WHEN people find out I am a driving instructor, their usual comment is: "Oooo, you're brave". But there is a job in the driving industry that requires far more nerve, and that is being an examiner.

I was reminded of this last week when I was accompanying one of my pupils on his driving test, seated in the back of the car.

About 20 minutes into the test we reached a 60mph stretch of road between Sands and Lane End and Mr Learner started to accelerate. With the increase in speed, he decided to close his window but it was taking him some time to do so because my car has manual window winders.

Looking ahead, I could see a big lorry approaching and I became concerned for the examiner. I thought he was probably feeling a little uncomfortable because the road we were on was not very wide and Mr Learner was still fiddling with the window.

I knew my pupil would slow down and have both hands back on the steering wheel in good time before passing the lorry (which he did) but the examiner could not be sure.

He knew nothing about Mr Learner's driving experience, or how he was likely to act, yet he had to delay intervention for long enough to give my pupil a chance to respond to the danger himself.

Of course, examiners can always use the dual controls to avoid an accident if they are travelling in a driving school car. However, they also have to conduct tests in ordinary cars when candidates turn up in their own vehicles. Now that is what I call brave!

I also applaud those who are brave enough to accompany a learner driver while they practise, as they don't have the benefit of dual controls either. If you find yourself in this position, make sure you are aware of the learner's capabilities.

Statistics show that learner drivers who have private practise as well as driving lessons go on to have fewer accidents in the early years of driving, due to having more road experience. Consequently, my driving school encourages pupils to drive with friends and family as much as they can and we offer free assistance to make practise sessions as safe and productive as possible.

I remember giving a free hour-long masterclass to a pupil's dad who said his daughter scared him sometimes when she approached junctions too quickly. I gave him some tips on how to control this, as well as general advice about safely supervising a learner, then we swapped seats so I could assess his own driving.

Just as I suspected, he raced up to junctions and hazards and then braked late and heavily which was exactly what he did not want his daughter to do!

He felt perfectly safe driving like this because, with years of experience behind him, he was confident in his ability to assess and react to danger quickly. However, it was a different matter when he was sitting in the passenger seat while his novice daughter tried to drive the same way.

If you are supervising a learner there is one very simple piece of advice that would help enormously set a good example. When people start learning to drive they tend to take a sudden interest in how everyone else does it, so make sure you drive well while you are being watched (and when you are not being watched too!).

Not only should you demonstrate how to drive well, you should also display a good attitude towards other road users.

Parents, you should bear in mind that your children will be influenced by your behaviour behind the wheel, whether they are already learning to drive or only five years old. If someone has grown up seeing their parents lose patience with other drivers and break rules that will seem acceptable to them.

Breaking a bad attitude is, without a doubt, the most challenging part of my job.

I know it's not always easy to keep your cool when other motorists annoy you or to keep to the speed limit while everyone else is breaking it, but if more people used the straight and narrow path, it would be wider.

Audrey Wixon is director of Wycombe Driving School www.wycombedrivingschool.co.uk