The Tunbridge Wells Automatic Driving School

I'm pleased to announce the launch of my new business, the Tunbridge Wells Automatic Driving School, where we specialise in automatic driving lessons. Currently we are providing lessons in and around the Kent and East Sussex areas, covering Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks test centres. We use a modern VW polo with many optional extras such as aircon and heated mirrors. I've noticed an increased demand in customers looking for automatic lessons for various reasons - some have tried a manual and can't get on with using the clutch/gears and some need to pass quickly for various reasons and this is done more easily in an automatic. We've decided that by opening an automatic driving school we can offer specialist automatic tuition and provide a better service to automatic customers. You can click the various links below to get more info (our Facebook and Google + pages are still in their infancy so you can expect more content to be added to those in the coming weeks!)

Website - automatic driving school    
Facebook - click here
Google + - click here

New way to reduce the cost of insurance

A certain number of young people passing their driving test are not able to carry on driving once getting their licence due to spiralling insurance costs. I've heard of some getting £3000 quotes on cars worth in the region of £500! It's no wonder that many can't afford to continue driving after passing the test. This can only be a negative as drivers are not able to further their driving skills and gain more valuable road experience. In fact in many cases young drivers are actually losing certain driving skills due to extended gaps in practice and are then forced into taking refresher lessons once in a position to start driving again.

One way a young driver can look to lessen the cost of insurance is to have a 'black box' fitted to their car. This box monitors driver behavior such as braking and acceleration, cornering, general speed and whether they drive during the day or at night. Good driving will be rewarded with discounts and lower premiums and this can dramatically reduce the cost of insurance. Be aware though that driving without due care and at times that are not agreed can result in fines and increased premiums, so it works both ways. You can read a bit more about this tecnology here.

New drug driving laws

I've had news today from the DSA that new laws about driving under the influence of drugs are to be enforced in the near future. This can only be good news and will hopefully reduce the amount of dangerous driving on our roads. You can read more by clicking the link

New tests for CGI hazard perception!

I've just received an email from the DSA revealing a couple of YouTube clips that show samples of new hazard perception clips that have been computer generated. head of e-assessment,Peter Weddell-Hall, says: "DSA aims to bring these computer-generated clips into the theory test by the end of 2013. It means DSA can introduce hazards that would be hard to film safely – particularly those involving vulnerable road users.”
Have a look and see what you think!

What's in the driving test?

There seems to be a certain amount of confusion amongst new drivers about what exactly the driving test involves, so I've decided to try to take some of the mystery out of it!

When you arrive at the test centre, you're going to need to have brought both parts of your provisional licence - the photocard and counterpart - and a copy of your theory test certificate. Failure to bring both parts of your licence would result in you not being able to take the test and losing the test fee, currently at £62. Once your examiner has checked this, you'll be required to read a numberplate from a minimum distance of 20 metres, again failure to be able to do this will result in a cancelled test. Once this has been completed you'll walk over to your car, where the examiner will ask you one "show me" and one "tell me" question. These questions relate to the maintenance and operation of your car, and each is worth 1 minor markdown should they be answered incorrectly (a candidate is allowed no more than 15 minors on their test).
Once these have been answered, the examiner will ask you to move off out of the car park. Your driving test should last between 35 - 40 minutes, although this can differ depending on traffic conditions. For the most part, your examiner will be giving you step by step instructions on which roads to take and where to turn at junctions.  However, for roughly 10 minutes, you will be asked to do the 'independent driving' part of the test, where you'll be asked to follow roadsigns or a diagram to a certain destination. You will also be asked to carry out just one manoeuvre (Turning in the road, reversing around a corner, parallel parking, or at some test centres bay parking) and 1 in 3 people will be asked to carry out an emergency stop (it will be completely random whether you're asked to do this).
Once you get back to the test centre, the examiner will let you know the result of your test once all of the marks have been counted. As mentioned earlier, a candidate will fail a test for either a) receiving more than 15 minor faults, b) getting a major fault, or c) failing to carry out a manoeuvre adequately.

That's about it! Hopefully it's now clear what to expect on your test day. For further info or to book driving lessons in Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks, please click the link.

The independent drive.

Many pupils are initially alarmed when I explain that 10 minutes of the driving test is set aside for 'independent driving'. Most immediatley feel like this because they wrongly believe this to be a test of navigation, whereas what it really is designed to do is to test the candidate's ability to drive in a more 'real life' environment. So anyone worried about going the wrong way during the independent drive can be reassured that it wouldn't result in a fail. If you check the correct mirrors, signal at the correct time, and then carry out the manoeuvre suitably then it doesn't matter too much if you miss a road sign. Should this happen, the examiner will step in and guide you back onto the correct route where you would continue with the independent drive. If you're following diagrams instead of road signs, simply ask the examiner to repeat the instructions if you're having a problem remembering them.

The thing that tends to suffer most when first attempting independent driving is the MSM routine. Learners are often so intent on looking for road signs that they can forget correct mirror checks and sometimes even a signal before carry out the manoeuvre. This, in my humble opinion, is what you as a learner should be concentrating on, rather than worrying if you've gone the wrong way!!

For a driving instructor in Tunbridge Wells please click the link.

Sorry it's been a while.......

It has been months since my last blog - but I have good reasons for this. Aside from being very busy with driving lessons, I've been working towards becoming a fleet trainer and am happy to say I passed my exam last week! This means I'm now qualified to train and assess company drivers, which I'm looking forward to. In addition to this, I've been working on our new facebook page, as well as our Google + page. Please have a look at them and add us/like us! We've also recently taken on Carole as our third instructor, covering driving lessons in Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks, and we're also happy to now be in the position to offer automatic driving lessons. Onwards and upwards! Lastly, our new website is due to be launched in a few weeks, with this blog integrated into it. I will also in the coming days be adding more blogs aimed at helping learners and new drivers with any issues they may have when learning to drive. Until then!

Advice for booking tests

Further to a previous post, I was interested to receive an email from the DSA regarding unofficial booking sites:


Unofficial driving test booking websites: advice for customers
Directgov is the only official driving test booking website.
Other websites offer driving test booking services, but might charge extra administrative fees on top of the Driving Standards Agency’s (DSA) fee. Those websites are not run by or connected to DSA or Directgov.
DSA recommends that all learner drivers book their driving test through the official booking service on Directgov by visiting direct.gov.uk/drivingtest.
If you have used an unofficial website
DSA gets complaints from customers who have used unofficial booking websites. In most cases these websites are doing nothing illegal. This means that DSA’s powers to respond may be limited.
If you have used an unofficial booking website, you might have seven working days to cancel your order and get all your money back. However, this will depend on the terms and conditions of the website you used.
You can find more information about your consumer rights on Directgov. You can also use template letters to complain to businesses. Each letter includes details of the law that you want the trader to follow.
* Internet, mail order and telephone shopping
* Making a complaint - what to do first
* Create a complaint letter from a template
What DSA is doing about unofficial booking websites
DSA takes consumer protection very seriously. So, DSA is:
* protecting its trademarks to make sure they are not:
o used to advertise unofficial booking sites in search engine results
o used as part of website addresses for unofficial booking websites
* asking the Advertising Standards Authority to make sure unofficial booking websites are following the rules in the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing
* asking local Trading Standards to investigate those unofficial booking websites that appear to be misleading consumers
DSA reminds learner drivers on Facebook
What DSA is doing to promote the official booking service
DSA makes improvements based on learner drivers’ feedback to promote the official booking service. For example DSA:
* made sure that the official Directgov website pages appear at the top of search engine results where possible
* created videos showing how to use the practical test booking service – videos are being developed for the theory test booking service too
* reminded learner drivers on Twitter and Facebook about using the official booking service on Directgov.

Glad to see they're taking this issue seriously and giving out advice!

Jody Thomas Driving School expands!

I'm pleased to announce that I have a new driving instructor joining me at the Jody Thomas Driving School. His name is Ian Day and he has been an instructor with BSM for the past 6 years. Jody Thomas Driving School will now be able to cover a wider area of Kent and E.Sussex and we now have a new premises at 8 Hilders Farm Court, Hilders Farm Close, Crowborough, TN6 2XJ (see map). We'll hopefully be opening another premises soon in Sevenoaks so watch this space!

View Larger Map

Beware the scammers when booking your driving test!

Just a quick note to let you know about a recent scam by certain untrustworthy people to rob you of your hard earned money. What they have been doing is copying the DSA's website for booking the theory and practical tests. To the untrained eye they look identical - except for the fact that the fee is double what it should be! The current theory test fee is £31 and the practical is £62. However these websites have been charging up to £40 more so beware. If you get to the paying screen and are asked for more than the above charges then try entering the correct web address in your explorer bar:

Theory bookings: http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_digitalassets/@dg/@en/documents/digitalasset/dg_186295.html

Practical bookings: http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_digitalassets/@dg/@en/documents/digitalasset/dg_186302.html

The perils of a country road..

A couple of days ago I had an incident occur whilst out on a lesson and thought it might be of use to learners when thinking about the dangers of driving on out of town roads.
I often take my pupils out onto roads that they won't be tested on during their driving exam - after all, I'm not just teaching people to pass the test but to be able to drive safely under all conditions. Now the pupil I was with has a tendency to overlook forward planning and so we were working on anticipation of hazards. Taking him down a fairly narrow country road I was asking the usual 'what if?' questions: 'What if we meet a large vehicle now?', 'what if there are pedestrians walking on the road?', 'what if somebody pulls out of a driveway without seeing us?'. I think a big problem is that when people first start driving they only see what is directly in front of them and don't think about what could be around the next bend. Something that is key in using when on unfamiliar roads are road signs, especially the triangular warning signs. They can give us vital information as to what is ahead of us such as sharp bends, side roads, crossroads and gradients etc. All of which we should be slowing down for and checking mirrors. Anticipation of oncoming traffic is also key. Is there a wide vehicle going too fast coming around that bend towards us? Pupils must be aware that other drivers can be erratic to and so we must prepare for this.
Anyway, the inevitable happened as I was trying to get my pupil to understand this. A van was coming far too fast around the bend and slightly on our side of the road, pupil panicked and yanked the wheel to the left and we ended up with a damaged tyre. A lesson learned I would hope as had he been prepared for that then maybe he could have dealt with it in a safer way. Until it happens, it is sometimes very difficult for a pupil to envisage that and as a driving instructor it's my job to try and help them do that. Fortunately it is very rare that it ends up with a situation like this!

The Ford Fiesta Edge - What a great car!

If you've got around £11,000 to spare (unlikely I know) and are looking to buy a car then you won't go wrong with the Edge. It's the best car I've had, both for personal use and as a driving instructor. It's a dream to teach in, stalling is less of an issue than when I was working with BSM and forced to drive about in the tiny Fiat 500. All of my pupils who drove both have sided with the Ford. And it looks great to drive about in too. Although I've had mixed reviews about the Squeeze green colour.......

The hazard perception test

One of the most common questions I'm asked regarding the hazard perception part of the theory test is 'how many times should I be clicking?' or 'do I click when I first see the hazard or when the hazard develops?'. It is true that it's possible to click too early. Just as it is possible to click too many times in which case you will be penalized and given 0 points for that clip. There's a really good website dealing with everything you could possibly need to know about hazard perception (click here).
This post was prompted by an experience that one of my pupils had a few weeks back. He failed the hazard perception part for clicking on EVERYTHING he perceived as a hazard which meant he was clicking every second or so. It really comes down to what is a hazard? The list below contains the 13 hazard groups that you should be looking out for:


1) Zebra crossings & traffic controllers
2) Pedestrians: Children and young adults
3) Pedestrians: Elderly and infirm
4) Pedestrians: Adults
5) Cyclists & motorcyclists
6) Horse riders & other animals
7) Vehicles: Moving off or pulling up
8) Vehicles: Meeting
9) Vehicles: Emerging
10) Vehicles: Turning left or right
11) Vehicles: Reversing & U-turns
12) Vehicles: Larger vehicles
13) Vehicles: Flashing lights

Without knowing exactly what you should be clicking for you can't possibly get through it without a bit of luck. Another factor is to make sure you're prepared. Do plenty of mock tests to ensure you're achieving over the pass mark consistently. Once you've done that go for your test and you should have no problem getting through the hazard perception!

Introducing Scampi!

Bit of a non-related blog here but just thought I'd let you meet the boss of my house, Scampi. If anyone out there knows how to train a 2 year old Jack Russell to stop chasing rabbits then do please let me know. I'll gladly trade a few driving lessons with you!

Changes to the driving test in October

Changes to the driving test are being made in October of this year to include 'independent driving', which is going to test a candidate's competency in following a series of instructions whilst still maintaining safe driving. The candidate may be shown a map, given a series of directions or asked to follow road signs to a particular destination. In my opinion this is a really good idea as often a pupil has always been told where to drive to until they pass their test. It's a whole new skill being able to plan your own route whilst maintaining your MSM routines. Have a look at the video below to get some more information on 'independent driving'.









Click the link to learn more about our driving school