Getting ready for winter? It’s hard to believe that as of saturday night the clocks go back an hour! I don’t know why, but the light nights just seem to have lasted forever this year.

But the change in the clocks brings its own unique problems when you are on a Driving Lesson. If you are in a major city like Wolverhampton, Luton or Walsall, then all around you is a sea of lights. Cars, buses, lorries, Street lights, Buildings and Office lights, Xmas lights the list is never ending!

And in amongst this madness, lurks pedestrians and cyclists. It becomes a real life version of the hazard perception test. When pupils are on a driving lesson, they have so much more to contend with and yet you and i as pedestrians will just presume, that, because they have the headlights on, and because we may have bright clothing on, we can be seen.

Unfortunately this is not the case! Most times its hard for the instructor to see clearly, let alone the poor pupil, whose brain is about 2 seconds away from total melt-down.

So please remember this as you walk around on the forthcoming evenings, and spare a thought for that poor pupil on their driving lesson.

Just a quick word of warning to let everyone know that as Christmas (yes that dreaded word) is quickly approaching, now is the ideal time to start your driving, to hopefully pass your test in time for Xmas.

With that in mind Driver Training have a full range of Intensive Driving Courses suitable for all ages and experience in driving.

For example if you plan on taking a standard Intensive Driving Course of approx. 25 hours, then at 2 hours per day that is only about 2 weeks to get you to the standard you need to be. We have 2 options with our courses, the first is the course where we book your test for the end day of your lessons, usually a Friday or Saturday.

The second is we do the course without a test at the end, this gives you the option of seeing if you feel ready about half way through, then you can book the test and wait for cancellations, as you know by this stage that you are ready to take your driving test.

For those who are complete novices but want to learn quickly, we are introducing our new supreme package - The Platinum Guaranteed Pass Course

We supply everything that you will need to get you through the Theory Test, all relevant books, Cd’s etc and helpline for if you are stuck.

We pay for your theory tests and book them for you

We then arrange for all you to have UNLIMITED Driving lessons and book your practical driving test.

Should you be unsuccessful we will provide more lessons and book your test.

All those who pass first time,  get a Pass Plus Course Free of Charge!!! (saving you up-to 35% on your car insurance)

The total cost of this totally unique and guaranteed pass course only £1200.00

21st October 2008

Driver Training Ltd has just welcomed two more experienced Driving Instructors.

Shabana covers the Luton and Dunstable areas and Steph covers the Romford and Ilford areas of essex.

Both are very experienced instructors and both will add to the growing number of female driving instructors here at Driver Training.

So we now have Sarah, Jackie, Shona, Lacey, Shabana, Steph, Rachel, Rachael, and Helen

It is always good to be able to offer the choice to pupils of male or female instructors, most pupils, to be fair, don’t mind, as long as there instructor is warm and friendly, has a relatively good sense of humour, and doesn’t get annoyed with them!

Last christmas i started teaching a girl and halfway through, she said “you’re not like my other instructor”

i said “in what way”

“You don’t swear at me”

“i don’t what?”

“swear! My old instructor called me a *%^$£%& Idiot on my first lesson”

Amazed at this I said “But I thought your old instructor lived in your road?”

“He does, He lives 4 doors up”

So she was paying her neighbour £21 per hour to insult her!!

I’m glad to say this never happens with us!!

20/10/08

£75 per week! That is roughly your first 4 hours on a monday morning, everything you work and earn for the rest of the week goes to you!

We don’t charge you £200 or £350 like some schools and we don’t ask you to START paying a franchise until we’ve provided that first 10 hours of business.

Here at Driver Training we give you the opportunity to develop your skills as an instructor.
We realise that everybody has different needs and responsibilities so we have developed a 3 stage system to help you.

We give you the help and the back up so that although being part of a company you have the freedom to develop your business.

But most importantly we give you the back up and support so that you can earn the money you need, work the hours you want, and have the security of being with one of the best driving schools. We don’t just pass pupils on and expect you to do the rest, their first contact with us is your point of sale, so we give a warm friendly welcome, help them to see their is nothing to worry about book them in, then put it onto your on-line diary and notify you by text message of a new pupil.

October 20th 2008

When it comes to the controls lesson on the pst’s. Most people give it little or no thought, yet this is one of the most hazardous parts of the test. As most people give it the least amount of preparation.

Very often the attitude is “i know what a seat does”, “I know how the seat belt works”

Great you might do, but onre of the most common faults is not setting the “base line” or finding out what the person knows. The amount of times i have been with a pdi and started this lesson, and they either don’t ask anything or just say “have you had any driving Lessons?”

No this is my first one.. Comes the reply

~Thus starts a 20 minute speech on what everything does, with very little involvement of me.

Despite me looking around, not interested and huffing and puffing, then comes “why aren’t you listening to me”

I’m bored

Well you need to know what all this stuff is and what it does

I do know

I thought you hadn’t had any driving lessons before

I haven’t

Then how do you know what it is

I’m the under 17 Formula 3000 World Racing Champion!!

(but this is my first driving lesson, i’ve never been allowed to drive on the road up until today)

Here endeth your test!!!

After that has been established remember to use the 3 points of description?

What’s that? I hear you ask.

1) What it is

2) What it does

3) My commands will be

20th October 2008

When it comes to that day, that, not only having you been looking forward to, but also been dreading in equal measure, one of the biggest reasons for people not passing their test is quite simply nerves!

A classic example was on Saturday, when a pupil who is normally calm and collected, came to a junction. He stopped at the line, just as he should, but didn’t put it into first gear.

So as he went to pull off, he stalled. No problem, we’ve gone through this loads, If you stall just compose yourself, make sure everything is set up, bring the clutch up nice and slowly and drive on. Normally this is something he would have done without even thinking about it.

But because it’s his test, he is worried about the examiner being next to him. So he stalls a second time, and now it really is heart in mouth time. So without thinking he starts the car up and forgets to press the clutch. Thus making the car go completely over the line and causing a car to slow down on its approach.

Here endeth the test!

A good driver, a calm driver, a responsible driver - Simply caught out by test day nerves.

Driver Training is the largest driving school in the area. With instructors throughout Shropshire we can cover the entire county. Sometimes we are asked exactly where in Shropshire we cover. Well to put the matter straight quite simply we say “where don’t we cover.”

We literally cover all area of the county. If you are looking for lessons in Shifnal then we are the people to call, Telford, Shewsbury, Oswestry, Wem, Much Wenlcock, Bridgnorth anywhere in the county. If in doubt the best policy is to give us a quick call and have a no obligation chat about your driving lessons needs best of all its free to phone us on 0800 1 777 149.

A new show soon to be aired on Virgin 1 called “Britain’s Worst Learners” is set to showcase Britain’s worse learner driver and their longsuffering partners.

Presented by Tim Shaw (Fifth Gear), expect fireworks as friends, family members and couples are strapped into cars together, as the novices are taught how to drive by their partners. With a brand new car up for grabs, the pressure is on.

“Britain’s Worst Learners should be expect the unexpected as they tackle three point turns, reverse round corner challenges, parallel parking, road awareness, the ramp of doom and hill starts. Tough enough for those who don’t know a brake from a clutch, but add to the mix manoeuvring in stretch limos, school buses, 4 x 4’s and caravans and the rev-heads will soon be sorted from the Sunday drivers.”

Luckily none of the learner drivers set to be shown have take driving lessons with Driver Training Ltd but for those learning to drive and our instructors alike this should be a good laugh of a TV programme. Set to air on Virgin 1 on the 14th of October.

If you are having a nightmare teaching or learning with your other half, friend or family member why not give the professionals a call and get driving lessons from Driver Training.

The Driving Standards Agency is now starting to test how efficient a driver is. In a bid to cut down drivers carbon footprint drivers are being taught how to be more fuel efficient. By reducing speed or reducing the need for heavy breaking drivers can reduce their petrol bill.

Gears are for going, brakes are for slowing: is the DSA’s new motto for students to learn. Drivers will be tested on the right way to gear up an down and how to read the road ahead to avoid the need for consistent heavy braking.

Now don’t worry no one will be failed for not knowing about full efficiency but the DSA is hoping for a new generation of eco-friendly drivers.

Instructors are being asked to teach new drivers about eco-friendly driving and ways to make your car more eco efficient such as emptying your boot and so on.

Driver Training is one of the first driving schools to take this to heart and make sure students understand about fuel economy.

Why should you consider Pass Plus? Well quite simply pass plus can make you more road confident after you have passed your test. On top of this it can help bring down the price of car insurance.

Driver Training currently has offers on Pass Plus in: Telford » Shrewsbury » Oswestry » Newport » Wellington » Shifnal » Walsall » Cannock » Bilston » Dudley » Dagenham » Hartlepool » Wolverhampton » Birmingham » Wednesbury » Willenhall.

Pass Plus can make you more confident on the roads especially the motorways. Getting to pass your test is one thing but once you are out on the open road it can be nerve racking. With extra lessons and extra road experience you can have real driving skills for real life driving situations.