As a driving instructor who has quite literally been around the block more than a few times , you may well thing that there’s nothing more that you can learn about being on the road. The Bicycle Association however disagrees, and has recently released a short film that aims to teach driving instructors about cyclists so that they can pass this on to the next generation of drivers.
The film was shot in Cambridge, a city well known for its many cyclists and tackles a number of topics. Made by cycling campaigner and journalist Carlton Reid, the film features tuition from Blaine Walsh, a driving instructor, and from the director of the Association of Bikeability Schemes, Michael Frearson.
You can watch the whole nine-minute video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJHXzt7TC2k
Redressing attitudes towards cyclists
One thing in particular that the film looks at is driving instructor’s attitudes towards cyclists on the road, and how this can influence the later driving styles of their pupils. Walsh comments that: “We are sharing the road with everyone. [Cyclists] have the right to be there as much as we do. It’s not for cars, it’s for every road user. It’s really important we’re getting this point across to our road learners –if we don’t understand that our learner’s don’t understand that.”
A specific issue tackled by the video is something that can prove infuriating to driving instructors and drivers in general – why cyclists sometimes ride in the middle of a road. This is known as the primary position, and is intended to make the cyclist more visible and secure their position within the flow of traffic. By riding closer to the centre of the road, motorists are less likely to try to squeeze past, potentially within just inches of the cyclist.
Though it may be common knowledge to driving instructors who are also cyclists, to others this may be news. The video is to be welcomed, as by encouraging more empathy and understanding amongst driving instructors towards two-wheeled road users it may help make the roads a safer place and so result in fewer claims on your driving instructor insurance policy.