Episode 9 Driving Academy

Four children, fed up with their parents' driving...

Whoa! That was typical Andy!

..Four parents who have slipped into bad habits...

Baron knocked it over and smashed it up!

..Just one day left before they face the ultimate driving test,

and our chief examiner, Sandra.

Last time, our rookies faced some terrible weather conditions.

I can't see what they're doing.

They keep splashing me with water.

And our teams were sent into a spin

in our super icy, super skills challenge.

It's a second away from disaster.

With just 24 nervous hours to go until they face the ultimate test,

will they ever be ready?

Oh, no! I'm going to hit the sign!

-I've used the break there.

-I don't want to do this any more.

It's day nine at the Driving Academy.

Check me out, eh! I've only been here a couple of weeks

and I'm already driving like a pro! So, it's day nine

and the ultimate driving test is just around the corner,

and things are going to get tougher for our teams.

So let's get cracking on another Driving Academy.

Come on, dummies! Put your back into it.

Coming up... Pay attention, Mr C!

Oh, no, not again!

They face their toughest manoeuvre yet.

Can they make a turn in the road,

or will they just drive themselves around the bend?

Oh, no, I'm going to hit the sign!

And our parents face an enormous challenge...

literally, trying to drive a monster truck. Will it be too big to handle?

I don't think I'm doing very good here.

Stay tuned for that, but first, it's the last ever Learner Lesson.

Since arriving at the Academy, our rookies have been shown

every aspect of road safety, from attitude and awareness, to reversing

and stopping, so that they can help their parents become better drivers.

Although our rookies obviously can't drive on public roads,

here at the Academy's top secret test centre, anything is possible.

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

She knows every angle of road safety.

Throughout the lesson, Vicky has a set of dual controls,

so our rookies are always safe.

Today, our rookies have to tackle a turn in the road,

and it's a lot harder than it looks.

First to attempt this is Rhys.

So look all around, because if we were on a busy road,

there'd be cars driving behind us, people crossing the road,

-wouldn't there?

-Yep, it's clear.

Steer in, then.

Straighten up before you hit the kerb. Straighten up.

-Straight up the kerb(!)

-Stop.

-If that was a kerb, what would we have just done?

-I'd have gone up it.

Now I wonder where he's got that bad habit from(?)

Mum Sarah drives over ANYTHING in her path,

so can Vicky sort out Rhys' turning?

The wipers won't help you, Rhys(!)

-Look at the back of the car. Don't hit the cone.

-Ouch!

Bang goes the bumper!

I hit one cone. I squashed it!

But I do think I did better than my mum, because my mum would have

really knocked two of the cones over, probably, with her reversing.

You and your mum really need to up your game

for Superskills Nine later.

Manisha's turn.

Full lock.

Good. Stop before you hit the cone.

It might be easier with your hands ON THE WHEEL(!)

Good job Sandra's not watching.

-You're happy that it's clear?

-Yep.

-Steer towards me.

-Towards me. Stop.

-Nice and steady.

Slow down.

Watch the cones!

Once I went quite near to a cone,

and that happened quite a lot, actually.

Look where you're going.

Slow down! Hands, Manisha!

-Is that a little bit fast, darling?

-Yep!

This lesson isn't going very well for the rookies.

Can Jono do any better?

You must only go up to the cones, and we musn't touch them.

Jono never seems fazed when he's driving.

-Cones behind the car.

-OK.

-Stop, stop.

-But even he's had a little bump.

Steer lots. And lots. And lots.

Gets himself back on track, cool, calm, and collected.

Nice one, Jono!

Last up it's Molly. Don't panic!

Steer, Molly, or you're going to hit the sign.

Oh, no, I'm going to hit the sign! I don't want to do this any more.

Unfortunately, you have to, Molly. That's the idea of a lesson(!)

Reverse back a little bit.

-Steer towards me. Towards me.

-Oh, what am I doing?

-Can I please stop the car?

-Towards me.

-Can I get out? I'm trying!

Look over your shoulder. How close is the back?

-Oh my gosh, we're going to hit the cones!

-Stop, then, stop, then, stop!

I'm not good in situations like this.

I'm not good in situations like that because I panic.

I just panic in case I'm going to hit something,

and I don't like reversing, and then going like that,

and then doing it all again, and it's really annoying.

-Good. Steer lots. And lots. And lots.

-You can do it, Molly!

Good, well done. You turned the car around,

-so if it had been a dead end...

-I almost died, though!

-But do you understand how important all the looking around is?

-Yeah.

What are you going to do when you're in the car with your dad next time,

-he's about to fly round...?

-Tell him, "Dad, stop."

The kids have learnt today that manoeuvring's really important,

to go slowly, to look around a lot, because not all drivers are careful.

When you're manoeuvring and concentrating on the kerb,

there are other cars, other cyclists, other pedestrians,

they'll walk past you, drive past you, or cycle past you.

That was a really tough final lesson for our rookies,

and it's not looking good for the Superskills later.

And if the rookies found it hard, how will their parents cope?

They struggle to turn a small car,

and they have to drive this 40-tonne monster!

You don't want to miss this.

-No, never!

-I just never believed I'd be faced with a vehicle this size!

But first, what happens when a driver loses concentration

whilst behind the wheel? Don't Be A Dummy!

This is the famous Mr Crash.

When he gets behind the wheel, he gets distracted by everything.

The question is, though, what's going to distract him today?

Right, first up, he's put his mobile phone near the gear stick,

his high vis jacket, and his favourite leather driving gloves.

Get a grip, Mr C!

First, our teams get a quick look around, and try and work out which

of the day's potential distractions will cause Mr C to crash.

This isn't for points, so play along, too.

Mmm!

Not sure, now.

-There is a mobile phone.

-Good spot, Cliff!

Mobile phones are one of the biggest distractions.

Never let your parents call or text whilst driving.

-What do you think?

-Jacket. He's going to get cold, isn't he?

-He's going to try and put it on.

-Yep, you're right, Rhys.

Putting on or taking off clothes whilst driving is really dangerous.

-Gloves.

-That's right, Michelle!

If Mr C gets cold, he may put those gloves on.

Always pull over if you need to do anything that requires you to lift

your hands off the wheel. While the teams decide on their answers,

come and meet the new love of my life.

Ah! Isn't she beautiful? That's better!

She's beautiful, isn't she? Yeah, I thought you would think so(!)

It took me ages to save up for this. I am so proud of her.

Mr C, come and have a look at my new car.

No! No, no, Mr C! Watch out for the paintwork!

I'm terrified. Look at the state of his car! It's a bashed-up mess.

Mr C, please be careful! I haven't even driven it yet!

Oh, no! Remember those distractions in the car?

He has his mobile phone, his high vis jacket,

and those leather driving gloves.

This is your last chance to guess.

Please, Mr C! Keep an eye out for my car!

Oh, no! He's picked up his mobile phone and he's started texting.

CRASHING

She's a wreck!

He was texting a mate! That's illegal! It could be fatal, Mr C.

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.

A huge Superskills is coming up,

when we put our parents in control of a 40-tonne mega truck.

Trust me, it's going to be a corker!

I'm not going to do this. I've missed it.

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

you need to learn the rules of the road.

They're called the Highway Code, and our teams have been studying them

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

OK, guys, today's quiz is called On Your Bike.

It's about cyclists on the road. I'm going to ask you five questions

about bike safety. I want you to either answer with a yes or a no.

If you think the answer is yes, pop on the green safety helmet.

If you think the answer is no, pop on the red safety helmet.

You need to get at least three out of five

right to win this, the final Highway Quiz badge!

You don't want to miss out on this. OK.

Is it OK to cycle on a pavement as long as it's clear of pedestrians?

Pick your safety helmet.

OK.

Answer is "no".

If you do, you could face a fine of up to £500.

Congratulations, guys.

Pick your safety helmet.

OK, the answer is yes, cyclists must obey traffic signals and road signs.

Congratulations.

Pick your safety helmet.

Remember, our teams need to get three out of five to win that badge.

The answer is no. You must never ever hold on to a moving vehicle.

Well done.

Pick your safety helmets.

The answer is no. You must never carry another passenger,

unless the bike is specially designed to do so.

Well done.

The final question:

Pick your helmet.

'They've all passed, but if they all get this next question,

'that's a 100% for all four, a first for the Academy.'

The answer is no.

You'd face a fine for careless or dangerous cycling

and using a hands free is dangerous too.

Well done.

-Who would like to find out how you got on?

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

I can tell you that you all passed! Congratulations!

Well done. Give yourselves a round of applause. You've been amazing.

Rhys, you end up with seven badges.

-Manisha, you end up with seven badges.

-Thank you.

Jono, you end up with five badges, Molly, you end up with five badges.

Well done, I'm very proud of all of you.

A brilliant result before the Highway Quiz Showdown, but first...

This is the big one, the Superskills Challenge.

Our parents will have to work out how to turn this monster around,

face it the other way and then drive off in it.

While our parents are doing that,

our kids are going to be doing exactly the same in their cars.

If they fail the challenge there is extra-mucky forfeit.

The teams have five minutes to turn the vehicles around,

leave the barriered area and cross the finish line.

If either rookie or parent runs out of time, their team fails.

As usual, keeping a close eye on things is our chief examiner Sandra.

The Driving Academy's chief examiner's word is final.

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

Keep away from those lorries.

They can't see you as closely as you may think.

The teams better beware.

Of course we couldn't just throw our parents into this challenge.

So we gave them a surprise

when we introduced them to the Academy's beast.

Oh...no...

please tell me a small car comes out the back of it.

-We're going to go in there?!

-You're going to drive that.

-Wow!

-Have you driven anything that big before?

-No, never!

-Never?

-Never ever, no.

-Best go for it!

-Oh, my goodness, you're joking!

-Come on, follow me.

After they got over the shock, our parents were given a safety lesson

by expert driving instructor Neil Coughlin

and then it was on to the challenge.

Sarah and Rhys are first to take on Superskills nine.

They need to complete it in less than five minutes.

Either one of them could mess this up if they don't concentrate.

Rhys is starting very well, making his first reverse.

Very nice, Rhys.

Normally, you need a special licence to drive one of these,

but our parents are on our private site

and Neil is on hand in case things go badly wrong

and it looks like he may have to step in for Sarah.

Rhys is doing OK, but the time is ticking. Reversing back now.

Needs to stay calm. Careful, Rhys!

Watch out!

Oh, no, he's knocked the barrier!

That won't fail him, but he needs to stay calm to make this turn.

Things looking even worse over with Sarah.

I think she's starting to panic.

I'm not going to do this, I've right messed it.

Stay calm, Sarah, we know you can do this.

Sarah came to the Academy with a seriously reckless attitude

and her turn in the road didn't impress Sandra.

-That wasn't too bad.

-Wasn't too bad?!

Which led to a few harsh words about her dangerous reversing.

Just not checking around, just not making absolutely sure.

Is it safe for me to move this vehicle?

There are dead people out there because of things like that.

I pray to God it would never be one of yours.

-I just had a thought about Rhys, it could have been him.

-Yeah.

Harsh words, but they must have hit home - look at her now!

She's looking in her mirrors. Look how carefully she's looking behind.

She took a shoulder check - good for Sarah.

Now THAT is something she never did

-when I took her out on her assessments.

-No checking.

Go on, Sarah!

You have to beat that clock.

Meanwhile, Rhys is nearly there. Just needs that last turn.

-Go on!

-That way, come on.

-Ooh!

-That way!

-He's done it!

-Yay!

Uh-uh-uh!

Oh, no, both hands off the wheel in celebration.

I really hope it doesn't cost the Greens their pass.

Rhys has done his part now, so it's all down to mum Sarah.

I think your mum needs encouragement. Come on, Sarah!

-Come on, Mum!

-Come on, Mum!

Everything is on Sarah now and time is running out.

-Got a message of support for your mum?

-Come on, Mum, just do this!

Rhys REALLY wants this one.

Could she even make it in one with a sharp turn to the right?

-Will I be able to get this round do you reckon?

-Yeah.

-Do you reckon?

Ooh, ooh, ooh! The finishing line is in site!

How long have I got left?

Two minutes left.

I think she's got it. Need to hurry up, go on, Sarah!

-There she goes, go on!

-She's got to get the trailer to follow cleanly.

(ALL) Yay!

-Well done, Rhys.

-Do you want to shout, "Well done, Mum"?

Well done, Mum!

BEEPING HORN

A great result for the Greens.

Sarah making hard work of it, but coming through in the end.

She's over the moon.

-Keep your hands on the steering.

-Sorry, oh!

Oh, Sandra's going to kill me for that!

Yep, she probably will.

Hands off the wheel in celebration, just like Rhys.

I think you could have a telling-off coming your way.

Next up, it's Cliff and Manisha.

They had a great run passing four Superskills on the trot...

but slipped up when Cliff lost control in the skid car.

So, they need to get back on track.

Cliff's off to a flying start, looking confident in the truck.

Manisha is a bit nervous.

This is the first time she's been without the help of her dad,

but my Dummies are there to keep an eye on her.

Great mirror work from Cliff, checking those blind spots.

Whenever you see some lorry doing this, keep well away.

Keep away if you are a cyclist, if you're a pedestrian

and if you're a car user. Give them room.

Uh-oh! I really hope Manisha doesn't get herself in trouble.

In her learner lesson

she had problems when she lost control turning

and this time she's against the clock.

I don't think Cliff's worried about the time - he's nearly done this!

Is he going to make it through with this? No? Oh.

-Has he overshot that?

-Is he going to make it?

-Hooray!

-Well done, Cliff.

Well done, Cliffy!

Cliff making short work of that.

Manisha's now in a bit of a tight spot and all the pressure's on her.

I think she can do this. Come on, Manisha!

Bit faster on there.

Keep steering.

She's going to do it! She's going to do it!

-Now straight back towards it.

-Yay!

-Yay!

-Well done, Manisha!

Great! Come and see them, they loved it, Manisha!

'Yes! Purples looking so happy.

'Manisha keeping her cool - that is one proud dad.'

Third up is the Orange team.

Here they go.

Andy has had a habit of rushing things.

He needs to slow things right down for this manoeuvre.

Over in the car, Molly's making good headway, making her first turn.

Don't think I'm doing very good here!

Andy's turning that truck so tightly,

if he keeps going, he could get stuck!

At the moment Andy seems like he's getting himself in a bit of bother.

Whoa, Andy! This isn't like turning a car.

And over in Molly's car...

Oh, no, where do I go? I go in that corner there.

-Molly, you're rolling...

-Wah, am I going?!

..things are also getting a bit panicky.

In past Superskills, these two have had a habit of winding each other up

in stressful situations.

You're making me so nervous, Dad!

But now they are on their own, they seem to be staying a bit calmer.

Blind spots are all right, yeah?

No-one at the side of me or anything? No kids jumping out?

This is a super safe Andy, looking out for everything.

Starting to turn out of trouble, but time is ticking.

Molly also looking good. Staying calm and keeping control.

I think Andy's going to do this!

Perfect, I think.

Are we all right there, boss?

All right either side? Not going to hit nothing?

Blind spots all look good.

Well done, Andy, well done!

Well done, Andy!

Andy getting into trouble with his first turn,

but soon cruising to victory.

And Molly's just a few seconds behind him. Surely?

Yes!

Yeah!

-And Andy is so excited, he doesn't want to stop.

-Woo-hoo!

-I'm getting meself one of these, mate!

-Slow down, Andy!

These are brilliant, aren't they? I love these!

I'm bringing her home, baby!

Imagine playing with this up our drive at home!

CHEERING

Andy! Both hands on the wheel! It's a 40-tonne truck!

A bit of the old overconfidence and I just hope Sandra didn't see that.

We'll find out later.

Our final team is the Blues.

All the other teams have made it so the pressure's on!

This could be the biggest challenge for Michelle,

who had a real confidence issue with her driving before the Academy.

I've become unsure cos I've had two accidents in the last two months.

-I think he is a bit concerned about my driving.

-Watch out.

I hope I haven't passed my nervous driving on to him.

She has relied on Jono for a lot of the superskills,

but now she has to turn a 40-tonne truck on her own. Scary stuff!

They're away!

Michelle's looking nervous, but making her first reverse.

Over in the car, Jono's looking his usual confident self.

No struggling there.

Back in the truck - this isn't the Michelle I first met.

Can you believe, Joe, this is Michelle. Michelle driving a lorry.

Before she came in the Academy

-you'd never have dreamt she could manage this.

-Look at this!

Handing this 40-tonne beast better than her own car.

Jono's reversing back towards the barriers. Careful!

-Oooh!

-Thanks, dummy.

A bit of help from the dummies and he is nearly there.

Michelle's moving forward.

Getting in a very tricky position.

Jono's heading out the gate. Yeah!

But no reaction from Jono as he knows it's all down to his mum now.

Pressure really on Michelle, as time counts down.

Er...forward.

Starting to turn now and Jono's cheering her on!

Go on, Mum, you can do it.

Michelle is at an impossible angle, but she's going for it!

Surely not?!

-That's it!

-Come on!

Wah, she's done...

-Yeah!

-Yeah!

Well done, Michelle!

Well done, Mum.

Michelle conquering her biggest challenge

and a huge step for her confidence before the Ultimate Driving Test.

Let's see what Sandra thought of it all.

-Ah, well done, team!

-Thank you.

-Give yourselves a pat on the back!

-That was superb.

-Oh! Purple perfection!

-Thank you.

-Fantastic!

Manisha, wonderful clutch control, excellent observation, so keep it up!

Cliff, you checked your mirrors, you checked your blind spots,

you manoeuvred safely and carefully, top man! Congratulations.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

-Yeah, well done.

-Thank you.

-Well done!

Well done, Cliff and Manisha coming on in leaps and bounds.

Well, well! What a result!

Jono, I must say you made short work of your challenge,

so congratulations, but, Michelle, what an amazing result,

you should be very proud of yourself. Sandra, what do you think?

I'm amazed. Is this Michelle who came to the Academy driving a lorry?!

It's a lovely feeling, but it's made me realise

that drivers driving big vehicles like this haven't got a lot of space

and as drivers we've got to give them a lot of space.

They've got a lot of blind spots.

It's a fantastic result to take into the final day.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

-Thank you.

-Fantastic stuff!

A pass for the Blues

and what a turning point for Michelle's confidence.

I'm actually quite shocked

that I've been able to drive this massive vehicle

and, er, actually pull it round.

Well done, guys, fantastic effort

and you done it in the time allocated as well.

Well, it's interesting. Molly, I'd like to congratulate you.

You did your task, you did it safely, you looked around.

Andy, before you'd stopped this lorry,

you took your hands off the wheel.

-What is this?

-It's a truck.

-How much respect have you got for that?

-Lots.

-How much respect will you have for a lorry driver in the future?

-Loads.

-Never take that for granted.

-Never will.

-In your car, in any vehicle,

keep your hands on the wheel until you've secured the vehicle.

-However, you did pass the test.

-Yes! Well done, Molly.

So, lots to congratulate,

however, tomorrow I will be testing you in the Ultimate Driving Test

and I will not accept that sort of behaviour.

It's another pass for the Orange Team,

BUT you nearly blew that, Andy.

-Ah, fantastic effort, well done, Rhys! Well done, Sarah.

-Thank you.

You looked like a true trucker up there! Rhys, how was it?

It was quite hard cos reversing, I did hit a bollard.

Well, don't be too hard on yourself, you only touched it, but...

taking your hands off the wheel before securing the car?

-You should know better, shouldn't you?

-Yeah.

Sarah, how hard it is to drive that?

You can't see anything, anything behind you.

Pedestrians can't see you and you can't see them.

If I was to say that I'm angry about something you did, what would it be?

-Same, taking my hands off the wheel.

-Absolutely. In THIS monster!

What I'm really impressed, with both of you,

is the way you can control your cars,

but BEHAVIOUR, remember, the most important thing on the road.

A pass for the Greens

and Sarah's been taught another important lesson.

I think if she didn't come to Driving Academy

the same bad driver would still be here.

-Hmm, yeah, we've learnt a lot here, both of us.

-Yeah.

I think I'll go home safer, more confident, in a good way,

and generally just being safer on the road,

especially with children in the car.

So that's all nine training days over

and at the end of all the Superskills.

Manisha and Cliff finish on five passes out of nine...

Rhys and Sarah are ahead of them with six...

but with an impressive seven out of nine are the Blues and Oranges.

Top work, guys!

Driving Academy must be paying off

-cos we've got four passes!

-(ALL) Yay!

You won't be needing the Toothbrushes of Doom any more!

-(ALL) Yay!

-Let's celebrate! There you go, Sarah, there you go, Rhys...

'So, no forfeits today

'and just one more challenge to go - it's the big one.

'It's all or nothing next time at the Academy!'

For the last nine days,

they have been tested on every element of road safety.

-That could be some kid on a bike.

-..Rhys, it could have been him.

There have been shocks and surprises.

That was typical Andy!

Smashes...

and crashes,

and of course those hideous mucky forfeits.

But all that goes out the window,

as next time our four teams have to face The Ultimate Driving Test!

It's judgment day on the Driving Academy.

Miss it and miss out!

That's it, training's over.

On the next Driving Academy, our teams will be facing

the Ultimate Driving Test.

Don't you dare miss it! Until then, stay safe!

Oh, am I going?!

Hooray!

Come on, Mum!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

I'm getting myself one of these!