Graham Feest – Road Safety Consultant

YES:

We still hear far too often about driver trainers who get to a point of saying “we’ll let him or her have a go.”  I was under the impression that we had moved on from that, and that driver trainers thought more carefully about putting people forward who were test ready. Driving instructors should be supporting one another and speaking from the same hymn sheet. We rely upon the ADI to say when a learner is test ready and they will not generally do that until such time as they believe the pupil will be successful and, indeed, the DVSA are quick to pounce on trainers who send people for test when they are not up to standard. There are clearly occasions when an ADI concludes that someone is test ready but subsequently changes their mind. A good ADI is looking to ensure that when a driver passes his or her test that they are safe and can drive with limited risks to themselves and other road users. They see more than the examiner and their assessment is crucial for everyone’s survival. If there is any doubt in their mind, then they owe it to all parties to review their initial decision. It is high time that we reviewed the testing procedure, if only to get some kind of formal sign off from the instructor which counts towards the overall assessment, but I guess without regulation whereby everyone has to be taught by an official ADI, that’s a long way off.

Daniel Hill – Director at MyDriveTime

NO:

As a business, your reputation and trust in your service is paramount to your success. 80% of a typical ADI’s custom is generated through referrals, so protecting this is vital, and you need to be open, but confident and assured. Indecisiveness is not a good professional image A customer’s learning journey is linear and therefore, over time, will reach a level that constitutes test readiness. The student is relying on, and paying you for, your professional opinion as to whether or not they’re ready. To tell them such, then renege within days of a test will undoubtedly  jeopardise your relationship with your student, and thus cost you referrals and credibility in the longer term. They must have been at an appropriate level of skill for you to have recommended that they proceed to test, and with further tuition between then and their test having been conducted, it’s highly unlikely that they would’ve gone backwards. They have invested money and mental energy in preparing for it, so to withdraw your support and vehicle so close to the test, when they’re keen to proceed, is never going to end well. Is the potential of one fail on your record, worth the reputational damage to your business? At least if they do fail, you’ll be proven right, with further tuition being justified by a third party (examiner). If they pass, you have a happy customer who will sing your praises.