YOUR SAY: Everybody is a learner once

Columnist Andrew Gale talks about the attention his L plates get.

ROAD RAGE: Andrew Gale talks about how other drivers treat a car with L plates. Picture: Contributed

YOU might think as a driving instructor I think a little differently to many people out there when it comes to sharing the road with learners.

But to be honest, I think the same thing as most people, when I see one ahead (though many are not game to admit it).

"Bloody learner." They get my attention. The yellow "L plates", hopefully displayed in an obvious position on their car are designed to do that.

Yep. If I'm being honest, and I try to make that my best policy, that thought does pop into my head especially when the learner is doing something to obstruct traffic, either through inexperience or a lack of thought or proper instruction or supervision.

Most of the time though, our poor ol' learner and instructor are trying their best.

Struggling to come to terms with the intricacies of trying to learn how to drive. How to do lots of things all at once.

I don't see the learner driver as an inconvenience, more like just another one of the hazards on our roads that might potentially make my task of getting from "A to B" just a little bit harder or longer. I certainly don't see it as a situation to get hot under the collar about or bully or road rage the people in that car.

As a driving instructor, along with my students, I get to "feel the wrath" of many a cranky person. Most of the time I just wave apologetically at their honking horn or tailgating, although I will admit to the occasional scornful, "finger wag". I don't mean "that" finger signal in this case. More of a "tut-tut" wag.

As well as using my driving school cars for lessons, I do a lot of miles in my little learner cars going from "A to B" as well.

We do have a single, non-descript "unmarked" vehicle in the Gale family fleet but its normally referred to as "mum's car." If I want to get somewhere I take a driving school car, or walk!! Now I didn't get this big and fat walking everywhere so you can guess what I choose most often.

The thing that appeals to my ironic "darker side" though, is the behaviours of other drivers towards me when I'm driving one of my cars and not teaching.

I like to describe my driving as "efficient". I don't speed, (33 years - 0 speeding tickets) but I don't muck about. I don't rush or race, but I take opportunities when they are available. I certainly do not describe myself as a "rolling road block" as many L plater cars can be.

My driving school cars are covered with an absolute plethora of L plates. There are more Ls on my car than there are in the word "lillypilly". In a line of traffic my car sticks out like a sore thumb. I know that other drivers can see me easily and many of them would be saying "bloody learner" as soon as I am spotted.

They see the car. But many don't notice it's not being driven like a learner is driving it.

I get overtaken aggressively and relentlessly even when I'm on the speed limit.

A lot of times these people pull back in front of me and then realise they are now doing 20 over the speed limit and slow back down. I get dragged off at lights constantly. Even by people driving cars slower than my nippy little "beep-beep" Barina.

I've been tail-gated, bullied and road-raged more times than I can poke a stick at.

Once I even had a Mercedes driver get out of his big black car to confront me at the traffic lights. The look on the driver's face was priceless when he saw a 6ft angry-looking, heavy-set skinhead looking at him instead of the expected timid 16-year-old he preferred to bully, was absolutely priceless.

My voice, loud and forceful and experienced in stopping idiots in their tracks from my time as a copper boomed at him to "get back in his car". He complied with some haste.

I just laughed. Life's too short not to see the funny side of things.

Originally published as YOUR SAY: Everybody is a learner once