Category " Updates"

‘Advanced’ and DSA driving principles

Over the years, two schools of thought have emerged with regard to what constitutes acceptable road driving. These are based upon ‘Advanced’ and DSA driving principles respectively – the primary aim of both is to facilitate safe driving, however there are some differences in approach. These mainly concern road positioning, particularly through bends. ‘Driving – the essential skills’ (The DSA Driving Manual) is very clear about the best road position when taking bends; it states that you should maintain position in the centre of your lane for left-hand bends, and that moving to the left will open the view on the approach to right-hand bends. The philosophy behind the advanced driving method for all bends and corners is that you should position for the best possible view and maximum vehicle stability (traffic conditions permitting). With this in mind, Roadcraft (the Police Driving Manual) suggests that drivers should position their vehicles further to the right when approaching left-hand bends; this helps to maximise forward vision and reduce the curvature of the bend. So who is right, the advanced drivers or the DSA? Advanced thinking also allows for the straightening of ‘S’ bends. This means that on roads where there is an open view and it is safe and legal to do so, drivers can cross the centre of the road, using as much of the carriageway as necessary, and then return to the left around the exit from the second bend. On the other hand, the DSA Manual clearly illustrates a road position for ‘S’ bends which keeps drivers firmly in the centre of their own lane all the way through the bends. Are both methods right? 

Another (generally unwritten) rule often taught in advanced driving is that when negotiating roundabouts it is useful to take the straightest clear course or adjust your course for maximum vehicle stability. This means that going ahead or turning left on a clear road will usually require the use of more than one lane, either straddling or switching lanes at the mid-point. Turning right at an empty roundabout might require use of all available road space in order to gain maximum view and stability. The DSA are quite definite with their rules about lane discipline at roundabouts and offer the advice ‘don’t straddle lanes’ and ‘never change lanes at the last moment’. So once again I ask the question, who’s right? While road position is probably the main area of difference between the advanced and DSA schools of thought, there are also other areas where the approach varies. One of these is signalling.

The DSA are quite clear about the implementation of the MSM routine. Upon the approach to a hazard, you check your mirrors and then give an appropriately timed signal. This is clear and unambiguous; however, it’s my understanding that there seems to be a little confusion in the DSA camp… When explaining how to deal with obstructions on the road the DSA states that a signal should be given ‘where necessary’, while their advice for dealing with junctions states that you should signal ‘clearly and in good time’, thus implying that a signal will always be necessary. The advanced approach to signalling is simply that after checking your mirrors you should consider a signal (information in – information out). This is much the same as, although not quite as rigid as the DSA approach, without the anomaly of a different consideration for junctions.
Both right, or both wrong?

What’s the answer?

Given my earlier comment that the stated aim of both the DSA and advanced driving organisations is to facilitate safe driving perhaps we should not be asking who is right or wrong, but rather, “Why do these differences in approach exist?” As the official body charged with safety standards, the DSA has a duty to all drivers and road users, ranging from absolute beginners in cars, on motorcycles and cycles, through to large goods and public service vehicle drivers. Given that the DSA delivers its message to such a wide audience, their approach to driving must be one that will help to ensure maximum safety for everyone. Advanced driving organisations on the other hand, generally deal with experienced drivers; furthermore, their target audience is mostly comprised of those who have a keen interest in driving. It’s likely that this group of motorists will have an interest in exploiting the potential speed and handling of their vehicles. While the advanced driving organisations are equally concerned with safety, their message is not generally aimed at beginners (or grannies!). Advanced driving methods are based mainly on the police ‘System of Car Control’ as described in the manual ‘Roadcraft’. The system was developed in an attempt to ensure that when driving in high-speed emergency situations, police drivers and those with whom they share the roads could remain safe. Here lies the root of the differences in approach between the DSA and ‘others’, and why the Cardington Test and Part-Two of the ADI exam require a different driving style to other advanced tests. A driving method that is perfectly safe and suitable for those with extensive experience and training could be inherently dangerous for novices and less experienced or untrained drivers. The tests that the DSA have devised for driving instructors allow for this fact and hence require the safest ‘all round’ methods to be demonstrated; this is because these are the driving methods that are considered appropriate when instructors offer tuition to beginners. So, which approach to driving is the safest and most appropriate on today’s roads? And given that safety is a prime consideration when driving, what are the merits and demerits of the specific aspects of driving discussed above?

Road positioning: in order adopt an advanced driving method, it is essential that you are 100% certain about the position and speed of all vehicles in your immediate vicinity. Although increased sightlines and greater vehicle stability will improve safety margins, these same margins are eroded by greater speed. By following the DSA advice about road positioning you will not be able to see as far ahead and will have to drive more slowly in order to maintain vehicle stability. The reduction in forward vision can erode safety margins by restricting the driver’s forward planning; however, this deficit is offset by the lower speeds involved. Signalling: If you only signal when you perceive that there is a benefit for others (advanced), there is always a chance that you will miss something or will give a late signal – of course, skilled forward planning will minimise these risks. On the other hand, if you always signal as a habit at junctions (DSA) there is a danger that you could mislead others in certain situations. Perhaps a more useful approach to signalling would be as follows: If, after making all of the necessary
checks and considering traffic/pedestrian movement, you think that a signal will not mislead anyone, then give it.

In conclusion, when considering DSA versus ‘Advanced’ it’s probably fair to say that neither is right or wrong. The driving style that you choose will depend upon the road conditions, the purpose of your journey and your speed. If the whole notion of differences in driving styles drives you around the bend, you can rest assured that as long as you continue to drive without hitting anything or anybody, and you don’t cause others to hit you … At least you must be getting something right!

Taken from SmartDriving Instructor Training Tips

Advice for Driving at Night

Many drivers find it difficult to drive at night and it is a know fact that night driving presents a number of different challenges for the average driver. For example, it is more difficult to see valuable road users such as pedestrians, cyclist and motorcyclist. Also if driving at night is not common for the driver than falling asleep behind the wheel is a great danger.

According to Rospa (The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) 40 % of collisions occur in the hours of darkness. “…20% of serious accidents occur at night” Some might ask why road users crash  at night and the obvious answer is the decreased in visibility. Cyclist are difficult to spot as their lights if they have one fitted are not as powerful as cars. Also in darkness it is harder to judge speed and distance and objects can be closer than they appear.

Younger drivers are at most risk as they have had very few hours of experience driving at night. It is strongly recommended that young drivers take extra training like the  Pass plus course where your instructor can guide with the necessary skills.

Advice on how to avoid the dangers of night time driving

If one has to drive at night than make sure you test all of the lights on your car, to see if they are working. Having all of your lights functioning properly will improve your vision at night and will help other road users to see you better. If for any reason you have to pull up on the side of the road make sure that it is a legal place and put on your hazard lights to warn others of your presence.

Remember headlights should always be turned on an hour before the sun goes down. Twilight can be a particularly difficult time to see other cars and objects on the road and headlights can help make this easier. Drivers should leave their headlights on for an hour once the sun begins to rise.

Glare is a common problem that affects drivers throughout the night. High beams from other cars can make it very difficult to see where you are driving. To help avoid this glare, divert your gaze to the left side of the road instead of looking straight in front of you. You can use the side of the road to help you steer without the distraction of glare. Make sure to adjust your rear-view mirror if trailing headlights are creating glare.

Your response times will be a slower at night as opposed to day time so increase your following distance from the car in front. In order to stay prepared for unexpected situations, increase your following distance up to 5 seconds. This will allow you enough time to take evasive action in order to avoid an accident.

When driving at night prevent your gaze from becoming static, it is a good idea to look around continuously to monitor your surroundings, looking for unexpected lights, curvatures in the road, signs, and other cars. This will help keep you safe while driving at night and help to prevent fatigue.

The final tip is to get our eyes tested  as vision is crucial to driving, regular visits to the optometrist are an important part of night-driving safety. Depending on your age, you should have your vision checked every 1 to 3 years. The onset of certain conditions such as cataracts can make it more difficult to see at night. Over time, eyes can become more sensitive to things like glare. If you wear glasses to see when you drive, ask your optometrist about lenses that have an anti-reflective coating on them. This can help to prevent additional glare in your vision.

Revise for the Practical Driving Test?

When learners think about preparing for their practical driving test it is tempting to think that the only preparation is to keep practicing with their instructor or possibly in their own car with parents. There are however, a number of other ways that the learner can prepare/practice as well as actually in a vehicle.

We will look at what the most useful methods that can greatly increase the learner’s confidence and the chances of them passing the driving test.

The areas we will look at are:

• Driving Test Revision Cards.
• Writing notes and using diagrams.
• Talking through the drive.

Revision Cards are often used by students to revise for a subject, by using the cards on a regular basis the facts become more fixed into the memory and are able to be recalled more quickly. Each subject will have the key points listed together with advice on what should or should not be done.

By reading a card and thinking about their drive the learner can (and through experience does) become more confident in what they will need to do, both when driving and on the driving test. Regular use is essential to gain the best from this excellent tool. The cards are small enough to be carried by the learner, enabling regular revision, such as when travelling to and from school/work or in free periods during the day.

We would strongly suggest professionally prepared Driving Test Revision Cards as the learner can then be sure that important information is not missed out and you will also get important advice from a qualified ADI. Writing notes and using diagrams is another great way of fixing important information into the learner’s memory.

Possibly the best way of describing how to use this method is to look at an example. As an Approved Driving Instructor I regularly see pupils doubting what they should do on a manoeuvre, even though they do know exactly what to do. In this instance I will often (after possibly recovering the manoeuvre) suggest that the learner takes the time after the lesson to write down what they need to do. If practising the turn in the road, the learner should first write that they would prepare the car to move (selecting first gear etc). Then leave a line or two (use lined paper!) and then write the next key stage such as carrying out effective observation prior to moving the vehicle. After finishing writing the complete manoeuvre the learner should read through carefully, and ideally using a different colour pen fill in (on the lines left free) any information missed out.

These pieces of information are the areas that the learner is also likely to miss out when actually practicing the manoeuvre. Writing something down makes the learner think harder about the subject and in doing so enabling them to remember it when actually driving. Diagrams can also be useful to help the learner to visualise a junction or manoeuvre. For instance with the bay park the learner can draw out the parking spaces and even use a toy car or any suitable size object to act out the manoeuvre helping them to think about when they start steering and what to do if the manoeuvre starts to go wrong. Talking through the drive is the final method I use with my own pupils. We can use this to help us remember what to do at junctions etc, or just to put any problems in the drive into perspective. If the learner is worried about, for instance a particular type of junction, then talking through their worries with an experienced driver (possibly parent or friend) can help enormously to reinforce what they should do.

I should add at this point that if a learner is worried about a particular junction etc, they really should make sure that their driving instructor knows about their worries, so that they can help them with it. The other aspect of talking through the drive is when the learner has convinced themselves that they cannot do something. Again another example: The learner says that they cannot deal with roundabouts. The person they are talking to should try and find out exactly what the problem is. After talking through how they approach the junction, their understanding of how roundabouts work, it appears that they understand these areas but are worried about judging traffic on the roundabout.

This is clearly a very important area, but still much better than simply not being able to deal with roundabouts. After further discussion it transpires that the learner does actually know how to judge the other traffic, but occasionally misses small potential gaps to emerge onto the roundabout.

On the driving test this is not necessarily a big problem as the examiner only needs to see the learner emerge into reasonable spaces. So discussing this puts the learner’s worries into perspective and hopefully their mind at rest. It also now means that the actual minor problem can be discussed and addressed so that the learner becomes more confident. Conclusion By using the methods detailed above the learner will become more confident in their driving and hopefully feel more able to cope with the pressures of the driving test. So can you revise for the practical driving test? Yes. Is it worth using methods such revision cards etc? Yes. Can it make the difference? Yes.

By Colin Brown
Your Online Driving School
www.your-online-driving-school.co.uk.

For the majority of us driving to work is a necessity and we spend many hours stuck on the M25. Howevery, the main problem here is that most drivers, drive whilst they are still half asleep. Motorist admit to this fact and acknowledge driving whilst tied but the issue here is that drivers do not feel that this is a problem. Yet it is a fact that many accidents are caused because of tiredness. According to the brake.org.uk website “one in eight drivers (12%) has ‘head-nodded’ at the wheel in the past year. Head-nodding occurs when someone nods off between 2 and 30 seconds, often without realising that they have been asleep”. In addition, one in seven drivers surveyed (13%) reported suffering from a health condition such as sleep apnoea that makes them tired during the day. Sleep apnoea can cause daytime sleepiness, and in some cases can cause the sufferer to fall asleep without warning.

Julie Townsend, who is  Brake’s campaigns director, had this to say “Tiredness at the wheel kills. Driving a vehicle is a huge responsibility that must be taken seriously. That means stopping when we feel drowsy and certainly never starting a journey tired. It’s a matter of life and death”

Brake.org.uk website found that “Young drivers are more likely to drive tired and more likely to nod off at the wheel. One in four 18 – 24 year olds (25%) have head-nodded in the past year and more than half (55%) admit setting off on a journey when already drowsy. 50% more male drivers admit to setting off on a drive when they feel tired and more than twice as many males admit to head-nodding as females.

Safe Driving

To drive a car you need to be fit and alert, be aware of what’s going on around you, and able to concentrate on what you are doing. The causes of tiredness can be numerous and complex, but a few common one would include insufficient sleep, sleeping problem, or drug and monotony.

Look out for early warning signs that your body tells you, for example an increased difficulty in concentrating, yawning, heavy eyelids; eyes starting to ‘roll’; and neck muscles relaxing, making the head droop. If drivers experience these symptoms, they should find somewhere safe to rest as soon as possible, rather than trying to fight off tiredness and continue.

If you start to feel sleepy while driving:

• Stop for a 15 minute break somewhere safe as soon as possible.

• If you drink caffeine, drink two cups of coffee or a high-caffeine drink, such as an energy drink, then take a 10-15 minute rest or snooze.

• By the time you wake up any caffeine will have kicked in and you may feel alert enough to continue your journey. If you still feel tired, or you still have a long way to go, you should stay put and try to find somewhere to get a good night’s sleep.

• Remember caffeine is a temporary drug and its effects do not last long. Sleep is the only long-term cure to tiredness.

• If you notice that you are feeling tired during the day, go and see your doctor. You may have a treatable sleep disorder such as obstructive sleep apnoea. Other symptoms include snoring, depression, high blood pressure and poor concentration.

If you drive a company car or a truck, and/or work long shifts then statistically, you are at more risk of dropping off at the wheel than other drivers – but anyone who drives when they are tired, or travels over long distances without a suitable break is also running a high risk. Another thing to remember about sleep-related motoring accidents is that the severity of accidents is usually increased because the sleeping driver generally doesn’t brake, or move, or do anything to avoid a collision which then occurs at a faster than normal speed – creating a bigger impact.

What Does the Law say About Driving While Tired?

There isn’t a specific law that states that it is an offence to drive when you are tired, but the chances of a driver committing a driving offence while tired are increased. If you are found to have been asleep when an accident occurred, depending on the severity of the collision and any injuries sustained, you could find yourself charged with dangerous driving, the penalties for which can be severe.

What if the Police Stop Me?

The Police can find it very difficult to spot a tired driver. Several police forces in the UK are hoping to combat this by stopping erratic drivers and subjecting them to roadside impairment tests which can spot the tell-tale signs of sleepiness as well as those brought on by drugs, alcohol or prescribed medicines.

Learning to drive can be a stressful experience for the average learner even with a driving instructor let alone learning with friends and family. However, before you decide to teach your loved one you should know what the law requires of you as a supervising driver.

The Law :  Supervising Learner Driver

The supervising driver must be at least 21 years old and have a full driving licence (for the type of vehicle they are supervising in – manual or automatic), which they must have held for a minimum of three years, also make sure that the car that you plan to use is safe and road worthy ( MOT, road tax and so on), be able to read a number from 20 meters. Remember to display legal L Plates as home made L Plates are not acceptable.

Insurance

The learner must be insured to drive the vehicle they are using for private practice. If the vehicle is owned by the supervising driver or by another person, make sure that the motor insurance policy includes the learner. Take note of any restrictions. If the vehicle is owned by the learner, but it is possible that the supervising driver may wish to drive it themselves at some point during the practice they must also be insured to drive the vehicle. However, even if the supervising driver does not intend to actually drive the vehicle, it is still a good idea to let the learner’s insurance company know that you will be supervising the learner while she/he drives. Again, take note of any restrictions the insurance company applies.Without being insured to drive the vehicle, the supervising driver would not be able to take over the driving during a practice session, if it became necessary.

Condition of the Car

The supervising driver must ensure that the car is in a safe and legal condition, including being properly licensed, taxed and MOT’d. It is a good idea to have the car checked and serviced before starting private practice.

Eyesight

You must meet the minimum eyesight standard for driving. In good daylight, you must be able to read an old style A111ABC number plates from a distance of 20.5m or a new style AB11ABC number plate from a distance of 20m. If you need glasses or contact lenses to read these number plates then they must wear them when supervising a learner. If in doubt, visit an optician for expert advice.

When accompanying a learner driver you should always try and encourage confidence and do not put a learner in a situation that requires more skill than they have acquired. Overestimating a learner’s skill could lead to dangerous situation which would be stressful for both the learner and the supervisor. Remember to set achievable objective for the lesson plan. For example, if supervising a complete beginner it makes no sense to teach turning left or right at junctions. Start by talking about how to adjust the seat and emphasize the need to find the correct seating position so that they can reach all the car pedals. Talk about the different mirrors and how to adjust the mirrors to get the best view of what is behind. As a supervisor it is important that you teach ideas that you as a driver do yourself. So when discussing blind sport, explain why it is important to check before moving off. When you are supervising a learner driver, you have the same legal responsibilities as if you were driving. For example, the drink drive laws and the ban on using mobile phone applies to anyone who is supervising a learner – you are deemed to be in control of the vehicle.

It is illegal to receive any payment for accompanying a learner driver, unless you are an Approved Driving Instructor and hold the ADI certificate from the Driving Standards Agency (DSA). Don’t forget Echo driving school only uses approved driving instructors. If the above seems too much hard work than why not leave it to professional instructors from our driving schools where we cover most parts of South London and surrounding areas.

Drink & drive and see your insurance increase by 85%.

Experts are warning drivers to not be tempted to get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol this Christmas. The fact is that car insurance premiums rise by an average of 85% after a driver has been convicted of driving while under the influence of alcohol.

Research carried out by insurance price comparison website, Moneysupermarket.com, found that on average, the cost of an annual car insurance policy would rise from £424 to £784 as a result of the main driver being caught driving while over the legal drink drive limit, an increase of 85%.

Currently the drink drive limit in the UK is 80mg of alcohol per 100g of blood, Drink Aware recommend not consuming any alcohol at all. They advise to make travel plans in advance if you do intend to celebrate with a drink over the Christmas period to ensure you have a safe way of getting home which does not involve you getting in the driving seat after a drink.

Police in Scotland have even gone one step further in their bid to encourage designated drivers to stay alcohol free as they’re offering a buy-one-get-one free on soft drinks in Scottish pubs as part of their “Christmas Coke on Us” campaign.

Meanwhile, measures are being introduced which could see first-time drink-drivers having their car seized. Drivers who refuse a breath test for analysis without reasonable excuse could also have their vehicles taken from them.The measures mark the launch of the annual police crackdown on dangerous drivers over the festive period.

Now first-time drink-drivers who provide a sample for analysis, which is three times the legal limit or more, and those who refuse a breath test, could have their vehicles taken away for good after conviction. That would be in addition to receiving a criminal record, a fine and a 12-month driving ban.

So is drink driving worth it?

Mobile Phone addition or not?

Mobile phones are part of everyday life and there is no doubt that we use our phones everywhere. The question that we should be asking ourselves is do we judge our mobiles as a threat when we drive and it is shocking to see a large number of motorist even texting while driving. The Road safety charity Brake and Direct Line have carried out a survey and found that:

The danger of mobile phone addiction, as the research reveals is the shocking extent of driver distraction from texting, emailing and social networking. revealed that nearly three in 10 drivers (28%) texts at the wheel and one in 13 (8%) do this at least once a week. One in 11 drivers (9%) surfs the web, emails, uses apps or social networking sites when driving.

The survey also found that Texting has been found to make drivers 23 times more likely to cause a crash, potentially killing or maiming innocent road users. Using a phone to email or surf the web also causes serious distractions. The latest increase of Smartphone addiction in adults and teenagers (who are to become learner drivers) cannot go without checking their Smartphone’s for even a short period of time, also the volume of mobile data transferred over the UK’s mobile networks has increased forty-fold between 2007 and 2010

Julie Townsend, Brake campaigns director, said: “People who text, use the web or social networking when driving are taking enormous risks with their own and other people’s lives. This kind of irresponsible behaviour is illegal and it kills so there should be no excuses”.

Frances Browning, spokesperson for Direct Line Car Insurance, said: “Mobile phone technology has become such an intrinsic part of our lives, that many drivers feel it is perfectly acceptable to drive whilst talking, texting, emailing or even surfing the web on their phone. It isn’t and there is no excuse to undertake these activities. No call or text is that important…”

Facts

Research into the impact of sending or receiving text messages among young drivers found the amount of time drivers spent with their eyes off the road increased by up to 400%. Drivers made 28% more lane excursions and 140% more incorrect lane changes. Research using a driver simulator to explore risks drivers face when using phones for emailing found a heightened crash risk. In a large-scale study of commercial drivers, which monitored the impact of them texting at the wheel, their crash risk increased to 23 times that of a driver paying full attention. Studies looking at the impact of talking on your mobile at the wheel have found crash risk is quadrupled, whether you’re on a hand-held or hands-free phone.

It is illegal to drive a vehicle or ride a motorcycle while using a hand-held mobile phone, Smartphone or PDA. It is illegal to use any kind of electronic device to send or receive spoken or written messages or still or moving images or access the internet. This includes when stopped at traffic lights or queued in traffic.

Drivers who are caught will received a fixed penalty notice of £60 and three points on their licence. In May 2011 the government announced this fine is due to increase to £80 – £100. In some cases drivers will have to go to court and could face disqualification and a maximum fine of £1,000. But it could be much worse. Using a phone at the wheel can and does lead to devastating crashes. If you kill someone while using a phone you could face up to 14 years in prison for causing death by dangerous driving, as well as the knowledge that someone died because of your decision to pick up your phone at the wheel.

Plea to drivers

However much you love your phones, when you are driving you need to put it away. Texting, tweeting, emailing, taking or making a call, inputting details into a GPS application, tapping the screen, repeatedly glancing at or watching the screen: all are major distractions that put your life and the lives of others at risk. Driving is the most dangerous and complex activity most of us do on a daily basis and it requires your full concentration. Your phone can wait.

Learner drivers are like small kids who observe friends and families drive and if they see them texting or answering the phone then they will pick up the same habit. The learning process starts at home and no matter what is written in this article or anywhere else, parents have a duty of care. Instructors at Echo Driving school from day one talk of the various Responsibility that a driver has and mobile phone is discussed with the student so that student takes driving seriously. All around South west London our instructor are helping hundreds of student pass their driving test is it not time you took the charge of your future.

Britain is once again braced for a ‘big freeze’ which will undoubtedly affect driving lessons and anyone taking driving test if it decides to snow.

Echo driving school instructors will give you as much notice as possible if the conditions are bad enough to prevent a lesson going ahead and if you have a test your instructor will assist you in booking another test with the DSA.

However, the bad weather can also be a good opportunity for you to talk to your instructor about winter driving, and if it is safe enough than your instructor will recommend a lesson to gain some experience driving in adverse condition.

On the Echo driving school website you will find detail advice on winter driving tips which can be used not only by learners but also full licence holders.

How to pass your theory test:

Passing the theory test is an important step towards the end goal of acquiring your driving licence so it is important to understand that one must study the necessary material to pass. There are so many materials on the market that it is difficult and expensive to decide which to choose. We will try and recommend a few products that are worthy of mention.

• Highway Code. A must for any driver experienced or novice as it contain the “rules of the road”. Also the information in the Highway Code is in fact the answers to most theory questions.

• Driving The Essential Skills: This is an excellent book which is written by the Driving Standard agency (DSA) who are the people that test learner drivers. The book gives good advice on practical driving and explains the material in the Highway Code in more depth. It includes instruction on night-time, motorway and European driving, and useful tips and advice on defensive driving.

• Driving Test Success All Tests: Great DVD to practice the theory questions. Has 3 disc set which covers everything you need to pass the Theory, Hazard Perception and Practical Driving Tests.

Following the new case study questions introduced in September, the latest change to the Theory Test will be implemented on January 1st.

The DSA will add new questions to the test. These new questions are not available for publication and so they will not appear in any product, nor on any website. – but the DSA will continue to make ‘revision’ questions available in their own publications and on licence to web sites and third party publications.

There is no change to the Hazard Perception Test. The structure of the test is not changing. For car drivers there will still be 50 multiple choice Theory Test questions, including 5 case study questions, and then Part Two consists of 14 Hazard Perception Test questions.

This change follows consultation and advice from organisations including UK driving schools – it wants to discourage learners from “learning by rote“. This will, the DSA feels, lead to a better understanding of the actual study materials, in particular the Highway Code.

When considering which driving school/instructor to choose most people will only consider the price and a common question that is asked a lot is “How much do you charge”. Of course this is a valid question but there is more to driving schools than just the cost so below we have bullet points of what we believe to be important before you choose your instructor.

• Ask about the Instructor:

Is the driving school instructor fully qualified or on a trainee licence (Companies such as Red and BSM to name a few use them). If qualified ask what grade the instructor is usually a 4 is the minimum and a grade 6 being the highest. Inquire about the type of car used for the lessons and whether the instructor smokes. This will allow you to build a picture in your mind and you can decide if they match up to your standards?

• How much do they charge per hour?

This is an important question so find out what other companies charge, and then decide  if  the amount they charge is a valuable investment in your future.

• Do they offer block booking discount?

Many driving school/ instructors will offer discounts if you book 10 hour or more, and it is a great way to save money but always try the instructor for a couple of lessons before you commit as it is difficult to get money back if things go wrong.

• Do you get a full hour/2 hour lesson?

Many driving schools offer 1 or 2 hour lessons but few actually deliver the full hour so keep an eye on the clock and don’t be shy to discuss with your instructor as it is YOU who is paying your hard earned money.

• Do they do ‘Piggy backing’ (pick up the next student before dropping you off at the end of your lesson)?

Driving instructor save time by doing ‘piggy backing’ but for nervous or novices student, this can be a challenge, driving while having a complete stranger in the back of the car whilst you finish your lesson can be very distracting. You will not share a cab with someone so why should you share your lesson.

• Do they offer Pass Plus?

Pass Plus a great way to learn additional skills such as motor way training along with night driving. Not all instructors are Pass plus registered.

• Do they do evening/weekend lessons?

Is your life too busy to accommodate lessons during normal working hours.

• Do they offer help with the theory test?

More and more instructors are offering help with the theory test not only to help you pass but also to ensure that when you start your practical tuition it is with them. Take advantage of this professional advice.

Call Echo driving school in Tooting, Balham, SW17,SW12, clapham to book a driving lesson. We are a fast growing companies with all out driving instructor passing the DSA exam and many have done other courses to offer the best service at affordable price.