Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Am I still a driving force after 45 yrs on the road?
Our Polly’s mum put to the test
REQUESTS from older drivers to test their skills behind the wheel have rocketed since the road accident which ended Prince Philip’s 80 years of motoring.
IAM Roadsmart, formerly the Institute of Advanced Motorists, and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, have both had a surge in inquiries
As Polly Hudson mentioned in her Mirror column this week, her mum is one of those who took a Mature Driving Assessment.
Ignoring the unrelenting stick she gets from her daughter, Val Corbett tells of her testing time at the wheel.
I would like to make something clear from the start – I’m nowhere near as old as 98-yearold Prince Philip.
I don’t remember the Napoleonic Wars, but I’ll admit the Rolling Stones had gathered a bit of moss when I got behind the wheel of my first car – a Mini in racing green. I loved that car and have driven Minis ever since.
Like Polly, I was a journalist, and that’s how I ended up being taught to drive by Stirling Moss.
I was interviewing him and he decided, as I was a non-driver, he would teach me.
The lesson ended in under 10 minutes when I burst out crying because I couldn’t co-ordinate my feet and Stirling made his impatience felt.
I later learned quickly with a qualified instructor, who drove at 30mph – unlike my first tutor.
But my first driving test was a disaster. I’d been doing a story about diet pills and on the morning of the test had taken one.
It affected my reflexes. Stopping at a red light, the car did a little kangaroo hop, frightening an old man who was crossing.
He shouted: “You are a menace on the road!” The examiner at my side quietly put away his quill. I did pass at the second attempt. But, after more than 45 years of driving, I felt it was time for an independent assessment, instead of the, “Ooh, that was close” from my family. Especially Polly, who ALWAYS says: “Please drive carefully,” each time I leave her home – as if I wouldn’t.
She now has my grandson Albert, four, saying it – in the same tone.
I was apprehensive, like during my first tests, but this £49 assessment was different. The assessor, Chris Williams, was friendly and, unlike a driving test, he came to my home and I drove my own car, a Mini One, which I’ve had since 2012 so am used to its ways.
The drive lasted over an hour on country roads, urban ones and the M1. I was determined to do my best, with hands at 10 to two on the steering wheel.
I looked ostentatiously at all the mirrors, I gave way on roundabouts and told him I had realised I had cut a corner.
“Well done today, an excellent drive,” said Chris, handing me his assessment form, on which there are four grades – Excellent, Competent, Needs Development and Safety Concern.
This is from Chris’s assessment: “From the start, Val was confident and looked comfortable in her car.
“Starting off procedure was correct, she checked all around and signalled before starting the manoeuvre. Overall, I was very impressed as she demonstrated a safe, competent, confident drive.
“It would be nice to see her address braking on corners, slightly excessive speed and watching road signs and markings. This would raise her from a good driver to a very good driver.”
But Chris marked me excellent on only four points: positioning, dealing with traffic and other road users, manoeuvring and concentration/consideration and courtesy. (Polly and Albert please note).
I got a two, and not the top mark of one, on some procedures he had praised in the assessment, so I queried why.
He replied: “In advanced driving we utilise ‘the system’ which incorporates IPSGA (Information, position, speed, gear, accelerate) which takes training to achieve.
“For someone who has had no formal training in road craft I would not expect to award any ones. I have no concerns about your safety on the road.”
I received the official certificate from the Institute of Advanced Drivers, which was a disappointment as it gave my name, but simply said I had done the Mature Driving Test, not that I was judged to be a competent driver.
When I pointed this out, they said it would be discussed at the next management meeting.
Apart from that, I now have confidence that when Polly and Albert wave me off they will say, “Drive carefully” in a moderate tone. Best result!
■ The Mirror has made a payment to the Robin Corbett Award set up to help ex-offenders to change their lives.