29/08/2026
🚗 A little patience goes a VERY long way…
I had one of those moments this morning that really reminded me just how important patience from other road users can be when you’re learning to drive.
I was taking a student through a reverse bay park in a fairly quiet, but still used, car park. As often happens when you’re learning, it didn’t go perfectly first time.
My student realised the car wasn’t quite where it needed to be and, rather than continuing and risking reversing towards the parked car next to us, we needed to make a small adjustment.
There was an older gentleman directly in front of us waiting to pull out of his car parking space. I was very conscious that we didn’t want to hold him up any longer than necessary, so I prompted my student through the adjustment in what I felt was a speedy but constructive way — allowing him to actually learn from the situation, rather than simply telling him exactly what to do.
Once we were safely positioned in the bay, I acknowledged the gentleman and gave him a little wave to say thank you for waiting.
His response?
Muttering through the windscreen, shaking his head and making absolutely no effort to acknowledge my thanks. 🤷♀️
And honestly… it really frustrated me.
Yes, we probably held him up for a couple of minutes.
Yes, I would have loved my student to have nailed the manoeuvre first time.
And absolutely NO, it was not my intention to inconvenience anybody.
But this is learning to drive.
They wouldn’t have an L plate on the car if they could already do everything perfectly.
We have to teach learners amongst other road users. We have to expose them to real-life situations, including the pressure of knowing somebody is waiting for them, whilst still giving them the opportunity to think, make decisions and learn from their mistakes.
And let’s be honest… every single driver on the road was a learner once. 🙌
It’s so easy to complain about the younger generation and say that they aren’t being taught properly, that standards are slipping or that new drivers don’t have enough experience.
But when we actually put those learners out into the real world to gain that experience, sometimes we seem to expect them to perform like fully qualified drivers.
It doesn’t work like that.
Learning takes time.
Mistakes happen.
Adjustments happen.
And sometimes, you might have to wait an extra minute or two.
So, please… ❤️
Be patient with learners.
Because if you expect the next generation of drivers to be safe, competent and considerate…
give them the bloody opportunity to learn. ❤️🚗 trust me when I say we aren’t deliberately getting in your way.
