How to Deal with Qualified Drivers

Qualified Drivers- the bane of every Learner Driver. Some qualified drivers are retards, but I get the feeling that many learners who hate the qualified drivers (hereafter referred to as Q-drivers) tend to hate them just because they're there. I've decided to write this guide to combat the average learner's fear (for lack of a better word) of Q-drivers. After all, being able to handle traffic is all part of being a driver- and yes, that means being able to handle the fact that there are other Q-drivers around and some of them are pretty nasty towards L-drivers.

Q-drivers come in all different varieties. There's the nice ones and the indifferent ones, the tailgaters and the show-offs. And yes, there's the smart Q-drivers and the idiotic Q-drivers. Just because you have your driver's licence doesn't mean that you're a smart, safe, courteous driver. Conversely, just because you're still on your Ls doesn't mean that you're a dumb, dangerous, discourteous driver. L-drivers have as much right to be on the road as Q-drivers do, provided that they have L-plates, their learner's permits and a supervisor. I'm going to repeat that again, just to stress my point: you have as much right to be on the road as any Q-driver, so you deserve to be afforded the same amount of respect and courtesy as a Q-driver. Don't let other people's attitudes get in your way of becoming good at driving.

One thing that I found really helped me in becoming used to other Q-drivers is by pretending that I am one- one that follows the road rules, anyway. Since I got into this frame of mind, other benefits compounded on this. I've been beeped at a couple of times by impatient drivers, but because I don't see myself as that L-driver that all of the Q-drivers hate, I just go, "bloody impatient driver" and go on my merry way. Of course, this tactic might not work for you as everyone's mind is different.

If you get a tailgater, you could try some of the tactics that I've gathered from Q-drivers. (However, if you try one of these, you should be sure that the driver behind is definitely a tailgater and that it isn't a case of the car just appearing to be close when you look at it in the rearview mirror.) Here are some tactics:

1. Tap the brake pedal not so much that you start slowing down, but enough so that the brake lights come on.
2. Let go of the accelerate pedal.
3. Use the windscreen spray thingo. If the wind's right the water might blow onto their windscreen. My mum did this on the freeway to a jerk who was tailgating her...
4. If there's an intersection nearby, indicate so that they think that you're turning and will slow down to allow you to turn.
5. If there's a place where they can overtake, slow down to allow them to overtake. However, tailgaters will probably overtake on their own as soon as they have the opportunity to do so.
6. You could always simply ignore the tailgater. Or you could pull faces at them in your rearview mirror. Whatever.

Whatever you do, though, NEVER NEVER NEVER go over the speed limit just to appease a Q-driver. If there's a camera nearby, it's you who'll end up with the fine, not them.

And that's pretty much it for my article on how to handle Q-drivers. If you're still struggling you could try and drive an automatic so that you don't have to worry about Q-drivers and gears at the same time. I'll have to admit that I'm learning on automatic (both my parents have automatics) so I don't have any advice for you if you stall your car in the midst of a whole bunch of Q-drivers. I can, however, offer some consolation: the Q-driver in front of me stalled their car at an intersection. If Q-drivers can stall their cars then really there's nothing that hateful about L-drivers stalling their cars either.

As always, if you have anything else to say on the matter, please leave a comment!