Just Who is Teaching your Kids how to Drive?

OK, it's a lousy picture (relax; taken by my passenger).

So you'll have to take my word for it that this is a Driving School car.

Still, notice anything?

Yes, it is raining.

Yes, it is quite dark - in fact, it was after seven Monday evening.

Do you see any taillights?

No, you don't.

Because they weren't on.

So, a Driving School car with (what appeared to be) a student behind the wheel and an Instructor in the front passenger seat, in very poor visibility conditions - and the car only has its Daytime Running Lights on?

Does this instructor not know that his Toyota Corolla (sadly, like almost all cars) does not turn its taillights on with the DRL?

Does he not know that because a Corolla (wrongly, and again sadly, like almost all cars) DOES switch on its instrument lights with DRL, there's no indication to the driver that the full lights, including the taillights, are not on?

If a supposedly licenced Driving Instructor doesn't know a simple little (potentially life-saving) rule like this, what else doesn't he know?

What other bad habits is he communicating to your son or daughter?

I wish the photo was clear enough to identify the Driving School. Yes, I would so embarrass it if I could verify the name.

I do recall that the name started with a "K", and the address was on Finch Avenue East. This shot was taken on McCowan Road heading southbound near Finch.

So if you own a driving school in this area and you recognize this car, shame on you.

And smarten up.

If you are paying this outfit to teach your kid, cancel all subsequent lessons immediately.

 

Comments

[Merrill Smith]

We have two Subarus and my son discovered that if you leave the headlights on, they go off when the ignition is off, so we have them on at all times. This is handy when driving in New york State, where lights have to be on whenever wipers are on. But a few weeks ago I was driving at night and noticed the instrument lights were off -- so not all cars are wired as you indicate. I wondered how that had happened and remembered that the car had been to the dealer a few days earlier. Obviously the dealer had switched off the lights.

[Mark]

Not the first time I've seen this either unfortunately. About a year ago I pulled up next to a driving school car without its lights on while it was raining out. Since we were stopped at a red light I opened my window and mentioned it to the instructor in the passenger seat. He seemed rather taken aback by my comments and just replied with "ok, ok," and promptly closed his window. As I pulled away from the light I saw the lights still weren't turned on.