“I think sometimes young guys show off to their friends when they get behind the wheel of a car,” says Farideh Sarwari, a 44-year-old driving instructor who works for AA and lives in New York, London. “One day I was in a car with my student at the wheel when we saw these young people in an Audi in front of us. They were driving through a residential area, when suddenly the car turned over, spinning and we saw them trying to get out through the windows. It was terrible, shocking, but also a good lesson for my student. You have to teach learner drivers all the dangers on the road.
“Unfortunately, there are many. On another occasion, one of my students was being followed at a small roundabout. On the other side, a car pulled up. My driver had to brake and she did. But the car behind us did not keep a safe distance. He hit us, the car was damaged and the police intervened. My student had a neck injury.
“I would say that it is not women or men that are necessarily the best drivers, young or old; this is carefully Driver. Our job as instructors is to teach drivers to be careful. I came to England from Iran 24 years ago where I qualified as a teacher. I trained here as a driving instructor because I like to communicate with other people. I find it very valuable to teach people how to be safe on the road.”
The key to the long-term success of any driving instructor is to keep a cool head. Stephen Bawa, a 41-year-old Londoner who teaches at My Four Wheels in Manchester, manages to instill a zen-like calmness in his students.
“If I’m good at my job,” he says, “I should be the most relaxed person in the world. I used to be an elementary school teacher and I have always enjoyed helping people find satisfaction in understanding something and doing it to the best of my ability. I spend most of my time watching my student, although of course I always keep an eye on what’s going on outside the car.
“But you can tell a lot by looking at a person’s face and what they do with their hands and feet. You can learn to anticipate how to read the road and how timely their actions are. When necessary, I intervene verbally, and when that is not good enough, I intervene physically. My main task is to be many steps ahead of them.
“You know, the road doesn’t have to be dangerous, but there’s a lot of reckless driving and a lot of road rage. When I was younger, I might have gotten a little angry myself if someone cut me, but not now. You must remain calm.
“Someone cut my pupil once, no signal, no warning, so they cut our car. We had to step aside. I calmly explained to my student what he should do and also how to behave according to the law. I told them to lock themselves in the car and I’ll go take care of her. If they have to communicate with another driver, they do it through a gap in the window and do not bear any responsibility.
“The other driver became very hostile. He was angry and wanted to tell us even though it was his fault. The student was afraid, but I told them: Well done for doing everything I asked you to.. Then we talked about what happened. When something like this happens, you see the ugly side of humanity.”
Patience with such regular outbursts of anger on the part of the driver can unbalance even the most seasoned instructors.
“As a self-employed person, I don’t get paid if I don’t work, but if my mental health is bad, it affects my ability to do my job. So I don’t work all the time, no I am also 1.80 meters tall. I don’t want to spend too much time in the car.”
So does Farida Sarwari. “I’m waiting for back surgery,” she says. “My Peugeot 208 is a beautiful car and I love my job, no complaints, but my back doesn’t always make me happy. When I finish work, I like to take a 40-minute walk before heading home. I like exercise, fresh air.”