welcome to Driver Training my name is Chris and we've been ORDIT registered trainers since 2007.
In today's video we're going to discuss the latest DVSA figures. Did you know that two out of three potential driving instructors will fail the ADI part three test. The current pass rate is 35% so 65% of all trainees that go for the part three fail.
In today's video we're going to give you some hints and tips so hopefully you don't become one of those statistics you become one of the 35% that passes on their next attempt. Welcome to Driver Training. So why is the pass rate so low for the ADI part 3? Well there are three recurring themes when you look and listen to people's debriefs look at fail sheets.
It always comes down to these three things and we're going to work through them today to give you a better understanding of your ADI part 3 test. So the first comes down to poor planning. Now that means that you've decided on a lesson plan for your student for the day but you know very often the pupil we take for the part three or for the standards check isn't the pupil that we're used to. Sometimes we've taken pupils who are generally quite chatty and they'll want loads of explanation for everything.
Who, what, where, why, when? And you come to the part three, they make a mistake, you start to identify the fault and go, would you like me to explain that further? No, it's fine. Can we just get on with it? It's like, what? Normally you need me to explain everything. Nerves kicking, they think it's their driving test. Remember your pupil isn't being examined, it's you as a teacher. So the examiners want a client-centered lesson, not an instructor lead one. and what I mean by that is perhaps you're going to do roundabouts but every time your learner goes to move off they stall or they're kangarooing. Now once or possibly twice you can just help them through but if this is kind of a regular thing that literally before you're at the end of the road you've already kangarooed three times then what you need to do is adapt the lesson plan because a part of doing roundabouts is having good clutch control being able to go into gaps if you have to stop when it's safe to can you go into the available gap? Well if they're kangarooing if they're stalling then what's the point of doing roundabouts? So it makes more sense to say Chris I know today we'd planned on doing roundabouts and use the examiner in the back but I know the fella in the back is making you nervous making me nervous too.
So I tell you what part of roundabouts is being able to use our clutch control and being able to pull out smoothly so should we put that on the back burner for 5 -10 minutes and should we just concentrate on moving off because I know we've never moved off with anybody in the back before I know that you don't normally stall like this so it's just the nerves kicking in which is fine you know But remember, the examiner isn't there to look at you. He's here to help me with work as a team. He's here basically to make sure that you're getting value for money. So, should we put the roundabouts on the back burner? Should we just go on to moving off with the third person in the car? Because ultimately, you know, when it comes to once you've passed and you're going with your mates down to the beach, the last thing you want to be doing is stalling just because they're in the car. Does that sound a good idea? Would you be happy to do that? That's all it takes. And go away. Practice moving off with the extra weight, using the handbrake. If you're in a manual, using the handbrake. Setting the gas pipes a bit higher than you normally would. Feeling the bite point before you go to move off. Adapt the lesson plan. One part three mock test we were on not too long back, the trainee had chosen to do an emergency stop as the test plan. But from where we picked the student up to where we were going to do the emergency stop was a good 10, 15 minute drive. And every roundabout that we came to, the pupil would ask which lane. So he'd say at the roundabout, take the third exit, is that right lane? At the roundabout, follow the road ahead, second exit, oh, is that the left lane? At this roundabout, go left. That is the left lane, isn't it?
So if your student, your pupil, is asking all those questions realistically, is it time to move on to the emergency stop? Or is it better to concentrate on getting the knowledge of roundabouts in their head first so that they can deal with them and then start bringing in something new? And that's what we mean by adapting the lesson plan. If you're working on emerging at junctions, but you've got one that's slightly on a hill and perhaps once or twice they've gone to roll back, straight away, adapt the lesson. We're working on emerging on junctions, but I tell you what, let's just focus for the next 10 minutes or so on moving off on the hill. Should we just swap to that? And that gives us more control. which will then make us more comfortable when we're emerging on a hill and the importance then we're not going to roll backwards.
So can you see that's what it means? Don't just think I'm doing roundabouts and the person's stalling. Don't just think I'm doing the emergency stop but the person doesn't know how to do roundabouts. Listen to the pupil, make it client -centered. On that day they may have got two hours sleep the night before because they're worried about this. Can you adapt the lesson plan to suit the pupil? And look out for our video on that which goes into more depth and will help you understand adapting the lesson plan that little bit more. But go in thinking. I may need to change the lesson that I'm working on. The second most common reason that we see for failure is when it comes to risk management and not being effective in dealing with it.
Remember there's nothing wrong with stepping in to help the pupil if something's about to go wrong and that can mean verbally as well as physically. It can mean stepping in before it happens so that you can see should we be approaching the junction at this speed Chris? Oh no rather than let them go flying round and then go well shouldn't have done that should you? Risk management means being alert, being in front of the pupil and managing that risk. Then remember on the part three test the wording is you know feel free to pull up if there's any safety critical incident.
In other words if your pupil has done something that would constitute a serious driving fault or a dangerous driving fault on the driving test or for you when you were doing your part two. If you'd have done that would that have been a serious fault? Would you have passed your part two if you approach that junction at 45 miles an hour in fourth gear? What would the examiner have thought? So even if you're not sure what's required from the driving test you know what's required from your part two because you've passed that. So what would you be doing in that situation? So therefore you need to manage the risk. And sometimes that means just observing the pupils are going to emerge from a junction and they haven't looked right, left, right. What's the risks involved in that? Would you have done that on your ADI part two? Just pull out without looking and neither should they. So then it's okay to pull them up and make them aware of the risks involved. But then the next part of that is then giving them opportunity to practice it. Can you then just go round the corner find another junction where they can emerge and then perhaps just say to them, okay, so as we pull up to this what are we going to remember to do with our observations Chris? Oh yeah, right, left and right. Okay, good.
Give them opportunity to practice. that's the key to it but don't get sidetracked don't go off on a tangent about things that aren't relevant you know if they haven't looked when emerging at junctions don't start going on and of course when we do a right turn and when we do a left turn and if we come across a y -junction that's got nothing to do with the subject that you're on stay focused make it as brief as possible but help them understand it and that's a part of risk management the third main point for failure that we see is teaching style the method of teaching one of the things trainees often do is just give wrong information not deliberately but just because of a misconception of things perhaps they've got different words in the head than actually come out so for instance recently we were training someone who said it's illegal to overtake on double yellow lines and we were out in the country and we're driving down this road I went to overtake and he went Chris what's it illegal to do on double yellow lines and that took me by surprise to be honest and I thought oh and I couldn't think because we're in the middle of a country road and I repeated that I I don't know what can't I do on double yellow lines you can't overtake Chris it's illegal to overtake on double yellow lines are you sure yes And so I said, so what about the double solid white lines in the middle of the road, can I overtake on that? And the person's head dropped and he went, yes, that's what I'm talking about. So can you see, yes, solid double white lines, it's illegal to overtake. Double yellow lines, not sure I've read that anyway. But again, to give wrong information because it's a teaching exam, is what you are saying correct.
Another one that we get is that if a side road has 30 mile an hour marker boards on it at the end of the road, so new road is for a new limit, yeah, it says 30, then that means the road that you're on is faster than 30, so it's got to be at least 40. And that's not true and I'll show you proof of that. We're gonna watch a video which disproves that fact. Remember the trainee has said that if the side road has 30 signs it means the road I'm on is 40. Let's just have a look at this video clip. In this example you can see from the marking on the floor this road is clearly a 20 mile an hour zone.
So as we're coming down we're looking at the road on the left now as we go around the mini roundabout as we look to the left we can clearly see at the side there that that road is a 30 but the road we're on is most definitely not 40 miles an hour. So can you see that road was actually a 20? Now if I'm listening to what my trainee has told me I'm gonna do 40 in a 20 mile an hour zone which is double the speed limit which for a learner is an instant ban. It's six points at least because I'm following my driving instructor's advice.
Can you see how it can be wrong information? Even something like you have to pull the handbrake up on the ratchet. Why? Because it wears the metal out. Rubbish. Show me in the comments what your potential skills were it says that. In fact I remember an email from the DVSA which must have been perhaps 2003 2004 saying that wasn't the case and they would no longer mark it as a fault if you pulled the handbrake up on the ratchet. Because when was the last time you personally experienced your handbrake wearing out? Or knowing of someone whose handbrake wore out? It doesn't happen, it's not a thing. Driving with your hands in the 10 and 2 position, you have to drive like that or else you won't pass the test. That's not true either. Look in the latest edition or even the last edition which was 2020 I think, 2019 before this update and there were no pictures. In fact, the wording says hold the wheel in a position that is comfortable. Now, 10 and 2 is still the best way to teach learners how to do the steering wheel and have control of it. But if you don't do it on your test, you won't fail for it. So that's the bit you can't say to you learners, oh yes, if you don't hold it like that, you'll fail. Do I have to hold it like this? No. But you do have to have control of the car at all times. So if you go around the corner, cross your hands and stop steering, you're going to fail.
So you have to be careful in what you say. Remember you're going as a teacher, you're going as the font of their knowledge. So what you say has to be correct when it comes to teaching. The second part of incorrect teaching is how you teach. A dynamite way of teaching, TNT, is teach, not tell. So you need to draw out what the pupil knows. So for anyone who's ever been on a training course with us, we'll know that we'll be going down the road and the trainee will say to me as the pupil, what's the speed on this road, Chris? What's the speed limit? 30. Well done. Well done. Why is it 30, Chris? Well, it's a Thursday. It's where you get that from. It's because there's bushes, all roads with bushes on are 30. It's because there's houses. Houses by the road, so it's 30. I'm pretty sure the M6 has got houses by it. Doesn't mean it's 30 though.
You have to find out what they know. Remember client centered which means ask them find the gaps. Do they know why? Do they understand why? Or are you telling them stuff that they already know? You see the repeat sign over there Chris it says 40 that means this road is 40. I know that. Why are you telling me that? Imagine you got in a car with a driving instructor and he said now what I want you to do is press the clutch down put it into first gear bring the clutch up slowly till you feel the bite point. You'd go do you know what I've passed my part two I'm an advanced driver I know how to drive a car. That's how your pupils can feel if the instruction isn't the right level.
Now the same is true in reverse. If the pupil doesn't know, you have to give them the answer, but you have to listen to what they say. What's the speed limit on this road Chris? 30. Good, how'd you know? Because there are lampposts. What's the speed limit on this road Chris? It's 30. How'd you know? Oh, I don't. Listen to what they say. Then you know where to set your level. It's always better to ask questions first to find out. Even on the first lesson, this is the whole point, lesson recap, first lesson in the car for your pupil. It's his 17th birthday today, never driven on a road. And you start saying, well this big thing here, this is a steering wheel and it goes round and turns the wheels. And then within about 30 seconds, the students just looking around going, you got everything all right Chris? Yeah, but I'm the under 16 stock car champion of Great Britain. In fact, I've won it four years running. I know what a steering wheel does. So all it takes is some questions. Have you ever driven before? Have you been a passenger in the car? Have you done? Oh, my dad owns a farm. I drive up and down the tracks every day and round the field. So great. So you know how to steer the car then, but what you've never had to deal with is vehicles coming past you, I should imagine. Oh no. And that's where our mirrors come in. Do you know the difference between the mirrors? Glass wise and vision wise. Oh no. No. There's a difference. There's the gap in the knowledge.
Find out, rather than just jump in and tell them. Find out what they know first. Help them reach the conclusion. TNT teach not tell. It's dynamite. So those are the three main reasons that ADIs or trainee ADIs are failing the part three. So how can we make sure or what can we do to help ourselves not be one of those that fails. One of the keys to success is to get good training. It sounds obvious but the way that you know that you're ready is how easily you can give a briefing on something. if i said can you give me a briefing on crossroads could you do it would you be able to show me the pictures if i said can you do a briefing on anticipation of animals because we live in a country area and pretty much every corner we go around there's either sheep or horses is could you give me a briefing on how to deal with that dual carriageways how do i know the right gap because the more you know the subject as we've mentioned in our other video which we'll put the link up to the more you know the subject the easier it is to teach it and therefore the easier it is to spot when somebody's making mistakes so back to emerging should i be rolling back no that's it so there's the fault now you need to analyze it and help me understand how i overcome that when it comes to emerging should i be pulling out without looking right left and right no there you go the depth of your knowledge of a subject will make it easier to understand when someone's doing something wrong which then links to you being able to adapt the lesson plan because you're thinking you shouldn't be doing this there's your clue you shouldn't be asking me which lane at the roundabout or can i go that means i'm not fully understanding the gaps and how to make the most of them so how do i do that pull me up help me understand it.
So that's the key. The better the training you get, the easier it is to understand it. One of the things we offer for instance is online training. So it's basically like we're doing now, except it's more interactive on your side than it is on this YouTube video. But that's all you do. And the great thing with the online training is it's very adaptable. So you can have subjects in mind that you're not sure of. You can have topics in mind that you're not sure of. But you're a busy parent looking after the children. The children don't go to bed till half six. so book an online training session from half past seven to half past eight half past seven to nine o 'clock do the training around you and bear in mind the online training counts towards any training requirement that you need so if you're doing the 40 hours for instance because you want to go on a trainee license any online training counts towards that and all the training is done on a one to one basis so the training that you pay for is all targeted at you and the questions you have are specific to you because a lot of the time you'll see with the online training they're just set videos which is kind of okay we've got videos that we use to back up the learning but with the videos if there's something you don't understand you can't go well can we just spend 10 minutes on that point or can i just understand this so online training is great if you're trying to get your 40 hours in it's fantastic if you've already failed an adi part three you know you can show the marking sheet where it went wrong and we can work on those scenarios like this except you're in the comfort of your home you haven't had to travel you've managed to put the kids to bed you've taken the dog for a walk and now you can sit there with a cup of coffee and really absorb what you want to go through so we offer that online training as well so it's great the link will be in the description to this video and it just either one hour, hour and halves, two hours, you can book ten hours and spread it over a couple of weeks. It's totally up to you because the training should be around you and the subjects you want to deal with rather than be three to one in a car and have to watch people do things that you think but I know that why am I here. So that's the first one, get good training.
Secondly, as we mentioned, plan the test around your pupil. What do they need to work on? What weren't they getting right last time? So do you remember Chris, last time we still weren't quite understanding the lane positioning on roundabouts and we've been through it this morning before turning up here, haven't we? So if we say we're going right third exit, which lane are we going to need right? All right. You do the breathing then you're out to do it. So which lane are we going to need here and at this roundabout? You're helping them to progress but as I say if they're nervous, if they've only had two hours sleep and they can't remember anything, be adaptable.
Adapt the lesson plan. Do you know what? I'm sorry, I only slept an hour and a half. The baby didn't get to sleep till like seven o 'clock so I thought I'll have a quick nap. The next thing I know I'm almost late for this. I can't even think what day it is let alone do roundabouts. Can we do something easier? Of course we can Chris. What did you have in mind? Anything in particular? I'm still struggling with emerging. Could we have a go at that again please? Of course Chris. No problem. You've adapted the lesson plan. Imagine putting that person through you know what is 40 minutes of roundabouts when their head's not in it and they've got all the worries of the world on their shoulders. Deal with what is good for your pupil, not what is best for you.
Linked In with helping and teaching the pupil is giving them the tools that they need to be successful. So for instance if you keep having to mention blind spots or making sure that they're in first gear, give them the tools like the palm routine, POM, preparation. So let's prepare the car Chris. So what gear are we going to use because of the road? Oh first, yeah. Remember if we were downhill and it was quite a big slope, what could we do with it? Oh could you second? What? Well done, but you're absolutely right. First gear is ideal. So that's our preparation. We've gone into gear, what do we need to get next? Oh, the bite point, that's right. Because you remember, one of the things we keep doing is rolling back a little bit. And the trouble with that is, yeah, if someone's walking behind me, I'm gonna hit them. Very good.
So have we got the bite point? How do we know? The noise of the engine's changed and the front's lifted, very good. So after preparation comes, observation, yes. So let's check our mirrors and our, oh yeah, blind spot. And then, is it safe? Yeah, so let's move. Very good, Chris, well done. Now we're gonna pull up again in a minute, try that again. Use MSPSGL if you're in a manual. Mirrors, signal, position, speed, gear and look. It helps them on the approach to turns because they're going through it in the head. Give them the tools that they need to succeed. How do you know that it's safe to go? How do I know there's a big enough gap on the roundabout? Was the car before the three o 'clock position Chris? Yes. Can we go then? Yes. Well done. Rather than keep going Chris, keep going.
There's a big enough gap, keep going. How does the pupil know that? They have to be able to do it without you in the car. So give the pupil the tools they need and that will help them to succeed. And again still linked with the the teaching style. Practice coaching. Now if you've done your commentary driving that's exactly the same but with questions. So if we use MSPSGL, which means if we use that, there is another video on that by the way. Check it out. If we use MSPSGL, there are no mistakes your pupil can make that you won't see. So if they're turning left for instance, you'd say mirrors, center and left, signal, down, position, normal driving, speed, under 20, perhaps around 15. Gear, into second gear, clutch up, look, look for the point of turn.
Look, is there anybody crossing the road? Is there any vehicles parked on the junction? And we know whether it's safe to go or not. So we do exactly the same, but with coaching. Okay Chris, so we're gonna take that next road on the left. Can you see it in the distance? So what mirror should we check? What position? What speed? What gear are we gonna need? What do we then need to do with the clutch? And our final part of the routine is, and what are we looking for? Is it safe to? Very good. And then you can just ease off, ease off. So looking down the road, Chris, what can we see with regards to speed limits? Oh, there's a 30 sign coming up. Good, so what do we need to check first? Oh, the center mirror. What are we checking for?
Make sure nobody's really close behind us. Good, and if they were, I could come off the gas earlier. I could just brake a little more gently. Very good, well done. So try coaching, try doing everything that you say, but in question form, why is it thirsty? How do you know it's thirsty? So can you see, by doing this, it becomes client -centered? If they don't know, it's fine, tell them. But find out what they do know first. That's the key to it. So we hope that's helped you understand a little more about why so many fail the ADI part three. Remember, get the best training that you can. Get an online training session if you can as well, because that will help you so much