I WAS giving a driving lesson during a violent rainstorm last Tuesday evening and the bad driving on display by some so-called qualified motorists was beyond belief.

When the torrential downpour started, I abandoned our planned lesson to concentrate on driving in poor weather conditions but all around us motorists were doing the opposite of what I was teaching.

At times we could barely see 20m ahead with the wipers on full pelt and I had to shout above the noise of rain powering down on the roof. Emergency vehicles were out in force and many sections of road were flooded as drains erupted.

I was delighted that Mr Learner had the opportunity to practise in these conditions while supervised, as most learners only cover driving in poor weather in theory, but when visibility was really bad we pulled off the road until the rain eased off. As we sat and watched traffic pass by, a farcical drama unfolded before our eyes.

While most motorists had the sense to crawl along, some were whizzing past at crazy speeds and driving far too close to other cars. It was clear that they could not distinguish puddles from the rain-fuzzed road surface because they ploughed into flooded areas at speed, sending spray sky high.

It is hard to explain to a learner driver who witnesses such reckless driving how these people ever passed their driving test. Mr Learner was more shocked by their behaviour than he was by the Armageddon-style weather.

When the road is wet your stopping distance can double so you need to keep well back from other vehicles. It is also much easier to skid, particularly if your tyres are worn. The grooves in your tyres are there to disperse the water so the tread has a better grip, so if your tyres are well used you shouldn't expect too much of them.

When you drive through a flooded area, you should crawl along in first gear, while slipping the clutch and revving the engine to prevent it stalling and stop water backing up the exhaust pipe. I saw many abandoned vehicles in floods that night and felt sorry for the owners who must have got their feet wet because they didn't know that.

When we pulled up outside Mr Learner's house at the end of his lesson, the rain suddenly came to a complete stop, as if our turn had just ended on a white-knuckle fairground ride.

"Typical!" he said. "As soon as my lesson is over the rain stops!"

"What's up?" I asked. "You didn't leave your washing out did you?"

"No," he chuckled. "But I did water all my plants before I came out!"