Are your driving lessons structured?
Nov 19
Do you know exactly what you are trying to achieve on each of your driving lessons?
If the answer is NO, then you are quite simply wasting your money.
Structured driving lessons should always begin with a RECAP of what you learnt on the last lesson, otherwise your driving instructor will only be guessing as to what you understood and what you can actually remember.
Next should be the OBJECTIVE of the current lesson.You should always have a firm objective as to what you are trying to achieve during the lesson.(Aimless “driving around” in not an objective)
If you are struggling with a particular topic, your driving instructor should be asking you questions to find out exactly what you know about the given subject and assisting with any gaps in your knowledge and understanding.
Once your theory knowledge of the subject has been established, then it is time to practice on the move until competence has been achieved.Your driving instructor should be assisting you during this phase, either my telling you exactly how to perform the topic or by prompting you with good targeted questions to ascertain what you will do before you make further mistakes.
Regular stops should be made to assess your progress and to help with any problems.During this time the transfer of responsibility should be passing from your driving instructor over to you by gradually decreasing the relevant questions and encouraging independence .
Structured driving lessons = value for money.
This is not rocket science and the transfer of responsibility should be taking place during the lesson.How long this will take , will depend on the skill of your driving instructor and your own learning capabilities.
At the end of the lesson a SUMMARY is vital to assess your understanding and performance. Your performance can then be measured against the lesson objective to see what was actually achieved.As learning is an ongoing process further practice may be necessary on subsequent lessons ,but you should ALWAYS know whether you met your objective and if not WHY NOT.
This process of a structured driving lesson should apply to all parts of the learning to drive syllabus.
If this is not happening on your driving lessons and you find yourself simply “driving around” with no idea of what you are trying to achieve, you are quite simply wasting your hard earned money and your progress will be much slower and extremely frustrating.
Unfortunately many driving instructors have not kept up with modern teaching methods and do not deliver structured driving lessons and because of this your progress will most likely be extended and so will the cost of gaining your full licence.
This is where we are “Refreshingly Different” to the vast majority of our competitors and those transferring from other driving schools or instructors always comment on the highly effective methods that we use.
“I chose Kelvin White driving school on recommendation from my friend and learning to drive proved even better than I expected.
My driving instructor was Dave Miles who had excellent teaching methods. I felt very happy after every lesson as I always felt I had achieved something.
I would defiantly recommend the driving school because my experience was very enjoyable.
Amelia Salmon, Taunton.
If you wish to book an assessment lesson with us and “see the difference” our techniques could make to you, please visit the website for details.
“Try us and see” special deal with 10 full hours of driving tuition for just £153 thats just £15.30 per hour in combination with a 1st time pass rate of 81%
OFFER extended until 31st December 2011.
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Why do we need mirrors.
Nov 15Why do we need to check our mirrors when driving?
There has always been a misconception as to why mirror use is so important.
“My dad said; make sure that you move your head so the examiners can you check them”.
“I check my mirrors because my instructor said that I had to”.
“If I don’t check my mirrors I will fail my driving test”.
Let’s look at the real reason you should check your mirrors.
Use of mirrors before signalling:
Before you apply as signal, it is vital that you know what is happening around you.
What if a motorbike is overtaking and you suddenly apply a signal, he could panic if he thinks you haven’t seen him resulting in a sudden change of direction. By noticing the motorbike in the mirrors, you would have the option to delay the signal and let him pass. Even better would be to notice the motorbike gaining on you with early mirror use and you could then apply the signal at an earlier stage to warn of your intentions.
Use of mirrors before changing direction:
Use of mirrors before changing direction is vital to check what is happening beside you. Think of a situation where you are slowing to turn left and a cycle comes off the pavement or when moving out to pass a parked vehicle and a vehicle is overtaking.
Use of mirrors before slowing down:
Imagine approaching a pedestrian crossing where people are stood waiting to cross, the lights could change at any time and a mirror check shows a vehicle very close behind. You could use the information gained to slow in anticipation of a light change, this will also encourage the following vehicle to slow also. Failure to gain this information could result in having to stop suddenly resulting in the following vehicle being unable to stop and possibly crashing in to the back of you.
Use of mirrors before speeding up.
Think of a situation where you have just emerged in to a new road (minor to major) and once straightened up and checked ahead, the next important issue is what is happening behind. Perhaps you may have misjudged the speed of following traffic and they are approaching faster than you thought. You have the option to accelerate up to the limit (if safe) to get a move on or in a scenario where they have already committed to an overtake, you could then choose to slow and enable them to pass safely. Without the information from the mirrors you would be unaware and as a result be involved in a possible crash.
“Nine super successful tips to your driving test success”.
Mar 04Nine super successful tips to your driving test success
Nine super successful tips to your driving test success.
- 1. Try to take 2 hour driving lessons if possible: You will learn far more in two hours than 2 separate 1 hour lessons
- 2. Choose a day and time that you can keep to on a regular basis. This will make sure you don’t miss your weekly driving lesson because the driving instructor is fully booked or you forget when your lesson is.
- 3. Make sure that your driving instructor always does a recap on the previous lesson to check what you knowledge you have retained.
- 4. Make sure your driving instructor gives you an objective for each lesson (It is vital that you know what you are trying to achieve during the current lesson)
- 5. Are you being allowed to develop your skills? Once you have mastered the task , it is vital that you are then coached with prompted questions to take responsibility and confirm that learning has taken place.
- 6. Never be frightened to make mistakes. You’re driving instructor should be encouraging independent driving and giving you help, support and encouragement with positive feedback.
- 7. By the time you are approaching a driving test date, you should be driving for long spells on an independent basis, if you are still making lots of mistakes then feedback is vital to you and you will need to focus and practice on weaknesses. Try not to miss any of your pre-booked lessons at this stage as the last few weeks are vital.
- 8. Always insist on taking a mock test .This is to see how you will perform under pressure while on your driving test. Any weaknesses remaining can be fixed before the big day.
- 9. If you have been driving on a regular basis with your instructor without his help and avoiding too many mistakes, then there is no reason why you cannot do this during the driving test. Driving test examiners are trained to recognise nerves when they assess you’re driving and the odd few mistakes will generally not result in a driving test fail .
- Follow these 9 super successful steps and driving test success will be your’s real soon.
Value for your money.
If you are to get the most from your driving lessons, you will need to follow these guidelines, aimless driving around with no firm learning objectives will be a waste of your money and it will also extend your learning period.
With an average of 5-6 six driving test passes every week and well over 850 test passes in the local area we know what we are talking about .
If you would like more information on your driving lessons or you would like to make a booking , please telephone….
0845 519 6943
or visit the website at www.kelvinwhitedrivingschool.co.uk 
How to pass your driving test first time!
Mar 02
Why is the first time pass rate so low?
The average 1st time pass rate at our local driving test centres is around 30%, which is ridiculously low.
At Kelvin White driving school we have an average 1st time pass rate of around 80%, this is because we work to a tried and tested system. We do not take pupils to test unless we feel they are going to pass (otherwise we waste your time and your money).
We do not have a set amount of hours to complete as each individual will be different; however we do have a strict set of criteria to be covered. The Driving Standards Agency set out a syllabus to be covered and you need to be proficient in all the tasks listed if you are to pass your driving test.
You need to be able to drive independently without the assistance of your driving instructor on a regular basis; if you are still making mistakes during your lessons then these mistakes are likely to escalate when under the pressure of a driving test.
If however you are able to drive during your lessons with only a few errors then this should give you the confidence on test day, many blame nerves for failing, but in reality it’s usually more to do with the lack of consistency.
Feedback from your driving instructor is vital as to your strengths and weaknesses if you are to achieve the required standard.
If you have any questions regarding your learning progress , please telephone ….
0845 519 6943
and we will be happy to help,
or you can visit the website at www.kelvinwhitedrivingschool.co.uk