Sean Khoo: The Driving Instructor

This driving instructor is one cool guy who insists that it is better to be safe than sorry.

IT WAS a Sunday morning and Sean Khoo was tucking into hash browns and a sausage McMuffin at the McDonald’s outlet near The Curve in Petaling Jaya.

But really, we are just trying to delay the inevitable by talking about food.

In a few moments the 37-year-old driving instructor would be sitting on the passenger seat to watch me drive and somehow, I was just not looking forward to it.

Khoo, who has 17 years of teaching experience, immediately sensed this.

“One reason why you feel uneasy about someone watching you drive is when you are in car, your primal instincts take over and asserts a right to territorial space. You want to feel in control,” he explained.

At the same time, this former Penang state polo player would point out that driving is also an extension of one’s ego and pride, which explains why some people take offence when their driving is criticised.

“Unlike the days when the driving schools would put up reference points to help a learner park a car, there are no such guides in real-life situations.

Mirror mirror: Rear view mirrors are for checking the traffic behind one’s car, not for applying lipstick, insists Sean Khoo

“So many of us learn to drive by trial and error and form opinions on what is the correct way to drive. Thus, comes the feeling that one is an ‘experienced’ driver,” he surmised.

And herein Khoo would agree that most people do get by just fine in this manner.

He has heard many “experienced” drivers boasting of accident-free records to justify themselves as good road users.

“But bear in mind that while you may claim to be a good driver because you never had an accident in your life, have you thought about how you may be the cause of the accidents happening behind you?” asked Khoo, with a glint in his eye.

And mind that there are plenty of things that will raise this drive instructor’s ire.

Once, he revealed that he had left a driver’s evaluation sheet blank safe for a sentence that said that he shouldn’t have a licence at all.

Talking on the handphone will also gain you a demerit point with Khoo.

“Engines on, handphones off,” insisted Khoo, who will not even hear the excuse of a hands-free kit.

Listening to music on the headphones while driving is also another no-no.

“What if there is an ambulance coming from behind? You won’t be able to hear it,” he pointed out.

And the don’t list where Khoo is concerned runs a mile long. No resting your elbow on the window ledge, please.

Both hands must be firmly planted on the steering wheel, with thumbs resting outward. Rear view mirrors are for checking the traffic behind one’s car, not for applying lipstick. Hazard lights must only be used in emergency situations only.

Drivers who leave their blinkers on during a downpour are asking for trouble.

“Your last line of defence in warning traffic behind you that you are making an emergency stop is your hazard lights.

“If you’ve been leaving them on while the car is running it will be very hard for drivers behind you to tell if you have stopped in the middle of the highway,” he stressed.

And never ever hint to Khoo that the orange light is a sign for one to go faster, an open joke with most local drivers. Do that and this easy smiling Penang native will give you a withering stare.

“If the lights turn orange, then you must slow down. Never ever beat the lights. As it is, very few people actually bother to look right then left when the light turns green.

“They just speed through assuming that the coast will be clear. What if there is another car coming on the right and the driver is speeding as well?

“You can figure that one out for yourself what the end result will be,” he warned.

As for the debate on gender and driving performance, Khoo would insist that it is attitude that matters.

“There is no such thing that female drivers are worse off. It all boils down to how you behave on the road.

“Most times, it’s the ego that gets the driver in trouble. Say when you see a car coming out of a lane, slow down.

“Don’t assume that you have right of way because the driver may not have seen you and continue driving out. If you have not slowed down, then you may not have time to brake,” he said.

And as heartless as it may sound, Khoo advised that should a speeding driver be suddenly faced with a small animal that has just darted onto the road, it was better to run it over instead of trying to avoid it.

“If you are travelling at slower speeds, it may just be possible to save the animal but if you are speeding, then don’t. What if you swerve and hit a bus stop full of people or hit the divider, flip the car and end up killing yourself?” he reasoned.

To many, Khoo may come across as an over-cautious driver but he insists that it is better to be safe than sorry.

“Look, I don’t even want to go into how you are going to control a skidding car or tell you what to do when you are faced with a dangerous on-road situation.

“In the first place you should avoid all those situations. By the time you have entered into a dangerous situation, it is already too late. So the best is to avoid them altogether,” he insisted.

And here’s one last word from Khoo for the readers.

“Never forget to buckle up!”, concluded this drive master.

For a one-on-one with Khoo, call him at 019-470 2469.