Why do driving instructors wave at each other?
Let me explain because the reasons go far deeper than you may think.
As well as being one of the UK’s most experienced instructors I’m also a hypnotherapist so I undertstand the mind and why people do the things they do.
Let’s solve this perplexing riddle once and for all.
Why do driving instructors wave at each other?
There are several reasons for driving instructors waving at each other.
By waving we mean putting their hand up with with palm of their hand facing the other person like in the picture at the top of this page.
What does this mean and why do we do this though?
It comes from human evolution
It’s a social thing built in to humans, just like if you see someone walking down the street wearing the same football shirt as you. You might wave because you feel a connection.
Humans are always looking for connections and to gather in groups of others similar to themselves. This comes from years back when we all used to live in tribes and communities in cities with huge walls around them to keep others out.
We used to survive by identifying those that were different to us and excluding them.
It all comes down to the fear of the unknown and people being wary of anything they are not familiar with. This is where things like racism and homophobia come from – people being ignorant and scared of anything different to themselves.
So without getting too psychological on you, driving instructors wave at each other because of centuries of human evolution.
It’s a way of saying you’re a safe driver too
There are many bad drivers out there. Lots of people couldn’t care less about the rules of the road and think it’s fine to speed and do whatever they want because the rules only apply to other people.
Driving instructors, in general, are among the best and safest drivers on the road.
Waving at another instructor is a bit like saying hi to a brother or sister who also understands the tragedies causes by dangerous driving and respects the rules.
It’s a sign of respect
Contrary to popular belief it is actually hard to become a driving instructor.
I don’t just mean hard, I mean it’s really hard and the pass rates are so low that very few of those who start training as a driving instructor make it through.
It’s a bit like saying “Hey! I made it through the exams too!”.
Does that mean that instructors like me that don’t wave at others are disrespectuful?
Not at all. There’s a good reason why I don’t wave at other instructors.
Why I don’t wave at other driving instructors
Back in 2003 when I was teaching a pupil called Peter I put my hand up to wave at another instructor.
The pupil thought I was putting my hand up to do an emergency stop and we screeched to a halt. The car behind us very nearly went into us.
That’s why I never wave at other driving instructors.
More questions answered
To discover more answers like this visit the pages in the menu which are under Help>why?
You’ll enjoy reading more answers like why do driving instructors drive you home after your test?
You can also check out some driving test myths or watch some driving videos on the 1stDrive YouTube channel.
