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Re: Indicating when about to overtake a bus stopped *in the road* at a bus stop

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On 07/08/2024 15:45, JNugent wrote:
>> I passed my test in the early 80s. Your 60 years sounded a lot, until 
>> I worked out that I've been driving 43 years!
> 
> Fifty-two for me, and that at a North London test centre notorious (so 
> my friends told me) for failing first time candidates "on principle".


My first test was with an *examiner* who seemed to have a similar 
policy. He was morose and lugubrious, and had a truly VILE temper if you 
asked for clarification of his instructions. He was known by most of the 
test centres in the Home Counties (my instructor said) as "Mr Hemlock" 
and he had been moved from one centre to another all over, because 
no-one had the courage to sack him as temperamentally unsuitable for the 
job, but at the same time, they didn't want to work with him.

He made a boo-boo right at the start with the sight test: he asked me to 
read the number of the car that I was taking the test in (which I 
believe is on the candidate's details to guard against that!) and was 
not impressed when I joked "I'll read that one if you like, but it's my 
examiner's car so it's not a fair test. Perhaps you should choose 
another car." I was "trying to be clever" for pointing that out - but I 
wasn't going to have my test ruled invalid because *he'd* cocked up the 
eyesight test.

I applied my route knowledge of the town where I took my test. There is 
a two-lane urban road which widens out to three lanes at some traffic 
lights by a roundabout, with a lane each arrowed left, straight on and 
right. Some distance before the lights there is even a sign "Get in 
Lane" with the lane usage marked. As I approached that sign I asked 
"Which way will you want me to go at the lights, so I can get in the 
correct lane?" He barked "I'll tell you when I'm good and ready, and not 
before" so I replied "In the absence of clear instructions I will take 
the default straight ahead." As I was coming to a halt in the middle 
lane, he said "Turn left". So I indicated and waited for someone in the 
left-turn to let me go ahead, and talked through my thought process "He 
has flashed me and given me a beckoning sign, so he is aware of me. He 
has stopped and is still stopped. I judge that he is letting me go. I 
will go cautiously in case he changes his mind." Once I was round the 
corner I said "*That* is why I asked you for directions - to avoid that 
very situation".

The only person I know who passed was our neighbour who had to learn to 
drive in her sixties when her husband could no longer drive. She said 
that his words were "I am very sorry to have to tell you that I cannot 
find any grounds that will allow me to fail you, so against my better 
judgement I am compelled to pass you."

On my third test (I made a silly mistake on the second) they wheeled out 
the head examiner. He looked back through the other examiners' notes on 
me. "Ah..... [long pause] You had Mr Hemlock [he used his real name] for 
your first test. I'm not surprised you failed." And he grinned at me. He 
didn't need to say any more.

I later heard from my instructor (via my sister who also used him a year 
or so later) that another test centre had finally sacked him. They 
started by getting an examiner-of-examiners to sit in on all his tests, 
and then asked him to explain why his test results were so poor in 
general but so good when he was being examined. Apparently there was 
dancing in the streets, both by instructors and other examiners when he 
was sacked!

Just my bad luck to get the bad-apple examiner on my first go. I'm sure 
I made mistakes, but probably 50% of the blame for failing my first test 
was down to his attitude. 40-odd years later, I can laugh about it. I 
hope they threw the book at that guy because he seemed to regard it as 
an offence if he had to pass anyone. An examiner needs to recognise that 
a test is a stressful time for anyone and not to make it any worse by 
being bloody-minded.

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Indicating when about to overtake a bus stopped *in the road* at a bus stop NY <me@privacy.net> - 2024-07-09 14:51 +0100
  Re: Indicating when about to overtake a bus stopped *in the road* at a bus stop Colin Bignell <cpb@bignellREMOVETHIS.me.uk> - 2024-07-09 16:38 +0100
    Re: Indicating when about to overtake a bus stopped *in the road* at a bus stop Nick Finnigan <nix@genie.co.uk> - 2024-07-09 16:49 +0100
    Re: Indicating when about to overtake a bus stopped *in the road* at a bus stop nospam@please.invalid (AnthonyL) - 2024-07-10 11:58 +0000
      Re: Indicating when about to overtake a bus stopped *in the road* at a bus stop NY <me@privacy.net> - 2024-07-11 14:39 +0100
        Re: Indicating when about to overtake a bus stopped *in the road* at a bus stop JNugent <JNugent73@mail.com> - 2024-08-07 15:45 +0100
          Re: Indicating when about to overtake a bus stopped *in the road* at a bus stop NY <me@privacy.net> - 2024-08-07 22:20 +0100
            Re: Indicating when about to overtake a bus stopped *in the road* at a bus stop JNugent <JNugent73@mail.com> - 2024-08-08 00:34 +0100
          Re: Indicating when about to overtake a bus stopped *in the road* at a bus stop Colin Bignell <cpb@bignellREMOVETHIS.me.uk> - 2024-08-08 08:41 +0100
            Re: Indicating when about to overtake a bus stopped *in the road* at a bus stop JNugent <JNugent73@mail.com> - 2024-08-08 15:34 +0100

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