Making an emergency stop (Singapore)

One day, my driving instructor said, “Today, you’re going to learn to make an emergency stop.”  

He proceeded to explain to me the steps: 

1. He (and in the actual test, the driving tester) would indicate that I was to make an emergency stop by tapping the dashboard.
2. I was to lift my right foot off the accelerator pedal, and step simultaneously and hard on both the brake pedal (with my right foot) and the clutch pedal (with my left foot).
3. The car would come to an instant halt without killing the engine.  (If the engine dies in the test, that’s a fault.)

(Yes, it was a manual car.)

Off we went.

I was on the lookout for that tap on the dashboard.

At one point, I saw out of the corner of my left eye my instructor raising his hand.  I did Step 2 immediately.  The car came to a halt without the engine stalling.  I was very pleased with myself.

My instructor, however, had been pitched forward and hit his forehead on the dashboard, “What did you do that for?!?”

“I thought that was the signal for the emergency stop.”

“No, I was just trying to scratch my nose!”

We started again.

The next time I saw him raise his hand, I brought about another perfect emergency stop: engine didn’t stall.  My instructor, however, suffered another headlong lurch into the dashboard.  Yes, he was only trying to swat a fly away.

In the end, he was such a nervous wreck, not to mention bruised in various parts of his face, that he said, “OK, let’s do it this way.  If I want you to make an emergency stop, I’ll verbally warn you about 10 seconds before I actually tap the dashboard.”

We never practised any more emergency stops after that day.  I like to think that it was because every one of my efforts had been a perfect manoeuvre, but perhaps he just didn’t want to risk any further bruising to his face…

(Singapore, 1972)