Driving lessons faux pas

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This topic will not be of much interest to people living in the Philippines - where I was able to buy a drivers license for PHP 350 pesos and NO TEST whatsoever in 1995. (Things may have changed since then...

You probably have to pay over PHP 500 for a pass result in your "driving test" now???)

I passed my UK car driver's test, first time around, in 1975 - at the tender age of 17

Now, I know that things have got more difficult these days - and this was confirmed when it took me two attempts to get through my bike test, fairly recently...

But here is an interesting storey regarding one of my driving instructors for my car test...

I literally sacked my first driving instructor ONE WEEK before my test for taking control of the vehicle without any good cause whatsoever. I was furious with him and I made HIM drive me back to the college where I was staying at the time. That left me without a vehicle for my test. But I found another instructor, with an available vehicle for my test. It cost me an hour's lesson every day for the remaining 7 days before my test - (only way he would agree to providing a car at such short notice) - and I passed with flying colors and a smiling examiner!

The incident where I sacked my first instructor? Well. Number one, I was paying HIM, afterall - not the other way around. I hadn't paid him for that lesson yet and I had absolutely NO intention of paying him unless he drove me back to the college. I was only 17 at the time.

Number two... The driving instructor was totally wrong and to this day I don't regret or feel sorry for what I did. He said "Take the second left." We were actually passing a left turn at the time that he said this - but he didn't make it clear which second left he meant... (The one after the turn that we were already passing or the second one after the one coming up?)

The best thing was that the car was dual control... So as he jammed HIS break on, simultaneously depressing HIS clutch - and yanked HIS steering wheel to the left, I held rigidly on to MY steering wheel and kept trying to keep going strait!!!

(Don't forget, I was only a learner and I simply wasn't happy taking the turn that it transpired was the one he actually meant, at the speed that we were still doing?)

Better, still... As he had his feet on HIS brake and HIS clutch peddle, I still had my foot on MY accelerator!!!!

Result? A car right up on the pavement, (sidewalk,) with an engine revving at about 6,000 rpm!!!!

And, when I finally removed my foot from MY accelerator peddle - a stalled and totally gassed-up engine that wouldn't start again for at least 5 minutes!

He he he!!! Served the old bugger right!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-)