Solution

Enter the long-term road safety professional.

Our job is important even though other members of the public might not think so or treat us with the respect we deserve.

If you come into this industry just to make a quick buck by thinking you can sit in the passenger seat and do nothing, I’m afraid you’ve picked the wrong profession.

Being a long-term road safety professional is a win-win situation.

First Win

Your pupil gains a deeper understanding of how thoughts and emotions can affect their driving ability, and a greater awareness of their emotional control or lack thereof.

Second Win

Having a reputation for professionalism is a net benefit for the success of your business, helping to establish and build long-term trust with potential and future customers.

You build on this because professionals look, think and act like professionals through continuous reflection and development.

Third Win

You are doing your bit for road safety.

Unfortunately the UK has fallen behind Europe as the training of drivers hasn’t changed and is mainly a fault focused approach.

Takeaway

However, it must be said if you were to start using coaching, NLP or Behavioural Change Techniques on an ADI Part 3 or Standards Check, would you pass if you had to get your pupil to use critical thinking skills and ignore faults.

I will let you decide that for yourself!

Dave Allen
‘A’ Grade Driver Training