Whilst driving the other day, I begun to wonder how much people’s driving skills have deteriorated since passing their driving tests? 

Now I’m not saying I’m a perfect driver by any means.  However, when did drivers stop indicating when they turn left?  How many times have you found yourself behind someone at a set of traffic lights, and the driver in front is see-sawing back and forth on the clutch?  How many drivers don’t switch their head lights on at night? Are they working on the theory of “if I can see people,  they must be able to see me!”  How many drivers have you seen that tail-gate on the motorways/freeways?  How many drivers have never reversed parked since their driving tests? Normally the ones proclaiming “Who ever reverse parks anyway”…  Well I do! 

I practise a little mental exercise every week or so. My father, who for many years was a driving instructor for the R.A.C., advised me to do this exercise. 

Pretend just for one journey (say of five miles), that you are taking your driving test again.  Remember all the things you  now take for granted, such as M.S.M. (mirror signal manoeuvre).  Applying the hand-brake on hills rather than balancing the weight of the car on the clutch.   Remember to leave plenty of room between you and the car in front.  Always indicate when changing lanes and don’t brake at the last minute.  The list is endless - but I think his tip works as it does make you think about the standard of your driving.

Now moving onto a nother lost skill… writing.   When was the last time you wrote a letter?  The printer for my computer broke down last week and I had to construct a letter to a friend.  I could mentally construct the sentence in my head – no problem!  However, my hand writing was terrible, it looked like a child had scrawled it!  Then I tried to remember the last time I hand wrote a letter? It was years and years ago. 

Like most people nowadays we have a P.C. with a printer, so I print off letters rather than hand write as its much quicker.  Most important for me is being able to use spell-check and grammar check!  In the end my partner took the pen and paper off of me as she couldn’t stand the muttering and the swearing under my breath!  Being the star she is she wrote it out for me.