by Gareth Cross
A Derry based-driving instructor, who has just won a top motoring award, spoke yesterday of how a traumatic accident at 19 changed his outlook on driving and life.
Jim Doyle of Foyle Driving School was named Driving Instructor of the Year at the Northern Ireland Road Safety Awards. He received his award at Cultra Manor, Belfast at a packed awards show featuring UTV's Frank Mitchell.
Jim, now 56. was born in Dundalk before moving to Birmingham at a young age. He moved to Derry in 1999 with his wife Mary who is from the area.
After receiving his award Jim sat down with The Derry News to reflect on his career to date.
He spoke about the accident which eventually led to him becoming a driving instructor.
"I had a bad crash when I was 19, I was showing off and went off a bridge into a river," Jim said.
"Four people were quite badly injured, it was a traumatic and life changing experience.
"My job at the time involved lots of driving so I had to get straight back to it, although I didn't particularly want to at the time."
Jim said that the incident had a profound affect on him.
"You can't amend that, if you go through a traffic light or make a mistake you can change or correct that but you can't go back when people are hurt.
"I can still remember every detail about it."
Inadequate
An incident shortly after convinced Jim to look at his driving.
"I thought I was quite a good driver, shortly after the accident I broke down on a motorway and a police patrol car came along," he explained.
"He drove me off the motorway to a safe spot and I was so impressed with his driving I realised how inadequate mine was.
"That was the turning point that inspired me to improve my driving."
These two incidents directly led to Jim becoming a driving instructor.
"I was asked to help out at a young offenders group to teach them how to ride a motorcycle.
"They said they thought I would be good at it and I discovered I loved to teach.
"I've gone on to teach people to drive lorries, buses, cars, diggers, forklifts and so on.
"I used to teach people to drive buses and lorries in London and we would use the car park of the old Wembley Stadium to practice."
Jim has been teaching people to drive for many years.
"I started teaching in 1978 and came to Derry on October 1, 1999," he said.
"My mum Mary is from Derry and my dad Jimmy is from Dundalk and I met my wife Mary at my brother's wedding. We've been together 30 years and married for 25.
"I set up Foyle School of Driving and we taught a variety of vehicles until the recession hit and we decided to downsize."
In recent years Jim has started teaching people with mental or learning disabilities to drive.
"I was approached by a deaf girl who wanted to learn how to ride a motorbike," he said.
"She had been told by another instructor that he couldn't teach her because they could not communicate.
"I asked her what her deafness felt like and she said it was like putting your head underwater and trying to listen to the radio."
Jim tailors his teaching methods to each particular student to meet their needs.
"I went home, ran a bath, put my head under the water and tried to listen to the radio," Jim explained.
"Nobody had ever asked her what it felt like before, I decided experience is always better than an explanation.
"I understood how she felt and that made it easier for me to teach her."
Adapted car
He then went on to teach a number of people with disabilities.
"Off the back of this I had a number of enquiries and bought a specially adapted disability car," Jim said.
"I've taught people with a wide range of disabilities including MS and cerebral palsy.
"I've also taught over 500 driving instructors throughout my career."
Jim said he was pleased to receive his award for driving instructing.
"It's nice to get the recognition and it was a lovely day out for the family," he said.
Tony McKeown from Crash Services who sponsored the event said Jim was an outstanding candidate for the award.
"Driving Instructors play a significant role in young driver education and preparing their pupils for a life on the road," he said.
"The standard of entries in this category was very impressive with 12 different instructors nominated. So the judges had a difficult job in selecting an overall winner.
"The winner was actually involved in a collision himself shortly after passing his test. This led him to choosing a career as a driving instructor so he could pass on his experiences to others."
Unique approach
Mr McKeown said that Jim's unique approach to teaching had impressed the judges.
"He has been involved in all types of training from motorcyclists to Lorries and buses, most impressive has been his work with disabled drivers and training driving instructors," he said.
"Due to his work with teaching people with physical and mental disabilities, he took the unusual step of studying anatomy and physiology, qualifying as a physical therapist to better understand the needs of his disabled pupils.
"This has enabled him to look in depth at a multitude of conditions such as cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis. Therefore tailoring his teaching to their specific needs," he concluded.
If you have a story or want to send a photo or video to us please contact the Derry Now editorial team on 028 7129 6600 for Derry City stories Or 028 7774 3970 for County Derry stories. Or you can email gareth@derrynews.net at any time.