Can I Change Driving School?

Why do you feel you want to change driving schools?

Hopefully you selected your instructor and driving school based on recommendation, and were able to book a taster lesson with your instructor before you settled on your instructor and school. It is possible though, that the instructor you thought was going to be a great fit for you has left you feeling dissatisfied because:

• They are often late for lessons;
• They often cancel lessons, meaning you have to re-book or don’t seem to be able to fit you in at times that are convenient to you;
• The car is messy, giving an unprofessional feel;
• You don’t get on, they shout at you or make you feel more stressed and nervous about your driving;
• You don’t feel as though you are making as much progress in your lessons as you should be;

Your first action, whatever the problem is, is to talk to your instructor. It might be that all they need is a timely reminder that they are supposed to be treating you professionally, or that their frustrations have no place when teaching a pupil to drive. If you don’t feel that you are making appropriate progress, then tell them this and ask them to talk through their plan for your lessons, what you will be covering each week and how many more lessons they think it might be until you are ready to take a test. If the instructor knows that you are unhappy with something, then they might be able to do something about it. This kind of conversation won’t be easy, but it is definitely the right first thing to do.

Secondly, if you are still unhappy with your instructor, then talk to the driving school. If the driving school has a good reputation, and wants to maintain it, then they will want to know about any problems as early as possible, and will want to do what they can to fix them. They may be able to offer an alternative instructor or some other course of action.

If you’ve followed both steps above, and you are still not happy with how your driving lessons are being conducted, then you can and should change driving schools. If you’ve paid in advance for a block of lessons, then you will either have to complete that block, or negotiate with the driving school to have the money refunded. If you haven’t made any financial commitment, then you can just tell the instructor and/or school that you are changing after the next lesson. It is important to tell them why you are changing, so that if there’s something that they can do better, they know about it and are able to make the change. It may not affect you now, but it could make a difference for future learners and for the driving school themselves. It might be easier to write down your reasons for changing in a letter or e-mail. A good driving school will be happy to receive feedback, positive or negative, and hopefully will act on it.

When you are choosing your new driving school, make sure that you go on personal recommendation, ask questions at the beginning to ensure that you don’t get a repeat of whatever caused the problem in the previous establishment, and ask for a taster lesson with the instructor before you commit to the school, so that you can check that you will get on with the new instructor.  

Why Using a Driving Instructor is the Best Way to Learn to Drive

Why using a Driving Instructor is best can be distilled down to two main reasons. The first is the preservation of your relationships with your family and friends, and the second is simply that an Approved Driving Instructor knows what they are doing.

You are allowed to learn to drive with anybody as long as they have had a full driving licence for the type for vehicle you are learning in for at least three years and are over twenty-one years old (some insurance companies stipulate 25 years old). Anybody that you pay for driving lessons must be an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) registered with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). There is nothing to stop you from learning to drive with your parents in the family car, with a spouse or a friend.

Learning with a friend or family member though does come with its own hazards. Sitting in the passenger seat with an inexperienced Learner Driver can be very nerve wracking. Inconsistent driving, unpredictable or excessive braking, cautious approaches to junctions and roundabouts, extended reaction times to changing road conditions or approaching hazards and inexperience at reading the road can all make supervising or teaching a learner driver very stressful for both the Learner and the teacher. Many family relationships have been put under great strain by attempting to teach a Learner driver.

An Approved Driving Instructor has chosen to do this for a living. They are trained and experienced in a variety of key skills which are important when teaching learner drivers:

• They have an in-depth knowledge of the driver training syllabus and how to teach it.
• Because they aren’t teaching while on a journey somewhere (many parents try to double up the driving lesson with the school run) they are able to spend more time and focus on Car Control in quiet roads or car-parks, building the foundations for successful future driving.
• They are experienced in planning training routes to roads that suit the experience of the driver, not pushing them too far out of their comfort zone which can increase stresses.
• They know how to deal with stressful situations, and are experienced dealing with nervous drivers.
• Many Driving Instructors have modified “dual control” cars which means that they can take over the driving in an emergency. While this is rarely used, it gives added confidence.
• A Driving Instructor has a clear idea, based on both the syllabus and their experience, when the learner is ready to pass their test.

While it may seem like a good idea to use a friend or family member to teach you to drive, this will often actually be counter productive. Many people start out this way, but later come to a Driving Instructor, realising that there’s a lot more to the job than just sitting next to somebody in the car. The Instructor then has a harder job to do, undoing stresses or incorrect procedures that have been taught by the family member. It is possible to pass your test following lessons with a friend or family member, and using your own car, but the vast majority of passes are with experienced and skilled qualified Approved Driving Instructors.

Contact TX Driver Training now on 0141 764 1213 to learn to drive with some of the best driving instructors in Glasgow.

Using a Driver’s Record when learning to drive

What is the Driver’s Record?

The Driving Standards Agency (now the Driver and Vehicles Standards Agency) developed the Driver’s Record as a useful way of keeping track of which areas of the driving syllabus you’ve covered in your lessons and practised privately. It is to ensure that you fully cover the syllabus and get as much and as broad experience as possible, to help you pass your test and to make sure that you are a safer driver. The record is shared with your Driving Instructor so that you are both able to keep track of your experience and competence in all the essential areas of driving.

How does it work?

There are several parts to the Driving Record, and each has a different purpose.

Overview – The first page of the Driver’s Record is an overview of your whole learning to drive experience. There is an area for practical car driving, where you can tick boxes to show that you’ve experienced a range of different road types and conditions, both in lessons and in private practice; there’s a section on the Theory Test, showing the different topics covered in the multi-choice test, so that you can tick to show when you are confident that you have studied each one, and the skills you need for the Hazard Perception test. There is then a space for you to write down the date of your Theory Test pass. There is also a section about the Pass Plus course.

Driver’s Record – The next section is for you to use with your Instructor. There is a heading for each broad area of the driving syllabus, and boxes for the Instructor to initial and date when each of these areas was: (1) first introduced, (2) instructed fully, (3) when you could do it with prompting what to do, (4) when you could do it with few prompts, and (5) when you could do it fully independently (and consistently over several lessons). Once you have a signature in the “Independent” box for each area of the syllabus, you are probably nearly ready for your test.

Instructor Record – This record has the same syllabus areas as the Driver’s Record, in some cases split into sub-headings, in table form. The instructor uses a column for each lesson, and indicates by with the numbers 1-5 (as above) your progress during that lesson with each of the syllabus areas. It means that the Instructor can see at a glance which areas you are confident with, and which need further practice or haven’t been covered for a few lessons.

Competencies – This two page section breaks down each area of the syllabus into its component parts, what skills are required and the underpinning knowledge that goes with it. As an example, the syllabus area of Moving Away and Stopping involves the Mirror-Signal-Manoeuvre and Position-Speed-Look procedures, ability to observe around you including the use of mirrors and checking blind spot, control and co-ordination of the car, being able to do it on level and on gradient, at an angle and straight ahead. It also involves knowledge of which signals to use, what constitutes a safe stopping place, how to co-ordinate the accelerator, footbrake and clutch, and how to use the handbrake and steering wheel. The instructor will need to see you competent in all these aspects before being able to sign you off as independent on this area.

Private Practice – The final page of the Record (and you can print as many of these pages as you require) is where you record the private practice that you undertake away from your instructor with friends or family members. For each journey you briefly record the time spent driving, the miles covered and tick boxes to show the types of road and the road conditions (e.g. dry or wet, dark or light, country lanes or urban roads.

The Driver’s Record is a very useful way to work with your instructor to make the best possible use of your lessons, and see your progress through the syllabus.

If you want to learn to drive in Glasgow then contact TX Driver Training now on 0141 764 1213.

What are the rules for using L-Plates and P-Plates?

If you are on a provisional licence then you must display a red L-Plate of the correct dimensions (see below) in a conspicuous position on both the front and back of your vehicle. These should be removed when the vehicle is not being used by a learner. In Wales a D-Plate may be used in place of, or as well as, the L-Plate. You are allowed to display more than one L-Plate on the front or rear if you feel that it makes them more conspicuous and improves safety.

You can get up to 6 penalty points on your licence and a fine if you are not displaying L-plates or if they are the wrong size. Keeping them on when the Learner is not driving is not an offence, but will attract the attention of the police, who will remind you that they should be removed.

There is no legal requirement to display green P-plates (P stands for “probationary”) but some people choose to use them to show that they’ve recently passed their test and are not very experienced yet at driving alone. If you do choose to use them, you can do so for as long as you like until you feel ready to remove them.

Dimensions for the L-Plate:

The L-Plate should be a large red capital L on a white background.

The white plate should be a 178mm square. The red L should be placed centrally on the square. It is 102mm high, and 89mm wide, with the vertical part of the L 40mm wide and the horizontal part 38mm wide. There is a diagram showing these dimensions at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/l-plate-size-rules/l-plate-sizes

What type of L-Plate and where to put it?

There are two basic types of L-Plate available to buy. Magnetic ones or sticky ones.

Sticky ones have the advantage that they are less likely to fall off (though it still can happen). The glue used is not particularly strong to avoid damaging paintwork, but many people are reluctant to use them because they fear the damage to their paintwork. There is also the disadvantage that they cannot easily be removed when you are not driving, so if you are using somebody else’s car, they will need to devise some way of covering up the plate when they are driving.

Magnetic ones are notorious for coming flying off during high winds or when you are driving at higher speeds, so to ensure you remain legal you should always have some spares in the vehicle to replace them immediately if they fall off. You can get them either with a magnetic strip at top and bottom, or completely magnetic. The ones with magnetic strips are easier to use on a curved surface, but also more likely to fall off if the wind gets under the edge. The best thing to do is to get a fully magnetic one, dip it in warm water before attaching to make it more malleable and then mould it to the shape of the car as you attach it. Because it’s magnetic, you can easily remove it when you are not driving. Make sure that the surface of the magnet and the surface of the car is clean before attaching, this helps to ensure that the paintwork doesn’t get scratched by rogue bits of grit under the magnet, and also that the magnet adheres better to the car. Don’t leave them on for too long, particularly in hot weather, as there are stories about paintwork being affected in this way.

You can print your own L plates to display on your car as long as you use the correct colours and dimensions.

There aren’t any laws on where you should put your L-Plates as long as they are conspicuous on both front and back. They should be kept clean and highly visible. On the rear of the car a good rule of thumb is to put the L-Plate level with the brake lights, which are usually in a pretty visible part of the car. On the front, usually the front of the bonnet is the best place. Avoid: bumpers, which are too low to be visible; radiator grills, where the air intake would be compromised; and windows, where visibility would be impaired.

Contact TX Driver Training now on 0141 764 1213 to find out about learning to drive in Glasgow.

Why you should learn to drive

Have you ever stood at a bus stop in the rain, waiting for a late bus, and watching all the cars passing by? Do you plan your holiday destinations based more on convenience for rail routes than on where you want to go? Do you find yourself hesitating to ask a friend or family member for yet another lift? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions then you’ll already have a good idea why you should learn to drive.

The freedom you will gain by being able to drive is immense. Even if you choose not to buy a car of your own you have options such as being added as a named driver on another vehicle’s insurance, being able to rent a car, or taking part in a car share scheme, which means that you can still drive without the regular expenses of being a car owner.

As a driver you will have a new-found independence and the ability to access a world of opportunities:

• Some jobs require you to hold a driving licence, as driving is part of the job;
• Other jobs might only be accessible to a car driver because of their location or because the shift patterns involved make public transport impractical, for example for late finishes or early starts;
• Getting around in rural areas can be close to impossible without your own transport;
• Transporting children, pets, heavy groceries or larger items is much easier with a car;
• New hobbies open up to you – For example, to do kayaking you need to be able to get your kayak to the river, and not many buses carry them!
• Some of our most beautiful landscape in the UK, and the leisure pursuits that you can enjoy there, are poorly served by public transport, so being able to drive will allow you to explore new areas of countryside;
• Our society is increasingly set up with car drivers in mind, with out-of-town cinema and leisure complexes and shopping centres difficult to access for pedestrians;
• Emergency situations – when your wife goes into labour or your sister breaks her arm, it’s much easier to stay calm when you know how you are going to get to the hospital;
• Your social life opens up too, as you are able to get to events, and can transport friends and family too;

In addition, driving can be fun! Imagine you can get in a car, choose your favourite music, choose your passengers and go for a road trip. Whether it’s a couple of hours jaunt into the countryside, a long trek up the motorway or a driving holiday across Europe! You have your own space and you have the independence to choose where and when you will go. Being able to drive safely opens up the roads for you.

There are so many reasons to learn to drive. Even if you don’t drive regularly, it’s an important skill, and being able to do so in an emergency could make a real difference. Go ahead, read more about it and apply for that provisional licence! Phone TX Driver Training on 0141 764 1213 now to find out about learning to drive in Glasgow.