Newslink September 2021

Focus on... ADI health
Your health as a driving
instructor: a warning!
Mike Yeomans
MSA GB North East
Sitting in a car all day,
twisting round to view
your pupils, can lead to
muscular aches and
pains
I’ll start by saying that this article
is not meant to discourage you
from continuing as a driving
instructor, but rather to alert you
to the everyday health dangers if
we neglect our wellbeing. After the
past 18 months we’ve all endured,
I’d have thought we’d all appreciate
how important our health is. Here
you’ll find some general guidance
on the key medical conditions and
issues that can befall ADIs, some
useful warning signs to watch out
for and some options to help you
keep healthy.
One of the biggest single health
issues facing ADIs is stress.
Teaching driving can be quite
stressful, and stress can cause
a multitude of illnesses such
as high blood pressure, anxiety, digestive
problems and insomnia. Insomnia in turn
can lead to chronic tiredness and fatigue
which makes it difficult to work and slows
reaction times – thus increasing stress!
From a presentation through IAM
RoadSmart with Darren Cottingham I
present his findings and many of his
comments for you to consider. Darren is
an expert on driving and transport, as a
member of the IAM.
He has highlighted the following risks,
which are even more poignant as we
take on board the extra work the
pandemic has given us – work we are all
anxious to handle in case it should
disappear later in the year.
The health risks of being
a driving instructor
Your job as a driving instructor could
be slowly causing you illness and injury
which may restrict your ability to earn
money. The risks that taxi, bus and truck
drivers are exposed to are well-known,
but they are not published in a manner
that relates specifically to driving
instructors, yet many of the factors are
the same.
Driving instructors may have to deal
with long sedentary hours sat in the
same seat under stressful situations with
insufficient nutrition or hydration, and
this takes its toll on the body.
Before we get to the symptoms and
problems, it helps to understand the
issue by knowing what our bodies are
designed to do. Humans evolved to walk
long distances, sprint short distances,
carry or drag things in collaboration with
others, eat predominantly vegetables and
seeds with the odd flank of antelope or
kangaroo, and so on. We struggle with
lack of water, and our brains function
best when we have had between 7-9
hours sleep. Given this description, you
can see that much of a driving
instructor’s (or any professional driver)
day challenges these evolved traits.
That’s why we need to look at taking
deliberate, preventative action to
minimise the risks to our future health.
Additionally, when we get ill our
tendency is to go to the doctor who will
often provide rest for a sore back (often
not the best solution), and drugs to mask
pain (which just allows our pain to
become worse before it’s intolerable
again). Let’s look at how we’re damaging
our bodies and what we can do about it.
Noxious fumes and atmospheric
pollutants
If you’re an instructor in the centre of
Manchester, for example, it is going to be
much more difficult for you to escape
pollution than if you are in a rural area,
especially if you are on a motorbike or
driving with your windows open. You can
switch the air flow in the vehicle so that
it recirculates, and you can use the air
conditioning. Some cars come with
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NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2021