I hate under-takers

[omega]

if someone can undertake you then YOU are at fault 99 per cent of the time.

[TooT]

if someone can undertake you then YOU are at fault 99 per cent of the time.

[sirwiggum]

I would agree with Omega, if you can be undertaken *safely*, then you fail at driving.

Obviously not counting being cut up when preparing for an overtake (as per the OP), in lane for a junction (that is coming up shortly ie. not staying in the outside lane because you have to turn right in 2 miles time) and of course one way streets don't count.

But Renault Scenic drivers that sit in a dream world in the outside lane. England usually has 3 lanes, so I suppose I could count the middle laners too.

[plod]

I undertook today with pleasure

Some tool in his merc c class decided to drive at just over 50 in the second lane

Restricted to 55 in the lorry, I can't use the third lane on the motorway, he's in the second, so carried on in the first lane, and for as far as I could see for the next few mins, he was still there holding the traffic up

That character kenny everitt did was right - Brig. General Hiram P. Bombthebastards

"We'll round 'em up – and put 'em in a field – and bomb the bastards!".

[mandelbug]

I undertake quite a lot on the M1 as so often lane 1 is empty for ages, so I just sit there at 70, occasionally moving out to overtake. It frustrates the hell out of me to the extent that I would happily pay for a super license that allows me to use the motorway and until you have passed a second test you aren't allowed on them, no grandfather rights except for Grade 1 emergency drivers (Fire/Police) and class 1 (truckers) who should have had the advanced lessons.

The other day I went past one of these RED driving school cars that was just sat in Lane 2, I was just thinking if Instructors can't get it right, what hope do people have?

[Captain Jack]

The other day I went past one of these RED driving school cars that was just sat in Lane 2, I was just thinking if Instructors can't get it right, what hope do people have?

I thought L cars weren't even allowed on the motorway, let alone sit in the middle lane?

[highlander]

That's right - learner drivers are allowed on dual carriageways, but NOT on a motorway.

It was never an issue for me - there ARE no motorways in Aberdeenshire (you need to go down to Perth to get on our nearest one, the M90). And when I was learning to drive the first time round (up in Thurso, when I lived there - only stopped learning when I ran out of money) the going was even easier as there weren't even any roundabouts in Caithness county

Maybe the RED Corsa was being driven by the instructor, on his/her way to collect their next student. The instructors are allowed to drive the L-plated car on the Motorways, it's only the students that aren't allowed to drive there

[sirwiggum]

Those "RED" cars, in my opinion, aren't proper instructors.

They're just daytime TV watchers who got took in by the con that they could earn up to £30k (if they worked 12 hours 7 days a week maybe) and paying commision to the RED company and paying for a Poxhall Corsa.

So tacky is the whole thing that if I ever have offspring they wont be allowed near a "RED" instructor.

I often see my old instructor about, and he is still using Skodas. Fond memories of the lessons with the Felicia. Basic, no power steering, ideal for learning.

It is a bit annoying though to see lazy people who couldn't be bothered taking L plates down on the motorway after giving a lesson (private or otherwise).

Regarding the 50mph Merc, the rule in NI and the IoM (although there are no motorways on that island) is that for a year after passing the test, you must display 'R' plates, and are restricted to 45mph



So it isn't uncommon, on the 2 lane motorways here, to see a Micra in the inside lane at 45 being overtaken by an HGV doing 56.

A lot of R drivers do tend to ignore the rule on the motorway, even if they do still self-restrict themselves to 60 or so.

[Welly]

I saw a programme investigating the claims made by Red and quite a few instructors found they couldn't make it pay. The problem most of them had was that the appeal of 'working flexible hours to suit' usually meant working evenings and weekends 7 days a week and kinda 3 hours per evening because every pupil is busy during working hours at college/work

I learnt to drive in a Peugeot 205 XRD F-Reg I think, impossible to stall

[sirwiggum]

Exactly. It may be ideal for some, perhaps 2 partners with kids, 1 works daytime and the other does instructoring evenings and weekends.

I found that advert very deceiving "you could get the keys to your new career and earn up to £30k a year".

I notice in newer adverts that this is amended to "earn up to £299 a week" or something similar.

A bit like those compu-teach adverts, the advert says "the average wage in IT is £40k", get a certificate in using MS Excel and people are expecting to be earning that right away.
What they don't tell you is that that average includes all the billionaire CEOs and bosses.
Most IT companies are looking at least 3rd level education certification (HND, degree etc.)

I think I've gone wayyyyy offtopic

[Captain Jack]

It was never an issue for me - there ARE no motorways in Aberdeenshire (you need to go down to Perth to get on our nearest one, the M90). And when I was learning to drive the first time round (up in Thurso, when I lived there - only stopped learning when I ran out of money) the going was even easier as there weren't even any roundabouts in Caithness county

Sounds like a nice place to live! Quiet and serene... Any speed cameras around on those mountain roads?

[highlander]

Not many fixed cameras, but the police have sod-all else to do but sit by the roadsides in known "lead-footed" areas with their radar guns.

Hypothetically speaking, the A9 between Latheron and Spital would be the kind of road I might (in theory) have been able to (allegedly) get my 406 up to 115 MPH. If I were inclined to do that kind of thing, that is. Which I'm not. If I were though, I would find almost no places for the police to sit hidden away with their radar guns out, on account of it being such a long, straight road with no lay-bys or junctions

There's nothing to do up that way other than play golf or drink heavily. I don't play golf and I don't drink, so naturally I was bored for much of the first 24 years of my life, before finally moving to Aberdeen 6 years ago. Much more my scene, this place.

[mandelbug]

It wasn't on a lesson but it was a poxhall corsa all graphic'd up for the Red driving school.

[kevtherev]

I saw a programme investigating the claims made by Red and quite a few instructors found they couldn't make it pay. The problem most of them had was that the appeal of 'working flexible hours to suit' usually meant working evenings and weekends 7 days a week and kinda 3 hours per evening because every pupil is busy during working hours at college/work

I learnt to drive in a Peugeot 205 XRD F-Reg I think, impossible to stall

my dad is a driving instructor of over 15 yrs experience and he laughs at the ad. yes you can earn 30k by working 12 hr days 7 days a week but then you have to pay the driving school( which ever it may be) the franchise costs for them supplying you the car. me old man trained with and worked for bsm for over ten years. he had to work 18 hrs a week to pay the franchise (at 20+ quid an hour) fine when they find you 40 hours a week but in the end they struggled to get him enough to pay the franchise and he jacked it and set up on his own
He isnt too busy just ticks over but better off than a couple of years back. another problem in that industry is the fact that since the recession and 10s of thousands being made redundant alot of people are training to be a driving instructor and now there are far too many instructors and not enough learners

[Welly]

When I was off work with a slipped disc years ago I studied the theory work for the advanced driving test but then got better and busier and never arranged for the advanced lessons and test (duh!).

Can you still do advanced driver training? it used to give you a nice discount on motor insurance. I think the driving test included a running commentary as to what you can see ahead, why you are slowing down or changing gear, that sort of stuff.