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MORE THAN TEN people are complaining to the Road Safety Authority (RSA) about driving lessons each month with one person writing of having their steering wheel grabbed three times, while another said their instructor had started praying in the passenger seat just before their lesson began.
In a lengthy complaint, one person wrote about the “very negative” learning environment they had dealt with, saying the thing they most remembered from their lesson was the word “fail”.
A copy of the complaint said: “I done nothing right and received not one word of encouragement at any stage. Condescending remarks were made, for example, about female learners looking into a particular mirror.”
The learner said there had been a “constant non-stop narration” about all the reasons why they would not pass their driving test.
“At least three times the [instructor] grabbed the steering wheel off me, this was in no way acceptable or appropriate. Furthermore, he was huffing and puffing and muttering under his breath, raising his arms,” they added.
Another reported a man they said was providing lessons even though he was not registered, saying he had a website up and running offering his services.
They wrote: “I am aware that this carries a €2,000 fine or a six-month prison sentence. If I don’t get a response from you, I will have no choice but to escalate this to the gardaí.”
Another complained that their driving instructor had been praying in their car.
Their report to the RSA said: “Furthermore, his behaviour included shouting and issuing threats, including the threat to drop me off at the side of the road.
“His consistent shouting was accompanied by complaints about Irish people. I believe such conduct is unprofessional.”
One learner wrote about getting “dirty looks” from their teacher after they stalled their car during a lesson.
A copy of their complaint said: “He made me feel as if I was sitting my driving test the whole time and he kept checking his mobile phone throughout my lesson.
“He had made me feel pressured and I lost my confidence in driving due to this. He would shout every time I made a mistake and acted as if I was supposed to know how to drive correctly straight away.”
Not all complaints were from learners with one driving instructor reporting the aggressive behaviour of a colleague who wanted them to move on from practising reversing a car.
They explained: “As I was walking back to the car [the other instructor] was still yelling, saying that it was courtesy to move on. Not only was he very unprofessional, he was very rude and aggressive towards me.
“It is challenging enough for my learner driver to learn how to drive but for her to feel intimidated like that was totally uncalled for.”
One bus driver also complained saying they had seen a learner car clearly breaking a red light, providing dashcam footage to support their claim.
They said: “After pointing out this dangerous behaviour, the instructor reacted in a highly unprofessional and aggressive manner – shouting, using vulgar words, and making an offensive gesture by raising his middle finger towards me.”
There were multiple complaints from residents griping about the fact that their neighbourhood was in frequent use for driving lessons.
One wrote about several “near-misses” with children on their road especially when a learner was practising their “reversing around the corner manoeuvre”.
The resident’s group said they fully understood that people needed to do lessons.
However, they asked the RSA: “Is there some compromise that could be reached whereby cars stayed away when children were likely to be playing?”
Another complained about cars going into “reverse around a blind corner” on their street.
They wrote: “I object to them doing this as it is so dangerous. Has something changed in the rule book which allows this practice?”
The RSA said they had received a total of 127 complaints over the past twelve months with 27 about inappropriate behaviour, 26 over money that was paid, and 18 about the testing route or driving lessons.
There were a further 29 logged about the quality of training, 7 about car hire for a driving test, and 20 about the failure to upload Essential Driver Training (EDT) lessons.
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RSA.
No comments on the disgraceful state of rural roads throughout Ireland
A major cause of accidents.
@Thomas Howley: they will be reducing the speed limit on these roads to 60 so that should help, presuming people stick to the lower limit.
@The next small thing: should be 30kph to a help navigate through the potholes if they really cared tbh
@Thomas Howley: the roads, dangerous or otherwise, do not fall under the remit of the RSA.
@Dermot Blaine: now now Dermot, don’t be telling Thomas facts. He won’t like them.
Obviously these complainers were brutal and put the fear in the instructors it’s it’s only obvious thing. Like I said in another thread. We need to have a purpose built driving course where people come to learn to drive included in there should be hills kerbs pedestrian crossing parking spaces and a skid pan course. And then should the learner elevate to be allowed drive on public roads. I’ve seen some learners and they shouldn’t be allowed behind a Tesco trolley let alone the wheel of a car.
@Nemethon: Basically what you advocate is what’s being done in other European countries, where you learn to actually drive (as opposed to just learning to turn the wheel and change gears, what a large minority of drivers seemed to have learnt in Ireland). I’m with you on that one
@Jerry LeFrog: that’s exactly what I’m advocating for. A large majority of learners barely know the basics they know no more than forward left and right anything beyond that is a mystery.
Praying before getting in the car. Brilliant haha
@ecrowley ecrowley: I was on a flight the other day and the clown beside me continually blessed himself during take off and landing. Very disconcerting .
@Dermot Blaine: ah Jimmy Wallace, your ignorance is showing
@Fintan Pox:?
Snowflakes are out in force.
After you are capable of driving the car, you are meant to feel like the instructor is putting you through the actual test every lesson, that they are critical of your mistakes and that you feel under pressure to drive flawlessly, because the test is all of that and more.
An instructor grabbing the wheel isn’t something that is done lightly and if a learner driver doesn’t know why they grabbed the wheel, its more than likely their failure to be aware of their road position and other road users, rather than the instructor over reacting.
Alleged consistent shouting in the modern hypersensitive context, is more likely to be hearing something urgent in a slightly raised voice that they don’t want to hear,(don’t pull out in front of the truck!) rather than an instructor actually shouting.
I live on a test route. I notice learners outside my house all day long. They spend most of the lesson sitting in cars very little actual driving takes place. Bit of a rip off for the cost of lessons and little petrol being used.
There’s definitely a habit of female drivers paying more attention to the rear view mirror than the road in front of them .I witness it every morning on the way to work. Brushing hair and applying lipstick. Maybe driving instructors are just doing their job properly by telling them it’s not acceptable and fail them!
Indicate ya pr11ck!
lol
We in Fianna Fail believe in a total ban on vehicles and roads
That whole reversing around a corner thing makes no sense and should be scrapped
A bunch of old farts stuck in a rutt who won’t retire..
The tech that bikers use to do their tests is comical
In my day of learning you took a few slaps from the instructor if you did something stupid or didn’t know your left from your right. You went home and told nobody for fear you’d be laughed at. Next day you went back and got it right, we all passed our driving test first time. Nobody made complaints about it either.
Tbh if it wasnt for my lesson and being shouted at the day of my test and having my arrogance checked I don’t think would have passed test
have your say