05-23-2013, 12:33 PM
I'm pretty sure that it's advised, but not mandatory. Ultimately, it's up to the instructor to make that judgement call when they tech the car.
A good way to look at it is that they're putting their lives in your hands to go out and teach, so it's fair that you both be out there with equal safety gear. They don't HAVE to get in the car with you and I've totally seen students turned away to make adjustments to accomodate safety issues. Nobody will ever argue with the instructor on it unless they're being unreasonable; the only options are to get a different instructor who isn't concerned, fix it before you go out, or go home.
A good way to look at it is that they're putting their lives in your hands to go out and teach, so it's fair that you both be out there with equal safety gear. They don't HAVE to get in the car with you and I've totally seen students turned away to make adjustments to accomodate safety issues. Nobody will ever argue with the instructor on it unless they're being unreasonable; the only options are to get a different instructor who isn't concerned, fix it before you go out, or go home.