As some of you will remember, I past my RoSPA advanced driving test about 18 months ago.
It involved first of all joining the local group, attending Sunday assessment meets, being allocated a tutor, and then, when ready applying for the test.
I was lucky in the fact that my tutor was the chief instructor for the WM fire service, great bloke, and what he didn't know you could write on the back of a postage stamp.
Unfortunately, not all assessors have his all round knowledge of cars and gearboxes.
To become an assessor/tutor, you have to take a course run by the local group, to strict RoSPA standards, and if you pass you can become an assessor/tutor, it's normally run by the two most senior tutors of the group (who also need to be committee members).
Now, the bloke who tutored me is not a committee member, so is not involved with the assessor/tutor course.
I decided to take the course, but decided to drop out, as the senior guy (who has never driven an automatic) told me during an assessment drive, when I was crawling in traffic, he would like me to select first gear! I pointed out that it was in first gear as it was an automatic, but he still insisted I engage first gear.
Now, this guy is a great driver, I've sat in the passenger seat with him, but, what a plonker!
Just couldn't bothered to argue.