Well, I passed my ADI Part 2 yesterday at the third attempt. The first time I took this test some twenty years ago, it was a simple matter of carrying out a more extensive “L” test. A higher standard was required and I passed with no problem. Since then, standards have risen dramatically. Quite rightly, too.
I took a two hour driving assessment prior to taking the test in June. I was advised that I needed to pay more attention to my use of gears as I was selecting sequentially on too many occasions where a block change would be more appropriate and to get into the higher gears more quickly. I practiced this and went into the test reasonably confidently.
I failed on gears. The debrief from the examiner – which is a massive improvement since I was last involved – was that I had changed sequentially too often and there were occasions when given the relatively powerful car (Renault Clio 2 litre Sport) I could have been in a higher gear. In particular, at 30mph, I really should have been in 4th gear and by the time I was doing 40mph, I really should have been in 5th gear. Then there was the matter of block changing up through the box – I didn’t do that at all. So, despite my efforts to resolve my use of gears, twenty five years of ingrained habit got the better of me.
Attempt number two was a disaster. Not only did I pick up faults on gears – not enough use of the intermediate gears, I was also picked up on positioning (too wide) and failure to make progress. On this occasion, upon exiting a roundabout on a 40mph dual carriageway, the vehicle in front was travelling at 30mph and there was another vehicle in the outside lane to my right. There was, briefly, a window of opportunity to crack on and pass the vehicle in front, but as we were approaching another roundabout, involving some pretty rapid deceleration and a subsequent stretch of open dual carriageway with a 50mph limit, I postponed the overtake. The examiner disagreed and I picked up a fault. On discussing this later with the supervising examiner, I was told that while they respect my judgement, if there is an opportunity to go; then go, I should demonstrate that I can. On the road positioning, we never got to the bottom of it. I tried replicating the fault when I next used a dual carriageway, but driving that wide was not only obvious, but was uncomfortable, so I just had to hope that whatever it was, it didn’t happen again.
I passed at the third attempt. I picked up a gear fault, though. The examiner pointed out that the car, being fairly powerful, really would have been more comfortable buzzing in 3rd gear at 30mph, rather than barely ticking over… I did point out that this contradicted with previous advice, but that old chestnut that I’d come across when challenging my previous result and apparent inconsistency in application of the standard was raised; “context”. The standard is black and white. The examiner applies the standard to the situation on the road and that situation is fluid. Context, therefore is all. It does get them out of a hole regarding consistency. Coming from an assessment background where I have had to verify assessors’ work, I would suggest that the DSA really should look at standardisation, because I’ve had three tests and been given entirely conflicting advice prefixed with the expression “In my opinion…”
Says it all, really. :dry:
Now for part three.
Interesting. Presumably, you’re now always in 4th gear at 30mph when needing to use that “window of opportunity” for a quick bit of overtaking. And you’re annoying the s*** out of other drivers by roaring past them, and then immediately braking.
Looking for some way out of such problems, I suppose you could have said that you were making the judgements on the rev counter reading and knowledge of the torque curve. If they continue, you might then have asked if they knew what RPM in that car gives maximum torque, the 80% points either side, and how those points relate to road speed in each gear?
Drive on.
The problem is exactly as stated in the closing comments; context. In general, the DSA wants you in the highest possible gear. 30mph is on the cusp between 3rd and 4th. The car will comfortably pull 4th at 30mph providing you don’t need brisk acceleration. Ideally, the car would be more efficient in 3rd at that speed…
I spent over an hour discussing these points with the supervising examiner and came away not much wiser for it. What the examiner decides at the time is what is right – even if the candidate, as an experienced driver, disagrees. There is no right of appeal against the examiner’s decision, merely on the manner in which the test was conducted.
As for the matter of that overtake – even now, having listened carefully to what the DSA has to say, given the same set of circumstances, I would make exactly the same decision, even though I realise that I would be marked down for it. A competent driver does not just make brisk progress, a competent driver also exercises restraint and, “in my opinion” that situation called for restraint and I’m standing by it.