Lady driving instructor joins the school

A warm welcome to Debra who joined us this week. She is already busy training pupils in and around the Preston area.

If you are looking for a lady driving instructor there are still (just) a few slots available in her diary. Debra operates a flexible diary to accommodate pupils and is prepared to work Saturday and Sunday.

Debra is a fully qualified high grade driving instructor and has come from a London based driving school. She has had a great deal of experience instructing clients from the UK's largest multicultural district where a female driving instructor was frequently requested.

Call us now on 0800 970 6878 or visit our website to arrange your first lesson with Debra.

Video aided training

At Excel School Of Motoring we are always looking to improve our training techniques.

We have just recently installed two bullet cameras in one the the training vehicles. The cameras are very discreet and produced very good footage.

Video recorded lessons are not mandatory and are completely free and optional.

The aim is to give the instructor the opportunity to record and replay the video with the pupil and discuss various other outcomes if a situation had been dealt with differently.

It has been used with a few "test subjects" (pupils) and has already proved effective. We will soon be offering to copy the recorded video onto a USB memory stick for the pupil to take home and review. Again, this has already been tried with one pupil and resulted in an extremely focused follow up lesson based on questions raised after the "home viewing".

Any teaching method that stimulates discussion is good and from our testing so far, video recording lessons, in-car playback and home viewing could be a very worthwhile addition tool for driving instructors. At a later date I will post some actual footage for you to check out later.

Speed/safety cameras and speed limits

Whether road users approve or not these cameras are here and they look like they are here to stay.

Yes, they make money from unsuspecting motorists (every one's complaint) and yes, some may well appear to be positioned where they are less likely to be seen (even though they are brightly coloured).

The reason they are making money is because some motorists break the speed limit. The process for determining these limits is fairly long and made by those who have every one's interest in mind - not just those behind the wheel who are in a rush. These are pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and drivers of cars, buses, lorries and anyone else who may use the highway.

Also taken into account is the road itself and the path it follows. Is it wide and straight or narrow and twisty. Does it pass through residential or rural areas or a mix of both.

These are the obvious factors and each speed limit in force in the UK has been fully debated before being finalised.

There will always be occasions when a driver accidentally goes over the limit but for many it is a matter of choice. It must be otherwise radar detector sales would plummet.

I have my own views which I will not impose but, whether you agree or not, the rules apply to all. Break the speed limit and eventually you will be caught.

Cheap driving lessons

Wow, there are some driving schools around that offer unbelievably cheap driving lessons.

Surely this is great news for learner drivers!


A couple of my new pupils came to me after taking tuition from two such driving schools. Whilst I can't comment on the quality instruction they received - both have very good car control - but they have both independently informed me that a large chunk of each of the first few lessons was spent at the side of the road.


It is down the the driving school operator to set the lesson fee for their school. If this fee does not fully cover all the costs (including fuel) involved and a good portion of the lesson has to be conducted at the road side then surely the pupil is not receiving value for money.


Whilst I can accept that there is a need for one to one focused discussion there is also a requirement to allow the pupil to practise driving the vehicle.

Some of these driving schools offer extremely lost cost start up packages - we all need to attract customers - and may very good instructors but as the saying goes, you get what you pay for.

What does young “Joe Blogs” want from his driving instructor?

He wants to drive to a standard which will ultimately reward him with a driving test pass certificate. If Joe can achieve this within one or two months that’s great, if he can achieve this after spending half as much as is best mate then he’s on a winner.

This is the problem we driving instructors face.

• Joe is desperate to pass his test in as short a period as possible.

There is often no or little thought given to the actual learning aspect of becoming a driver.

Please remember; driving is a life skill.

If Joe is prepared to learn and understand all the aspects of driving which a good instructor will teach and not just how to get the vehicle down the road and across the street at the end, he will hopefully be rewarded with many years of happy and safe motoring.

However, if Joe thinks that his ability to “handle” the car makes him a good driver he will more than likely fail the test first, second or even more times before getting the pass certificate he is so desperate for. When Joe does pass the driving test and with a bit of luck he may be rewarded with a few months of happy (and safe?) driving. Joe may be one of the lucky ones and may even manage to stay safe for a few years or at least come away from any “incidents” without injury, only endorsements on his license.

Don't get me wrong, it would be absolutely unethical and very bad business practice to just keep taking money from Joe when he can demonstrate his driving ability is clearly at test standard.

It is right and proper to coach Joe into becoming a more aware and safety conscious driver. It is Joe's "driver attitude" together with his car control skills that will make him a safer, more considerate and responsible driver.

I’ll leave it up to you to decide what you want from your driving instructor.

Sat Nav

Pupils at test standard now have the option to follow instructions from the onboard sat nav.

At this stage of training it can be used as a virtual examiner, leaving the instructor to assess the pupil's driving ability.

Gadgets are here and here to stay. It make sense to incorporate this technology in a controlled environment.

Female Driving Instructor

It seems that there are some pupils who would rather learn to drive with a female instructor. I have recently been contacted and met with an ADI who will be taking on her role as Excel School Of Motoring's first lady driving instructor.


Debra, a high grade driving instructor, will be based in and cover Preston and all surrounding areas.

She will be available with us to take her first pupil in early July. Debra is so committed to current pupils in London she has offered them continued driving tuition until this time whilst they find alternative driving instructors.


Now that is someone who cares!


Please enquire about lessons if you are interested in receiving driving tuition from Debra. She already has several pupils ready to start in July, so to avoid disappointment register you interest now.

Fuel Prices - Ouch

Will there be an end to the ongoing fuel price rises that we motorists have suffered over the last 6 months.

Lately, it seems every time I visit the forecourt the fuel prices have gone up again. I decided to check my receipts and would you believe it, the price has been higher on each of the last 6 occasions I have filled up.

This ultimately has an unfortunate knock on affect and many instructors have been forced to raise the cost of their lessons.

I just wonder how this industry will cope if prices continue to rocket! Maybe we will all be driving an air powered car before too long.

Dual Controls

I have been asked twice recently about the requirement to have dual controls fitted to my tuition car.

Whilst, as far as I am aware, there is no legal requirement for instructors to have dual controls fitted to their training vehicles it certainly makes sense to have them. Not only do they provide extra security in the event of an emergency, they also allow the clutch to be demonstrated by the instructor if required.

My insurance company specifies the policy is only valid if dual controls are fitted. In view of this, I assume most if not all other driving school insurers will insist on dual controls being fitted to the tuition car too.

It make sense to keep the pupil, instructor and all other road users a safe as possible. Dual controls fitted to the tuition car certainly help with this.

The Festive Season

As of the weekend we will be well and truly in "party" mode.

If you are having a drink, even after a nights sleep, you may well be over the legal drink drive limit the next morning - as demonstrated on Rock FM earlier this week.

Keep safe and either stay off the alcohol or make sure you have a good 12 - 18 drink free hours before you drive.

Have fun and be sensible.

Accredited Taxi driver trainer

Taxi drivers have a poor reputation but as in all cases it's the few whom spoil it for everyone else. To this end the DSA have put together a Taxi Driver Test which is designed to make the driver more aware of his/her driving style and the needs of the fare paying passenger.

The days of just being able to drive and affording the motor insurance are soon to disappear. More and more local authorities are signing up to the new Taxi Driver Test and new taxi drivers will have to pass it before carrying fare paying passengers. Also, if a compliant by a passenger is received it could mean that an existing taxi driver may have to complete the test or find an alternative career.

The text requires, amongst other things, the candidate to drive to a higher standard of that of a "learner" with the emphasis on passenger safety and comfort. A great deal of thought has gone into catering for those passengers with disabilities and special needs. To this end, if the candidate has a vehicle which has been built or modified to carry a wheelchair, it must be demonstrated that the driver can safely load, secure and unload the wheelchair and user as per the instruction of use with the equipment fitted.

Excel School of Motoring can train the driver to use the correct driving techniques and raise levels of passenger awareness - the two areas required to pass this new test. Please contact us for more details.

Taxi Driver Test

More and more local authorities are stipulating that taxi drivers must be registered and part of that registration involves passing an additional driving test. The purpose of this is to make try and make a baseline standard in driving skills and attitude to fare paying passengers for all taxi drivers throughout the area covered by the authority.

I am attending the first course in the north west run by the DIA, enabling instructors to be better prepared to meet the needs of taxi drivers seeking extra driving tuition in order to pass the taxi driver test.

Details will follow.....

At the convenience of a test centre

As Excel School of Motoring is mainly a Chorley and district based driving school I usually deal with just one driving test centre - Chorley. Whilst this is not the "perfect" test centre at least it has toilet facilities for those who require them.

I have just returned from another test centre in the north west where there are no such facilities. Surely, considering the cost of a driving test, candidates should have these fairly basic facilities at all test centres.

It's difficult enough for some candidates to concentrate for the duration of a test, but to do so with the added burden of a full bladder weighing heavily on their mind can prove too much. So, well done Chorley and the vast majority of the other driving test centres which cater for candidates basic needs.

Fuel - How much?

After pumping the odd £20 worth of fuel into the training car over the last week or two, today I found myself on empty.

Wow, almost £1.05/Litre. I could not believe it. It doesn't seem too bad when it's just £10 or £20 here and there, but when it's a full tank - it stings.

All steamed up

On the subject of winter and cold morinings - today I witnessed a cyclist pulling out into the middle of the lane which lead to the following vehicle braking abruptly to avoid him. Someone was reversing out of their driveway without having waited for the rear and side windows to demist.

The cyclist may have been badly injured or worse if the following driver hadn't noticed this and taken preventative action.

Q. Did the driver reversing out of the drive see the cyclist?
A. Probably not, due to the fact that he kept on moving. Even when the cyclist had swerved and passed him the car was still moving backwards. It only stopped when the next driver sounded his horn.

Yes, the driver probably saved himself a couple of minutes but would it be worth it if the outcome had been different?

Make sure you can see out of all the windows.

Pupil count going up

Here at Excel School of Motoring we are gearing up for another week on the road.

Last week we had a couple of happy pupils pass their driving test. However we took on more new starters so those odd half hours between lessons are becoming few and far between. It wont be too long until the books are full again and we have to dust of the waiting list once more.

Winter is on it's way

Have you noticed the dark evenings and just how much colder it has become of late?

Winter is finally on our doorstep. Now is the time to ensure you are fully prepared for a long cold haul and driving in all the various conditions that this season brings.

You may need to check you have spare bulbs (and on some cars, the correct tools to replace them).

Have you checked your tyres recently? Not just type pressures but their tread depth and general condition. What about windscreen washer fluid - you will go through much more over the next few months.

On those cold mornings a good ice scraper and some de-icer may well come in handy and whatever you do don't leave your car ticking over unatended on your driveway.

If your car is that bit older and reliability may be of an issue, dont throw away that old jacket or coat. Consider keeping it in the boot next to your torch.

The life and times of a driving instructor

Hi,

Welcome to the views and opinions of a driving instructor.

In this blog I intend to shed light on some of the events that occur on a daily basis whilst teaching students to drive in and around the Chorley area in Lancashire (UK).