1. Never dry steer! Mover your car lightly by holding the brake pedal, THEN steer with fast hands, and slow car. This allows you to measure and control your car.
2.
Keywords "PULL" or "TURN" mean LOOK AND SIGNAL! When the examiner says,
"Pull over, pull out, Back Right/Left, turn left/right" , communicate
immediately by signaling, and turn your head immediately, then plan
how, and where to execute the maneuver!
4. Full "set back" stops. Stop dead on Yellow. Do not Roll on RED!
5. For hand over hand steering, start with the opposite hand for the turn at the top of the wheel. Hand over hand means return the left hand to 9 o'clock and right hand to 3 o'clock on the wheel. No two hands at the same place! Only use the top half of the steering wheel. This requires PRACTICE to smooth out steering.
6. When you even think of braking, Look in the Rearview Mirror! To avoid getting rear-ended. Most of the time there are escape routes forward, left and right. Always surround yourself with space for the car, and visibility for the driver!
7. Just before entering an intersection, look ahead for a horizon point, lock your arms steering straight, then check left-center, right-center for DANGER! Exaggerate turning your head! This observation is 25 % of your driver exam.
8. When roadside parking, always turn the wheel 1 circle right except UPHILL WITH CURB. Remember "Superman" UP UP AND AWAY! Or UCLA- Always right except " uphill curb left always."
9. Remember to get back into the right lane- it's the law KEEP RIGHT EXCEPT TO PASS (right lane is for slower traffic, left lane is for passing or turning left so get up to speed limits and move back to the Right lane!
10. S.I.P.D.E: Scan Identify Predict Decide Execute. Predict what's going to happen, make a decision and do it! Constantly THINK around your vehicle: What speed is it? Who's around me? What lane should I be in? TURN your head constantly, what is your next direction? Move your eyes predict another road user's behavior, and your defensive reaction.
11. Be artful and predictable. A good driver signals intentions, checks blind spots, speeds up on lane changes. Communicate with road users position yourself with the flow, get up to maximum speed limits quickly. Beware and be aware! Do not follow the poor examples of other drivers- they are not being given a road test!
12. Do not assume other drivers will stop for you- use your horn!!! Remember you must practice parallel parking and reverse parking, practice between 1-3 hours per week or you will require extra lessons.
13. Stick to the posted speed limit, within 2kms is perfect. You may only do 5km over or under the speed limited. Observation is paramount, so exaggerate your head turn when scanning intersections, or do a slow, CAREFULL blind spot check.
14. Keep your mind ahead of the car! Think and plan the 5-W's: Where am I going?, What is the speed limit? How will I get there? Should I lane change? What is the next direction? Who is around me? What should I be doing, ...turn your head!
15. If you are challenged by another motorist on a lane change, slow down, and cancel your signal, then execute your lane change. Show extreme caution at all pedestrian crosswalks, and especially within the parking lots.
The Psychology of passing Driving Tests, is based on upon my 21 years of teaching driving to students like yourself, and physically being in attendance for over 16,000 G2 and G driving tests.
Believe it, or not, 90% of all driver tests boils down to
HOW you behave behind-the-wheel for a short duration of time. In Ontario, the
G2 tests last for only 15 minutes; the G is a full 30-minutes-long test. HOW you behave in the test situation depends
on HOW you feel, what you think about during the test, what your perception and
awareness of the traffic scene, and HOW you input that sensory information into
your brain is equally as important as HOW you behave in terms of HOW you react
to that stimulus, Your surrounding field of vision, in terms of what you see
around you, and then, the examiner will scrutinize your reactions in a very
specific manner: this will determine the success to pass your driving test.
HOW we feel, is HOW we DRIVE. If you have a preconceived notion that you will FAIL your test, and you anticipate a negative result, do yourself and your driving teacher a favor, and postpone your test! Have Good Intentions, Be Attentive; COVER the HORN with both thumbs through intersections, when passing long lines of stopped traffic, or when passing peculiarly parked vehicles, near pedestrians, etc. SURROUND yourself with the winning circle of energy via the aforementioned "5-W's". Be attentive to the instructions of the examiner, and you have the recipe for success!
Similarly, WANTING the PASS with all your might, oddly ends in a negative result. Have you ever heard the expression, "as soon as I stopped looking for love, it found me?", OR, "soon after I stopped searching for that job, I had an excellent job offer the next day?". It seems, that if we invest our emotions into a driving test which tests legalality, and is a practical, logical functioning test, we suffer negative consequences. Should we have all of our friends and family in the old country rooting for us? What happens the next day if we let all of those people down? I've seen hundreds of students literally not care anymore, after struggling with the driving test, once or twice, and now they exhibit apathy towards the test. NOW the student is ready to get their license. Try to find a peaceful centering of your mind-body-heart-SPIRIT, and enter into the test relaxed, and of course prepared with adequate practice, I can tell you, it's near IMPOSSIBLE to fail!
Being ready with experience on the road is important, but it seems to account for only 10% of your test success. How you feel, What happens physically on the test route, and unfortunately the personality of the examiner, all determine the result of your test. COMMUNICATE with the Examiner! Ask questions; let them know what you are thinking in any tricky situation. Use your horn in any danger, to prevent a jay-walker, to alert a pedestrian that it is their right-of-way, cover the horn with your two thumbs (remember your hands must be a 9 and 3 o'clock on the steering wheel), whenever you go through large intersections, or proceed to turn left through them. Look at ALL 3 mirrors with EXAGERATED head movements every 5 seconds. ENFORCE the law, again by using the HORN to alert other motorists that it is your right-of-way at an ALL-WAY stop sign. Only stop ONCE at an ALL-WAY, and then proceed to take your right-of-way. Be prepared to stop TWICE at a one-way stop (a ME-ONLY stop sign), if you cannot see properly. But only stop ONCE at an ALL WAY STOP. Trust your EYES, they will see movement quickly, warning you to stop. TRUST your common sense, or intuition. Your gut feeling is always correct. Our anthropological development has taught us to survive! Be Alert. Be Aware. Beware of the other road users. Anticipate the movements of those around you, and be prepared for the worst possible scenario in the driving field, and have a plan to counteract it. Is that car slowing to a stop behind me, while I'm stopped at the light? Is that pedestrian going toward the roadway? Is that elderly driver reversing down the driveway straight onto the road? (Use your horn immediately for BAD movement flowing toward your intended driving path), and reason aloud your actions in ANY sketchy situation, let the examiner know WHAT you're thinking! (Active Countermeasures). TELL the examiner it's UNSAFE to stop, if you end up going through an AMBER light.
These tips will lead toward your successful driving careers. They will allow you to pass the 30-minute road exam. REMEMBER, you've done a lot harder things in your life before; learning a new language, getting married, buying a house, being interviewed for a job, training for a new job, raising children. This should be a cake walk for you! Actively learn to utilize, and employ these tips effectively, dear driving student, and you will SURVIVE the dreaded Driving Test!
My wish for you, is to fulfill your personal goals by passing, thereby enriching your life skills, with confidence, greater skill level of road safety which comes with experience, and enliven yourself spiritually with the unique gifts a driver's license will afford you: a better job opportunity, an easier commute, more freedom of mobility, and the confident knowledge that you have achieved success, now you can apply it to other areas of your life!
Best of luck on your road test, remember, whatever happens, you are still loved by many. You will only fail if you give up trying. Einstein once said, "by the act of failure, we are one step closer to achieving our success", if we learn from it.
Jeff C. Pope
a formula 1 driving school
]]>The recent law prohibiting drivers aged 19,20, and 21 from consuming ANY alcohol is an updated example of what we're talking about here. Minister Kathleen Wynne claims that over the last 10-years in a recent study, 235 young people were killed in motor vehicle crashes due to or associated with alcohol. No doubting statistics. But, hasn't there been tens of thousands of Ontarians killed during the same studied period? So the MTO is passing a law outright, affecting this tiny sub-goup of drivers? Ridiculous! Shouldn't government be spending my tax dollars, taking up valuable time in Queen's Park Parliament passing laws that affect the majority of drivers? Shouldn't studies, and monies be spent on finding out what exactly the other 99.9% of drivers are dying of, and therefore passing laws to prevent this?
Should our government be administering the testing procedure in a more responsible manner? The drivetest centers which only observe a driver over the span of 12-15 minutes, before releasing him onto our roads, are heavily criticized for merely allowing the training of drivers to pass this measley test. Such a short time to observe, and judge drivers! Since when did someone die commiting a parallel park? Why is this useless task even on our road test?Such a waste of valualbe time! Wouldn't the drivetest benefit from observing drivers on more left turns, high-speed lane changes, highway merging, and responding to emergency manoeuvers? Should drivetest examiners with a bad reputation for their lack of people skills be tolerated? Check out the www.drivetest.ca website: now hiring examiners at $13.57 per hour wage! And they are the "experts" on safe-driving? Any clerk job, or senior fast-food outlet worker routinely earn more money. This, unfortunately is the caliber of the now Steel Worker's Union Local drivetest road examiner. Pity.
Our whole testing system needs a MAJOR overhaul! Just because someone is lucky enough to pass a simple written test (20 obvious signs and 20 random driving laws, now available in 18 languages), they can automatically drive on Ontario's roads with a licensed driver!
If someone passes their M1 (motorcycle written test), they now can magically drive alone on a motorcyclye up to 80km/hr, or an automobile with a licensed driver! ALL M1/G1 drivers, as well as G2 and G-licensed drivers can magically then drive ANY Manual-transmission equipped automobile ! Does this make any sense at all?!
Limo, ambulance, bus and truck drivers must pass a physical medical exam to continue to operate heavy machinery, some with the public as passengers. Yet, the drivers do NOT have to retrain regularly, or at all, for life: Licenses A,B,C,D,E,F! The same for novices: G and M. Once you pass the test at age 18, say goodbye to retraining or testing for the next 62 years! Only seniors must pass a written and eye-test every 2 years after age 80, but NOT a road test unless they fail either eye or written tests (or have an "at-fault" collission after age 65). This system is simply shocking! How many times do you see trucks routinely merging on the highway at half the posted limit (a VERY dangerous behavior normal drivers would automatically fail a drivetest). Or, have you ever viewed how some truckers like to tailgate each oter (1 meter distance between), at highway speeds? Truly, the lack of police enforcement is astounding. Perhaps the Ontario Trucking industry's Association's claim that trucks transport $13 billion worth of goods in our economy has something to do with the fear of enforcing rather obvious traffic laws.
In Europe, testing is stricter. Applicants must take a test on a manual transmission car to drive it! Graduated licensing is much tougher. The test for driving in Britain includes city, highway, and country locales and is an hour in duration. Hardly anyone passes it the first time. Automatic drivers are prohibited from driving manual vehicles. In eastern Europe, a mechanical-knowledge test and practical application test is incorporated into the licensing test. In Italy and Israel, age restrictions of 18 must be attained before anyone can obtain a full license. In Germany, England, and Italy (where I've extensively driven), hardly any speed limits are enforced. Yet the crash rates of these drivers are much lower per capita. What are we doing wrong?
Driver Education in Ontario is NOT mandatory. Should it be? Again, good driver ed is hard to come by. But we're improving as an industry. Besides being anually inspected, we must meet stringent standards regarding minimum 20-hours classroom studies (plus workbook homework), and a minimum of 10-hours of in-car instruction. But, ALL driving schools are NOT MTO-Approved. Some driving schools are on the "watch list", but the MTO does little to discourage them. Similiarly, good schools are left to their own when it comes to updating traffic laws, or communicating ANY new developments in driving law, or education to the general public. More than 100,000 students are licensed by the MTO per year, adding to the complex nature of driving on our already clogged roads. Yet the Ministry does a poor job of communicating with her approved-status schools. Leadership is non-existent. Does the MTO even care is you get a good driver education? If they did, there would be a mandatory minimum price of $1000 for quality driver education, similiar to Japan and Scandanavia.
Good driving schools are being constantly squeezed by this lack of direction, no communication, and the unending cycle of unapproved schools being allowed to exist. Schools that are cheap, cheat the system, cut valuable in-class time, shave hours in-car, and merely teach to pass a 12-minute test are putting your lives, your family's lives, and your child's lives in jeopardy! Do you even care? Or, are you merely interested in the lowest cost to teach your loved-one how to drive? Do you take an active role in the selection of a driving school? All good schools will allow applicants to sit in on an in-car or in-class lesson for free.
You must remember, we are teaching the most valuable skill to children whom must compete with 1-million cars per day speeding across the GTA. You choose to spend thousands of dollars on soccer, swimming, dance, and music classes (plus costs for travel and tournaments) for the children, but you will NEVER spend this amount on the vision-training, life-saving skills needed to drive an automobile! Shame! The average cost of a Canadian car is $35,000.00. Insurance to drive per year is on average $3000 here in the GTA. Gas costs on average $50 or double to fill up weekly. Yet, driving schools try to maintain high standards, and hire quality personnel, highly trained to teach your family member the skills to survive. All for $20/hour? Ridiculous!
As long as we treat the complex skills of DRIVING (the psycho-social, behavioral science), as casual, non-mandatory, not life-threatening, the average death-rate will continue to grow. Don't expect leadership from THIS, or any future government! Educate yourself! The tools are out there. Buy the best driver training you can possibly afford. Retrain yourself regularly! Don't rest on your laurels, nor anyone else's, or you'll be Resting in Pieces!
Jeffrey C. Pope is the President of A Formula 1 Driving School. He is an Advanced Driving Instructor whom has contracts with corporate, public and private school boards. He has now taught successfully 17,000 drivers over the passed 22 years. He is appalled at the lacidasical attitude most drivers regard their driving.
]]>In Yourview, Toronto Star Wheels, February 6th,
2010, several writers complained about
the deteriorating levels of fitness and skills exhibited by senior drivers as
they age. Many boomer-aged offspring of these Octogenarian drives face a real dilema: should
they let Pop or Mom continue to drive, even if they put themselves, or others
at risk on Ontario's highways?
Recent crashes in Vaughan claiming the lives of teenagers, and 15 GTA pedestrians
within the first 2 weeks of 2010 have spawned a call for better training and
testing and much needed, immediate action to toughen up training and testing
standards. Current testing of seniors regarding road tests are withheld from
seniors annually, as they turn 80, for pure political reasons. Only if 65+ aged
drivers are involved in an at-fault collision, or, if seniors perform poorly on
their vision, and written test, once they achieve the ripe old age of 80, then
the officials at the Ministry of Transportation, and their agents at Drivetest
are interested in seeing them for a road test of their skills.
Graduated Licensing was introduced to Ontario in April of 1994. It mandates ALL new drivers to Ontario write
a simple written test (G1), and undergo a simple city test (G2) and a highway
test, to graduate to a full G license , within a 5-year period. Teenagers can get their G1 on achieving their
16th birthday, after a simple vision test, and pop-quiz of 40 questions, with a
minimum score of 32 out of 40. With
driver training, they can achieve their G2 license after 8 months, and now
legally drive alone, at night, on the freeway, in mid-winter conditions, in
either automatic or standard transmission.
Whether they receive adequate training
is the question! One year later, our
hypothetical teenager, now aged 17 years, 8 months old, can apply for the
G-highway test. A simple
reiteration of the G2 city test, (15 minutes), plus merging on-off the highway,
and "voila", no more testing from the Ministry for another 62 years!
The next 62 years, unfortunately may greatly affect us on the road: you, me,
our kids, our parents, and our loved ones.
Is the Ministry negligent in putting us all at risk due to improperly
trained, and improperly tested drivers on our roadways? I am a G1/G2/G training specialist. I
routinely renew between 3-5 licenses yearly in order to teach, and maintain my "Approved
Driving School Status". To maintain
an MTO approval, I further need to pay
for licenses to teach provincially, locally, both in the car, and in the
classroom. I must maintain yearly checks
on certification of all company cars,
yearly audits checking business records, background checks of all
Instructors, criminal searches, compliance checks for all full-course students,
renewals of: business license,
owner/operator's license, provincial license, demerit point records check and
finally proper insurance checks. All
approved schools must pay premiums for a minimum coverage of $2 million
insurance liability. We driving instructors
are routinely charged 500-600% more than our domestic driven family cars in
order to teach an applicant.
I was shocked to learn that most truck driving instructors do not need to uphold
a driving instructor's license, nor have specific training to instruct. They
need only have the category specific license to teach ie. A,B,D, etc. Perhaps this is one reason we see truckers
become unprofessional drivers on our roads.
Yes, I believe ALL drivers should be tested at a high skill level every 5 years! Truly, if the new Minister of Transportation,
Kathleen Wynne is serious about her Oath-of-Office, unlike old
"knee-jerk" Bradley, whom is now demoted due to his inaction in
handling the drivetest strike, she will
enact prompt proper legislation protecting the privilege to drive on our public
roadways! Ontario's public deserves
better drivers. Are we courageous
enough, and willing to take the next step in our graduated licensing
system: Should we have mandatory driver
ed for all new drivers?
Should the current Liberal government enact mandatory
testing for ALL drivers every 5 years?
If we don't, we have much to lose.
Jeff C. Pope
President, a Formula 1 Driving School
jeff@af1.ca
416-888-1227
A Formula 1 Driving School Experience
Welcome to A Formula 1 Driving School. The Formula 1 experience incorporates professional performance techniques into A Ministry Approved Driver Education Course. As owner of A Formula 1 Driving School I wish to welcome you to the beginning of your driving career. A career that goes beyond the 25 hours of classroom studies, combining more than 10 hours of in-car behind the wheel instruction.
As a professional driver educator, I have taught 15,000 graduates of the full beginner course over the past 21 years. My biggest success in business has been your success in learning to drive.
Fans of the exciting world circus of Formula One are naturally curious about our curriculum, which includes both theoretical countermeasures, and defensive driving skills to prevent death and injury on our highways. Physics such as traction, winter driving skills including skid prevention, high speed lane changing, left-turns at large intersections, and highway on-off ramp scenarios are discussed in detail, for your safety.
Our teaching furthers the knowledge of an individual driver, not merely in passing a road test, but to survive the next 50 years. Three quarters of North Americans engage in the high risk activity of driving, the most dangerous thing you will do on a daily basis.
Why Choose A Formula 1
See what the Ontario Safety League has to say about A Formula 1 Driving School: Top Twelve Driving Schools
For more information or to book an appointment call Jeff @ 416 888 1227 or via email: jeff@af1.ca
]]>The most recent audit conducted by the Ontario safety League indicates that A Formula 1 driving School had no violations of the Ministry-approved course content and delivery standards. To date the OSL had conducted 274 Inspections and found 12 course providers without violations and you are one of the 12.
I wish to congratulate you on achieving this distinction and trust that you continue to deliver the high standard of education to the students and contribute to making Ontario's roads the safest in North America.
Your commitment to following the course content and delivery standards is appreciated as they were developed to ensure the Ministry of Transportaion's commitment, along with its partnersin safety, the Insurance Bureau of Canada and the Ontario Safety League, in improving road user safety.
In today's complex driving enviroment the beginner driver requires prerequisite knowledge and skill. Beginner driver education is an important first phase of road user safety and it is critical to provide opportunities for beginner drivers to receive a wide range of knowledge, skills and retraining.
Your commitment to this objective is appreciated and it is with partners like you that we can make our roads safer.
Yours truly,
A.L(Bert) Killian
President and
General Manager
For more information or to book an appointment call Jeff @ 416 888 1227 or via email: jeff@af1.ca
]]>The company managing Ontario's 55 road test locations Serco Drivetest DES Ltd, has been on strike now for 3 months! It seems their 250 full-time employees quietly joined the USW (Steelworkers) Union, local 9511, in the hopes that they could bully management into letting into the Union, the additional 280 part-time contract employees, entitling them also to full benefits. Let me ask you, my clients, did you get a raise this year? Are you entitled to job-security, and full benefits? Are you automatically under the protection and strong workers rites under the umbrella of such powerfull unions? Well I am not. What gives these people their sense of entitlement? When the economy is struggling out Canada's current recession, these 250 USW union members are holding this Province, and it's backlog of 300,000 applicants waiting for a road test hostage. Enough is Enough! I urge you to write to your MPP's, and write to Premier McGuinty as I have done. Urge them to step in, and put a quick sobering end to this political mish-mash nonsense. It is the Ontario Government's responsibility to oversee, and administer the Serco Drivetest company, to ensure we voting taxpayers, we 300,000 disgruntled voters, to provide what we have paid so much in taxes for: the right to take a driving test!!!
Too many seniors need to requalify for a driver's license after attaining the age of 80. Medical suspensions dealing with life-threatening medical conditions such as epilesy, and sleep aphnea, which demand an evaluating driving test, are now still driving untested! Hundreds, if not thousands of foreign drivers, and expired-licensed drivers are driving each day untested. Truck and Bus drivers in need of retesting are on our provicincial highways daily untested. This poses a huge safety and insurance risk to all of us. Are insurance companies going to give coverage to those killed and injured on our roadways to drivers with expired licenses? I think not! Any excuse to possibly deny coverage will be used against these motorists.
We Canadians are a passive people. Little has been said in the media, or done in protest to bring the plight of more than 300,000 affected individuals to the forefront. This must change! Premier McGuinty, this is YOUR responsibility to end the strike NOW! Your government oversees and administers these tests. At a time when your Ministry could be recouping a lost revenue of $800,000.00 daily, in this tough economic recession, to delay further is madness! Do not under estimate the disenfranchised seniors, commercial drivers, and soon-to-vote new drivers, we are watching while you continue to do nothing, we will not forget when it is our time at the polls to vote. It is your action NOW, or continued inaction that WILL be your political legacy!
c. Jeff C. Pope,
President, A Formula 1 Driving School, Maple, On.
cc. Premier McGuinty
cc. Frank Sorbara, MPP Vaughan
cc. Dr. Helena Jurzek, MPP Oak Ridges, Markham
cc. Frank Klees, MPP Aurora
]]>Whereas the cheaper schools surveyed tended to have an "end-load" whereby students would typically fail the road test repeatedly (adding huge frustration, months of waiting, and about $200 per road test) billings back to the student, or perhaps a mid-range professional driver training school charging slightly more than the $600, were compaired. Not surprisingly, those schools in the upper range saved their client's frustrations, and ultimately more money in the end, by better training for the road tests, not to mention, better training for the real world of driving. Studies point out that by making something like driver education cheap, it spells a recipe for disaster!
Recently, at the Aurora test center , I came upon 3 driving instructors whom were watching their sad-faced students emerge from failed road test exams. While conversing to each other, gleefully , "now we will finally get to make some money", these instructors rejoiced in the misfortunes of these teenagers' misfortunes. I honestly couldn't believe what I was witnessing! Now the student's hopes were dashed, not to mention a new lack of confidence and second-guessing about their driving abilities immediately crept into their collective pshyce. Indecision within the action of driving could prove fatal for those whom sought to go cheap on their driver ed. Beware of the "End-Load" philosophy by paying less for driver ed, it neither saves time nor money.
Then there's the high school driving program. At the typically priced $549 public board price, parents assume their getting a good deal at the local high school. Little do they realize their son's and daughter's must sit through 3-4 hours driver ed after going to school all day long.
Unfortunately, they typically tend to fool around with their friends instead of paying attention to the valuable and potentially life-saving lessons. The in-car portion of the program, forces them to not only drive 10 hours behind the wheel, but to sit there an additional 10-hours while their mandatory driving partner also drives for 10 hours. This 20-hour experiment is called "observation time". Students call it "texting time" to mitigate the boredom. Even though the high school driver ed provides cars, no students, according to all board policy, must get dropped off, nor pick-up from home. If the unassuming student were to book an early morning lesson on the weekend, little do they realize they must first walk or transport themselves back to the high school, then get similiar transport back home after their driving lesson. How ridiculous! Did I mention the parents sign up their offspring without any graduation?
Board of ed contracts don't stipulate any road test for the license within their program, so once again, you're at the mercy of whatever the driving school prices dictate, or the parents must navigate an already overloaded and complex method of booking the road tests for themselves, then take a day off work, and loose pay to take their teenagers to some remote location for a road test! Why would you pay and sign up for something you don't graduate from?
Cheap driving schools have 3 students in the car. They omit highway driving. No such training for high-speed lane-changing , large left turns, and potentially dangerous manoeuvers in city traffic. Good driving schools (above the $600 range), practice test manoeuvers ad finitum. Typically 30-50 times the students will practice the test-saving 3-point turn, parallel parking, hill parking , and reverse perpendicular parking, within the scope of the normal 10, one-hour lesson packages. Ultra expensive courses may also have little merit. From a nationally recognized driving school their slogan should read, "how many extra lessons did you need to pass the test?" (also at an additionally absorbitant price!). They also charge the most, and it is indeed a myth that you save more on insurance than other lessor-priced companies.
A good driving school need not badger you with extra lessons, if the student and if the parent/guardian take it upon themselves to practice at least one-hour per week in addition to driver ed, the Formula works perfectly for success.
A Formula 1 Driving School in Vaughan is such a driving school. Besides it's frank honesty, which is refreshing, they boost a 98% success rate of first-time applicants for the G2 and G category tests. Mr. Jeffrey Pope, the company's founder suggests that driver ed be made easy by following simple coaching from his instructors. Offering both male and female instructors, for over 21 years his company teaches in both automatic and manual transmission vehicles. " Cheaper is definitely not better", he insists. "By choosing the best driver ed you can possibly afford, you're going to save both time and money in the long run. The cheaper priced companies either cheat the customer, or cut back on essential training that certainly proves invaluable in a test, or real-life situation.
A Formula 1 Driving School is reknowned for meeting the student's' particular needs and for doing things right the first time around. Too many companies both shatter the students' confidence, or potential to become a great driver. Mr. Pope refers to this phenomenom as "Soul Destroying". Driving is an art that we should practice every day to get better. Truly, the Formula 1 World Champion is only great tomorrow, because he is, right now, practicing on some exotic racetrack somewhere in the far reaches of the world. So what does that tell us about about our own abilities? Like an old addage , it's still true for driving, "Practice makes Perfect". A Formula 1 Driving School has been rated in the top 12 in Ontario.
Jeff C. Pope,
Advanced Driving Instructor
08/09
]]>Only a professional who spends between eight and twelve hours per day on the road can appreciate what psycho-social-physical activities it takes to drive a motor vehicle. Only a driving instructor can appreciate what good driving is when bad drivers persist all about.
Graduated Licensing was introduced on April 1st 1994, with full implementation on June 6th. However the new system is not without its' faults. Within the driver education profession, we are experiencing a temporary work slow down. Unfortunately too many individuals choose to wait six full months after passing their initial written exam before commencing with driver training. Technically they must wait 12 months before being eligible for the G-1 road test, or 8 months with an approved driver's ed course. The system is endemic with the paradigm that all students have access to a vehicle for practice. In reality this is not the case for most of Ontario's new permit drivers.
Within the driving profession we keep hearing from the Driving School Association of Ontario (DSAO), or the Road Safety Educator's Association (RSEA) about the new markets that will simply open up to the driving industry. Specifically, the driver market courses for existing drivers, or more fleet market contracts. But without mandatory driver education programs, legislated by the government, and insurance premium discounts underwritten by insurance companies, the driver education business is simply chasing its tail. Saying that a market exists and reaping the benefits are as we well know, two very different things.
Should we sell more modules, expand current courses to include forty on-road units from fifteen? Can we now do our duty with the motoring public to train properly motoring procedures designed to prevent crashes from occurring? Not simply good enough to pass a Ministry test, but to become a good driver? Well, what does Graduated Licensing change? Will there even be an exit test? Ministry policy official Paul Levine has remained hushed upon the whole matter.
We are told that the G-2 test will include on site practical testing at the John Rhodes Test Center in Brampton, as well as, an off-site additional portion. Imagine the Ministry of Transportation (MOT) testing people on actual roads! Wouldn't that be unsafe for Ontario's motoring public? Think of how the poor examiners would react to conditions in reality as opposed to the present virtual reality test. In a recent article in the Toronto Star staff writer Bob Mitchell reported on June 27th that examiners at John Rhodes test center do not always follow rules. Senior Ministry examiner Joan McCullough is reported as calling an unsuccessful teenager "an asshole". Evo Sepp, another examiner, boasts proudly of his "highest failure rate in the province at more than 60 per cent", although no official quotas exist.
Ministry official Dan Worthy passed celebrity Harold Ballard even though he "missed one stop sign, but I gave him the benefit of the doubt because he was talking and I was talking". Ballard was 88 at the time. Worthy was also quoted as being offered a $50 bribe, but does not mention charges for attempting to bribe a government official. The article does not deal with the important questions of examiner upgrading or qualifications, perhaps because there is little or no criteria for either.
The G-2 test is being given a dry run. It promises more comprehensive testing which finally takes a thorough look at Ontario's drivers. In this forty-minute extended test, we are finally approaching the standards that Europe has set for a roadworthy driving examination.
In England, candidates can expect a one-hour on-road test that includes entering and exiting an "M" series freeway. In France, graduated licensing has been in effect for years. New drivers possess tickets that attach to their beginner's permit that effectively allows them to gain experience for night, winter conditions, highway experience. A new ticket is allotted for each and then attached to the license. In countries such as England and Ireland, the driver is not allowed to drive gear-shift manual transmission vehicles if they passed on an automatic. This concept seems to make sense but Ontario chooses to stay in the backwaters of driver preparation. In eastern European countries, candidates are required to change a tire, or solve a basic mechanical problem (such as reconnecting the battery terminals) when being tested. In Germany, the examiner sits in the backseat while the driving instructor sits patiently beside the candidate whom is tested in a familiar area where they have usually taken their lessons. Third world driving tests often cost six months' salary and can be attained easily by bribing the official with $50.
True our present system needed to be changed. With lack of uniformity at any test center, standards have consistently remained inconsistent. You need to drive on the highway in Aurora, simply exit the Metro East test center, three-point turn and back-in for your license in Scarborough. Or try your luck at the John Rhodes "wheel of fortune", the most fun you'll have and never have to leave a parking lot!
Examiners have been equally inconsistent with their test marking. Scarborough's Metro East seems to have a pass rate of 72%, if we subtract 4 for every "x" and 2 for checkmarks. Aurora requires a left turn onto a highway, if you're inclined to wait for oncoming traffic, and do a proper uphill park, you'll pass. The John Rhodes test center seems to subtract 40 points before the examiner decides pass or fail. Rhodes requires yet another skill, belonging to the one-way street. But make sure you don't back up too far coming out (you'll hit the invisible car) that lives there. On yes, and please remember to SCAN just before you drive over 10 meters of train track which has neither a beginning nor an end. Theatre of the absurd!
Let's face it folks, the MOT is in business of selling licenses, reality has nothing to do with it. The introduction of Graduated Licensing has been over 20 years in the making. First introduced in Canada by Dr. Patricia Waller (an American) and Dr. Herb Simpson of the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) in 1973, it's origins stem from the Australian and New Zealand heartlands, where the traffic fatality rate dropped 10 - 12% possibly resulting from the introduction of this factor. Skeptics mention that seat belt use also went up in the down under populace, and that drinking and driving incidents decreased that year.
An independent study by a psychologist firm, Engel and Townsend has been retained by the MOT for informational studies on driver response and behavior. Dr. Raymond Engel says his firm has been instrumental in the design of the Commercial Driver License test (CDL) in much of the United States. These dynamic duo are no strangers to the role of behavior and the operation of a motor vehicle. "Today's test is only 10 minutes at best." Engel states. "No data has been gathered within the last ten years on the effectiveness of the road test". The G-2 test will be field tested on 1000 new drivers and data on its effectiveness will be studied. According to Dr. Engel, "quality control has gone unnoticed like 12 years of undetected crime". Examiners in the past have traditionally not agreed with each other. Most examiners do not look at the driver, instead they look straight ahead when a candidate performs a road test. "The examiner has been like a music critic. He's not trained to play it, or teach it, but merely give it a review". Dr. Engel believes some examiners would make poor instructors, and similarly, some instructors, poor examiners.
The perception of the tester and instructor have become intertwined within the student's psyche. Often the student will ask when the instructor is coming to the car to test them. Or in referring to the instructor, "Oh, he's my driving examiner". Unfortunately the candidate knows all too well the differences upon completion of an unsatisfactory road exam. "Quality control, uniformity, and consistency are all needed to be improved", Engel believes. Because the Graduated Licensing system requires no mandatory education (there is only a four-month off waiting incentive if the student driver opts for driver's ed), Dr. Engel shares the opinion that the system still falls short of what it should be. You can still get your uncle Edgar to take you to a parking lot, practice a three point turn, try a parallel, go round and round and reasonably pass your driving test. "Somehow magically, you're going to gain the necessary knowledge required to drive a motor vehicle well", Engel laments. "We take lessons to learn everything from piano to volleyball....it's just common sense!"
Although Japanese, Americans and other provinces in Canada are exempted from the system (could property ownership have an influence?), the Graduated Licensing system still has far to go. "Even though a driver knows how to perform the procedures properly, it doesn't mean they are going to follow these procedures after the fact", Engel claims.
If Minister Gilles Pouliot and the NDP were serious about "making Ontario's roads the safest in North America", as they claim, begin with compulsory driver education by professionals if we are to witness a significant drop in highway fatality.
What bothers this driving instructor is that statistics show that alcohol is involved in 50% of fatal crashes, but what does that say about the other 50% of fatally injured drivers?