Episode 8 Driving Academy

-Four children fed up with their parents' driving.

-Bam!

Woah!

Four parents who've got into bad habits.

That was typical Andy.

In just two days, they'll face the ultimate driving test

and our chief examiner, Sandra.

Last time, our rookies headed down Hazard Alley,

the most dangerous road here. Mr C took his eyes off the road

and faced the consequences.

Our team's nerves were stretched

when they had to spot dangers at every turn.

I know what I've took photos of!

Just two more days of training, but will our drivers

be ready for the ultimate driving test?

It's day eight at the Driving Academy.

This is Driving Academy

from the lovely St Athan in Wales.

It's day eight. This show takes some bad drivers

and sorts out their bad behaviour in the car to put them back on track.

In the meantime, I've got Sandra,

she's checking out my driving skills.

-OK, Joe, move off when you're ready.

-Lovely.

CAR STALLS

I think I might need some more lessons. Yeah.

Coming up. Take cover!

The dummies are determined to make a splash in today's Learner Lesson.

Oh, no! Please stop.

Pay attention, Mr C!

Hold on! Our teams have to stay in control to pass today.

It's an action-packed show that pushes our teams

further than they've been before.

And it kicks off now with the Learner Lesson.

It's storm clouds all the way today

as our rookie drivers learn the dos and don'ts

of driving in bad weather and pass lessons on to their parents.

Although they can't drive on public roads,

here at our top-secret test centre, anything is possible.

In charge of our lessons is elite instructor, Vicky Lovell.

She knows every angle of road safety.

Driving in wet weather is much more dangerous than driving in the dry

because of the visibility.

During the lesson, Vicky uses dual controls

so our rookies are always safe.

OK, it's Jono up first.

They must control the car as they drive around a simple track

and our dummies chuck water at them.

Not too close to the red and white cones.

Can you see what the mist does to your vision?

It completely takes it away, doesn't it?

If you're going fast on a motorway, it'd be a long time

-when you couldn't see, wouldn't there?

-Yes.

-Yes?

-Yes.

-We need the wipers on faster, don't we?

-Definitely.

He's learnt the importance of concentration and driving

at the right speed in bad weather.

So, how does his mum usually cope?

She doesn't come out and drive in bad weather because she's very scared.

OK. Molly next to face the splash squad.

Molly is nervous at the best of times so this should be interesting.

It made me jump, then.

Little bit closer to the cones for me.

-Please stop. Oh, my gosh. I can't see!

-That was horrible, wasn't it?

I can't see what they're doing,

they keep splashing me. I don't like it!

I can't see where I'm going. I'm going to die.

-Can I please turn the wipers up?

-Keep calm, Molly.

-What would your dad do in this weather?

-He tries

to show the weather who's boss.

If it's snowing, raining, whatever, he'll still get in the car

and he'll still do what he'd do normally but faster.

Our rookies have a lot to teach their parents.

-Next up is Manisha. How will she handle things?

-Oh, cool. Oh, wow!

-That was a surprise.

-Stay away from the cones.

Oh, careful of those cones, Manisha.

Oh, no!

Please stop.

I'd never want to drive in bad weather.

-It's hard to see, isn't it?

-Yes, very hard. I got a bit scared.

I was thinking, what am I going to do now?

You know, it's like, you might just go off track

and not realise.

Driving the car's confusing

and water's chucked at you - more confusing.

Last but not least, it's Rhys.

You never know what's going to happen with him behind the wheel.

Concentrate, Rhys.

How much can you see?

His mum, Sarah, never concentrates when she's driving which is why

she's here. She's bad in good weather, let alone bad.

Rhys, this is serious. Stop being distracted by those dummies.

Driving in bad weather is no laughing matter.

Move towards the cones and away from that water.

Steer around because you're getting a bit close. Steer more.

-See the gap in the cones?

-No.

-Oh, the cone!

Why did you miss the gap?

-I couldn't see it.

-OK, so how hard is it to see?

-Quite hard.

I didn't do very good because I was too busy enjoying myself.

When I went round, I ended up hitting a cone.

And when I reversed, I hit a cone as well. In the end, I got out.

I'm starting to think my driving's like my mum's

because when I reverse, I crash into things.

Well done, rookies. If you found that tricky, you're in for a shock.

Today's Super Skills takes bad weather driving to a new level.

Later, our teams face the most difficult Super Skills to date.

They'll be out of control and in a total spin.

How will our teams cope? But first, Don't Be A Dummy.

Meet the most easily distracted dummy here at the academy.

Whenever Mr Crash gets behind the wheel

he never pays attention, which ends in disaster.

The question is, what will distract him today?

Well, firstly, he's put his shopping bags on the back seat.

He's brought his sat nav and there's a small make-up mirror.

Oh, keeping fresh for the cameras, Mr C?

First our teams have a little look around to try to work out

which of today's distractions will cause Mr C to crash.

Why don't you try this at home?

Sat nav, as you should set it before you leave the house.

Good spot, Andy. That sat nav looks like it could slip off the dash.

Use the mountings when using one.

-He's got his mirror there.

-Yeah, his mirror, make-up.

Good, Cliff and Manisha.

Never attempt to do your make-up in a car. Not even at the lights.

-You know who you are.

-Shopping bags.

If they're heavy, they ought to be in the footwell.

You're right, Sarah.

Those bags would be safer stowed in a footwell

or, better still, in the boot of the car.

While our teams decide what will distract Mr C, I've got

a bit of practising to do. I've got a concert coming up.

PLAYS THE PIANO

I bet you didn't know I'm a concert pianist,

just getting some practice in.

Mr C, any requests?

No, no, Mr C!

Let's hope he can concentrate

because that piano's an old family heirloom!

If he gets distracted, I can kiss goodbye to it and my chances

of playing in the Dummy Disco. Right, remember,

all objects could be dangerous. There's a shopping bag in the back,

a sat nav up front, and a fancy make-up mirror.

Last chance to guess.

Off he goes.

He's looking safe so far.

That's it. Nice, steady speed.

Oh, no, Mr C, what are you doing?

He's reaching for the bags in the back seat. Watch out!

Did you guess right, then? He was looking in his shopping.

Goodbye, piano. I could have been the next Bruno Mars.

Mr C is a fully-trained stunt driver

and all his crashes are performed by experts.

Don't be a dummy, don't try this at home.

Our teams will be in a major spin later

when they take on our super-icy Super Skills eight.

That's coming up soon,

but first, before you can even get near a car,

you must learn the rules of the road - the Highway Code.

And our teams have been studying them furiously

for the next part of the show, the Highway Quiz.

So, this game's called Walk, Don't Walk. In front of you,

there's a diagram. There are five pictures of roads.

On each road, there are two possible crossings, OK?

If it's a safe place to cross, put a green man there.

If it's an unsafe place to cross, put a red man there.

You need to get both right to get points and you need to get

-at least three out of five right for your Highway Quiz badge.

-Woo!

OK. Let the games begin.

So, the green man if it's a safe place to cross,

the red man if you think it's an unsafe place to cross.

You need to get both right to get the points.

You need to get three out of five to get the Highway Quiz badge.

Finished, Mols? OK.

If yours match up to what I'm about to do, then you're right.

If they don't, you're wrong.

This is the safe place to cross,

but this is too close to the junction.

Rhys, yours is incorrect.

Same with yours, Manisha. Incorrect.

Jono, congratulations, you got that one right. Molly, unlucky.

So, crossing number two.

The safe place to cross is here, on the crossing.

This is an unsafe place to cross because there's no pavement

on the opposite side. Rhys, well done.

That's correct. Manisha, that's correct.

Jono, yours was wrong.

Molly, yours was incorrect.

OK, let's move on to crossing number three.

We tried to catch the teams out. There were no safe places to cross.

So, never cross on a dual carriageway

unless there's a bridge or subway.

Rhys, well done, you got yours correct.

Manisha, well done, yours is correct.

Jono, you got yours correct and, Molly, yours is correct!

You all got it correct, congratulations!

Our teams need to get three out of five right

to win the Highway Quiz badge.

So, picture number four.

Crossing here's a safe option, but crossing here's dangerous

because of the busy junction opposite.

If there's a crossing there, you must use it.

Rhys, congratulations, correct. Manisha, yours is correct.

Jono, yours is correct, and, Molly, yours is correct. Well done.

Crossing number five.

Here's the best place to cross. This is not.

Stepping onto a roundabout is never a good idea.

This is the last question

so Molly must get this right to join the others and grab that badge.

Rhys, you decided there was no safe place to cross,

that's incorrect.

Same with you, Manisha. Same with you, Jono, same with you, Molly.

Rhys, great pleasure to give your badge.

Manisha, gives me great pleasure to give you your badge.

Jono, great pleasure to give you your badge.

Mols, unfortunately, you didn't manage

to get your Highway Quiz badge.

There's no safe place to cross if you don't

stop, look and listen. It's vital.

It's time for our Super Skills challenge, Weather Balloons.

It's all about coping when the weather turns nasty.

Our rookies have learnt how to drive in the rain

and now they going to learn how to drive on the ice, too.

Our teams won't be driving on ice

but the cars will be on a skid-car frame which simulates exactly

what it's like to drive on an icy road.

They've three minutes

to burst the balloons and cross the line.

If they don't cross the line within the time limit,

they won't score anything.

In a massive twist today, only the highest scoring team or teams

will avoid the dreaded mucky forfeit so the pressure's really on.

Sandra, our chief examiner, will be keeping a very close eye on them.

The chief examiner's word is final.

If Sandra says no, there's no arguing.

What Sandra doesn't know about road safety isn't worth knowing.

-It can take 10 times longer to stop on ice.

-The teams better beware.

So, Sandra, just how dangerous is it driving on ice?

Incredibly dangerous.

In real life you should never be in this position,

the sort of position the teams are in today

but they're going to learn some valuable lessons.

It'll be interesting.

Up first it's Molly and Andy, Molly's driving.

This could be dangerous,

so in the passenger seat is an ice-road driving expert

who can take control of the car if things get really out of hand.

Oh, this car...

Stay calm. You're perfect for that red balloon.

It's the ultimate test, really, of absolute control and nerve.

The first balloon! They must pop as many balloons as possible,

and cross the finishing line within three minutes.

Only the highest score of the day avoids the forfeit.

Balloon number two. ..Oh, no!

Oh! Oh! Oh, my God!

It's all right, just stay calm. Try and steer that way.

It's like a skating rink.

Good girl, good girl. TYRES SKID

Straighten it up, straighten it up!

That's it. Try and straighten the wheel.

Turn right, turn right!

Go on!

This looks funny, but this would not be funny on a real road.

Good point, Sandra.

Oh! And there goes balloon number three just in time.

90 seconds gone and the halfway point, so it's time to swap.

Now, we know Andy is very competitive.

In Superskills One we saw him get carried away.

We've got a reckless driver here!

If he does that today he'll be in real trouble.

We're off to a good start.

There goes balloon number four. He needs to burst as many as possible

and cross the finish line for his score to count. Now it gets harder.

Andy's getting a shower from the fireman's hose.

It's not fazing him, and there goes balloon number five.

They've only got a minute left. He looks focused.

Go on, Andy!

Number six!

Will he go for any more?

Oh, no! He's lost it!

Gently, Andy!

Oh! Andy, you have 30 seconds left.

He's gone for number seven but he's spinning out of control again.

He must cross the line for his score to count.

He's speeding up, look. He's going fast!

He's going for it. This is a mistake.

It's a big mistake.

Oh, where's he going?!

He's not going to stop!

That was pretty good going!

Andy's calm under pressure has just rescued the Orange team.

They burst eight, but will that be enough to avoid the forfeit?

I really don't want to do the forfeit. The forfeits aren't nice.

They're humiliating and no-one likes them because they smell.

The Purples face the challenge next. It's Manisha.

She looks a little bit worried. Here she goes!

Slowly steer towards that balloon.

Get it in the middle of your car.

Lots of advice there. That's the first one.

That's it. Come on.

Off gas, off gas!

Woah, woah, woah!

Good girl!

Nice control.

Straight for it. Good girl!

-Oh, unlucky. It didn't pop.

-Oh, she's losing it...

-Now then...

-Start it back up quickly.

Interestingly, they're only doing 10 miles an hour.

10 miles an hour!

Can you imagine losing control at 40, 50, 70?

To your right a little bit.

She's back on track.

Here comes the water. We've got a fireman here with his hose.

Yeah, very good!

Second balloon for Manisha. Come on, guys!

Turn to your left.

Oh, no, wrong way!

Manisha's spinning out again and it's the halfway point.

Only two balloons - this is looking disastrous.

Swap time, and Cliff has some work to do.

They need another six balloons to be level with the Oranges.

Driving in bad weather isn't Cliff's strong point.

In rain he's OK. It's usually snow and ice, he really doesn't like,

so he walks on days when it's cold because he doesn't like driving then.

Oh, dear. Here he goes.

Only the highest score today will avoid the forfeit.

Yes! Balloon number three!

Here's the tricky bit.

Hello, it's raining!

Number four.

The control that Cliff has over the car...

I think Cliff, through the Academy, has learnt a lot about speed.

Number five, but he's lost it!

Too sudden!

He's all over the place here.

Cliff, you have 50 seconds left!

He needs to burst as many as possible before he crosses the line.

There's number six, but he's losing it again!

You have 30 seconds remaining!

He has to cross the line for his score to count.

Will he go for another? Come on, Purples!

Quick! Quick! You need to get back!

The pressure is getting to him. Oh, no, disaster!

We encouraged him to get faster, and he's lost control.

He's oversteered, he's skidded.

Only seconds left. Go on! You have to cross the line

or your score won't count.

Time is up!

No!

Only metres from the finish line but they're out of time.

-Total disaster.

-Just needed a few more seconds...

Goes to show, not to drive in bad weather.

So close for the Purples.

They didn't cross the line and so they won't score a point.

It was really hard. The car kept skidding. You couldn't do much.

It just goes to show how horrible it is driving in bad weather.

Blues up next, and they have no idea of how anyone else has done.

It's Jono driving first.

Oh, yeah! I like this icy feeling. It's quite nice.

Seems to be enjoying himself!

Heading for the first balloon.

-Number one!

-Oh, yeah!

Taking it steady. Handling the conditions well.

So, there's two balloons.

Whoa! Whoa!

Oh! Just lost a bit of control there.

He's fighting - I think he's got it.

Third one, he's back on track. Oh no! He's lost it again!

There's no grip on those wheels, so turning is the tricky bit.

Here's balloon four...

I think he's losing it. He's lost it!

-There you go.

-It only takes a second.

A second away from disaster in these conditions.

Concentrate, Jono.

It's about to get even more slippy.

Jono's getting a bit of rain from the fireman.

Well done - that's balloon number five in the bag.

90 seconds up. It's swap time and Michelle to drive.

This could be tricky for her as she doesn't even like the rain.

Mum's quite a nervous driver, but in bad weather it's ten times worse.

-She's awful.

-This should be interesting!

Remember, the score to beat is eight.

Michelle must burst four balloons to stay safe from the forfeit.

Heading for the first balloon...

Good stuff!

Go, Mum, go!

Now it gets even tougher. Rain and ice.

Michelle's going to hate this!

That's number seven. They need eight balloons to avoid the forfeit.

There's still a minute on the clock to burst more and cross the line.

No, she's losing it!

Right, how do I...?

She's heading back. Playing it safe.

But she has to cross the line to score any points.

Oh, sharp steering on ice! Never sharp steer on ice.

Nearly there, don't lose it now.

Oh, no, she's sliding out! Will she make it?

She's done it!

Well done!

Great result! Michelle hates bad weather driving

but this time, her driving didn't let Jono down.

It's helped me a lot. It's given me confidence.

If I'm faced with that again, I think I would be able to cope.

The Greens have to pop nine or more to be the highest scoring team,

and everyone else will have to do the forfeit, but they have no idea

what anyone else has scored, so what will their tactics be?

Rhys needs to stay composed.

In the Learner Lesson, he lost it when the wet weather put him off.

Let's hope he's learnt from it.

He's looking calm.

Left a bit, left a bit. You don't have to go over it hard.

First one... Nice!

-Well done!

-The green now.

-Yeah, well done!

It's quite easy.

-Don't get too cocky. Left a bit.

-Nice and gentle.

I'm very impressed so far.

So far so good for Rhys.

-Lovely!

-That's three.

They're doing well. No sudden steering,

no sudden acceleration, gentle approach, ease off the gas,

no heavy braking - Rhys is doing that to the ticket.

Balloon number four...

-I'm really impressed!

-So am I!

He's going at his own speed, his own pace.

What he's doing, bless him, he's driving to prevent a skid.

That's five! I can't believe it!

Just a few more seconds. He's going for another one!

That's the halfway point -

an incredible six balloons for Rhys!

-Hurray!

-It's swap time.

Sarah's in a great position, but now she's looking a bit nervous.

Take it slow, steady - imagine you're driving a proper car.

If you start to skid, do what I did.

Fantastic! Rhys is helping his mum with safety tips from the back.

-OK, careful here. Slow down.

-Great advice!

Lining up for the seventh balloon...

-Yeah, you got it! Now back to the garage.

-I'm not going for any more.

Back to the garage?! You still have time! You could go for more!

Sorry, Rhys. I just want to get in the garage I've got a feeling

I'd lose your balloons otherwise and I don't want to do that for you.

Oh, Sarah, don't slip up now!

Brilliant! A last balloon on the line.

I've gone cautious!

-Better to be safe than sorry.

-You're right.

We wouldn't rush when it was dry, let alone when it's wet.

Better to have eight than nothing because we didn't make it in time.

Good point! What you don't know is that your eight

puts you joint top with two other teams!

What you've learnt is more important.

There's no rush. Take your time, no matter what the road's like.

-Better to be late and arrive in one piece than have an accident.

-Yeah.

You've hit the nail on the head.

Sandra couldn't have put it better herself!

At the end of the ice road Super Skills,

the Oranges, Blues and Greens all scored eight,

but the Purples didn't score at all.

The teams have no idea what the others have scored,

or who'll be facing the forfeit.

Well done for getting through another day of intense training.

The team that got the most balloons won't face the forfeit.

That team is...

-..Rhys and Sarah.

-Yeah!

-Congratulations!

-And Jono and Michelle.

-Yeah!

And Molly and Andy!

Yes! Get in there! Well done.

And Manisha and Cliff, here are your toothbrushes.

Go and clean the car. Come on! Well done!

Right, Manisha and Cliff, I want that sauce off my motor.

Get stuck in!

So, at the end of day eight, Jono and Michelle, Molly and Andy,

have both passed a fantastic six out of eight Super Skills.

Just behind them are Rhys and Sarah on five.

Still at the back, Manisha and Cliff with another fail today,

and only four passes so far.

Coming up on the last training day before the ultimate driving test,

Vicky shows our rookies an old favourite - the turn in the road.

I'm going to hit the sides!

Mr Crash pays attention... to his mobile phone!

You dummy, Mr C!

We've got a monster challenge to test our parents to the limit.

I'm bringing it home, baby!

What a lorry load of amazing stuff! Don't you dare miss it!

There's only one more day's training before the ultimate driving test.

Join us next time on Driving Academy. Until then, stay safe.

This is not coming off, Manisha!

This is not good.

-I think we're making it worse.

-Shall we throw some water on it?

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