How much does it cost?

Should this really be the first question that you ask?

What price to do put on life?

Essentially you will be learning to drive a 1 tonne plus lump of metal. Where one simple mistake could cost lives. By spending the money now, in the learning process you could potentially save yourself thousands of pounds later in insurance costs and lost work, amongst other things. You could be giving yourself more practice which may bring you greater peace of mind into the future on the roads. This is what we want to offer you. Making you a good driver that passes their test and is safe for the rest of your life.

 

Here is a link to our Prices

 

How many hours will it take?

Music lessons average £24 per hour or more. How many hours of tuition would you expect it to take to learn to play an instrument or learn to sing? How much practice would you expect to need to put in? 10? 20? 50? 100? 1000? hours.

Driving a car is no different to this. Some people are a natural at car control, some struggle, some are able to make good rational decisions, other may struggle. So the answer is that there is no correct answer. It could take relatively little time or it could take longer to become a safe driver, which is what we want you to be.

Driving is about being able to see everything that is relevant and make improvised decisions on the move and then apply them with a level of skill.

How often do you hear of a piano, guitar, flute or drum kit causing someone serious harm or even causing death?

Not as often as happens in a car.

Even leaving this aside, a simple bump, that may be avoided by doing just a few more lessons to get you ready to be safe on the road, once you’ve passed your test could cost hundreds or even thousands of pounds in the long run. If you add up the cost of repairs, plus the insurance premiums for the next 5 years as a result, not to mention the wonders of all the phone calls from claims companies about the accident. This is the best case scenario of any collision.

 

So how many hours should you train for?

It is different for everyone, but being ready to drive independently on the roads of today is no easy task, but we will be honest with you right from the outset of your training.

The current government figures indicate that an average of 47 hours with an instructor along with 20 hours of private practice gives the best opportunity to pass the driving test first time.

 

Do you do intensive courses?

Yes, we do. But not in the traditional way. You can learn to drive over a shorter time scale but this only works in certain circumstances. Ask your instructor or read our guidance on whether an intensive course is for you.

 

What do the tests entail?

The theory and hazard perception test are taken at the same time at a theory test centre and must be passed before you can book a practical test. Link to DTS website. It consists of 50 questions and 14 hazard perception clips. You have 55 minutes to answer the 50 questions and must get at least 43 correct, this is then followed by the 14 hazard perception clips, these contain developing hazards that you must identify as soon as you can, each hazard has a maximum score off 5, reducing depending on how soon you identify the hazard, 13 of the clips contain 1 hazard and 1 of the clips contains 2 hazards, the pass score for this is 44 out of 7. You must pass both parts at the same time. For more detailed info check out the link above.

Once you have passed the theory test, you then have two years to pass the practical test.

The practical test is taken at a DVSA test centre of your choosing (TALK TO YOUR INSTRUCTOR FOR ADVICE ON THIS) and lasts around 40-45 minutes. For more on this check here

 

What are the show me tell me questions?

Why?

The show me, tell me questions were introduced to the test back in the 00’s, due to a significant rise in both breakdown and police statistics showing that many vehicles were not being kept in a fit and roadworthy condition, they were revised as part of the changes to the practical driving test on 4th December 2017.

These questions are therefore designed to make learner drivers aware that it is their legal responsibility to ensure that the vehicle they are driving is roadworthy. Without this you risk danger if the car breaks down, as well as cost, but also you risk far worse, if your car is not deemed roadworthy this could lead to points on your licence as well as fines, even the loss of your licence. Also your insurance may even be void.

You can only fail your test for losing control of the vehicle when demonstrating your answer to the show me question. Getting them incorrect will only be considered as a driving fault but they are worth knowing. Our show me, tell me videos will show you what you need to know for the practical driving test as well as other relevant information as a driver. A downloadable PDF with the answers for you to revise from here.

 

What are the new manoeuvres and what have they replaced?

On your test you will be asked to perform 1 of the following manoeuvres:

-Reverse parallel park

-Reverse parking into a Bay

-Driving forward into a marked bay and then reversing out again

-Pulling up in a safe position a on the right hand side of the road, reversing back approximately 2 cars lengths and then pulling away to safely rejoin the road.

These manoeuvres are on the test as of the 4th of December 2017. The driving forward into a bay and pulling up on the right were brought in and replaced the turn in the road exercise and reversing around a corner on the left exercise.

You will also be asked to drive independently for a period of approximately 20 minutes, this will be either following instructions given via Satnav or following directions given by reading road signs. (The satnav used is a TomTom Start 52)

 

What is the new drivers act?

The new drivers act states that:

New drivers

Your licence will be cancelled (revoked) if you get 6 or more points within 2 years of passing your test.

Points on your provisional licence

Any penalty points on your provisional licence that haven’t expired will be carried over to your full licence when you pass your test. However, your licence will be cancelled if you get any further penalty points that take you up to a total of 6 or more within 2 years of passing your driving test.

If your licence is cancelled within 2 years

You’ll have to apply and pay for a new provisional licence and pass both theory and practical parts of the driving or riding test again to get a full licence.

Further details

https://www.gov.uk/penalty-points-endorsements/new-drivers

 

What does a black box do?

A black box is used to monitor your driving in a number of ways and can be used to reduce insurance costs for a number of groups of people. In particular young or new drivers. There is a lot of technicalities to this and we are no experts in this, but you can check out more about this via the link below.

https://www.moneysupermarket.com/car-insurance/how-does-black-box-insurance-work/

 

Do you advise private practice?

On the whole private practice is a really good idea for anyone learning to drive, it can help with confidence and allow learner drivers to develop their skills and as such generally we advocate this for our learners.

However, there are pitfalls.

It is important for the accompanying driver to listen to the learner, otherwise it can just as easily create negativity, confusion and doubt in someone’s decision making and promote ‘bad habits’ that will not be helpful to them becoming a safe driver and passing their test.

We would encourage anyone accompanying a learner to liaise with their instructor and even where possible to keep regular contact with them. Even to consider sitting in on some lessons and asking questions to allow any private practice to complement what the learner is doing with their instructor.

We can offer a short course in accompanying a learner for anyone looking to accompany a learner.

If you are interested. Ask your instructor or call us on 07805 621 486

 

How should I prepare for my theory?

As a company we recognise that not all people learn in the same way. As such there is no “RIGHT ANSWER” to this. You need to be aware of how you learn best and use this to structure your preparation. Your instructor should be able to give you bespoke ideas that will help you in this.

Here are a few general tips:

Start to practice as soon as you start lessons, or before if you prefer.

Allocate time to dedicate to practice- It is so easy to try to fit it in around other things, this tends to create reasons not to practice.

Practice at a time of day that you are alert. (Obvious right)

Monitor your performance and allow this to guide what you could improve- We recommend using Driving Test success Anytime you can get FREE access to this by asking your instructor. This also allows us to monitor your progress to give you the best help and advice.

Ensure that you practice both the theory and hazard perception, hazard perception is best practiced on a computer, not a mobile device, as the pictures can be too small to be of much use.

 

When should I book my theory test?

It is a good idea to keep your instructor up to date with your progress and allow them to advise you in this. The test questions are not identical to the revision questions and as such you need to know why the answers are right, not just the right answers. Guidance can also be taken from any good theory test apps as they have functions to help with this. As a rough indicator if you are passing mock tests in both the theory and hazard perception 4 or more times out of every 6.

 

What do I need to book my tests?

To book your tests you need your provisional driving licence details and a valid payment method. Use the links from our link page. If you google this it can often take you to sites that will take your details and charge you more for the privilege of booking it for you. Use the GOV.uk portal (Which our links take you to) and you can avoid this.

 

How will you teach me to drive?

All of our instructors appreciate that everyone is different and as such whoever is teaching you to drive will endeavour to do it in a way that suits you best. You should feel comfortable to give feedback on what works and what doesn’t and be included in any decisions on this matter. However, there is much risk involved in driving and as such your instructor has to take responsibility for the safety of you and other road users. You will make mistakes and we do appreciate that you will not make these deliberately.

 

I’ve been told that I should learn in a manual car, not Auto.

What do you advise?

We won’t deny that this was once the most likely advice for you to be given and in fact was the best advice for most people. It is no longer the case as most of the arguments for this advice are no longer valid. If you want more guidance in this then check out our blog on the subject.

 

What is pass plus?

Pass plus is a scheme to allow for new drivers to gain additional experience on roads that they may not have had much practice on. It is a minimum of 6 hours and you gain a certificate at the end. While the pass plus course is not mandatory we strongly advocate gaining more experience in any areas you are unsure. If you feel the need for any post test training for any reason then we will be happy to advise you and help in any way you need.