Choosing the Right Driving Instructor (And Why It Matters)
In this episode, we’re joined by driving instructor Garry Thomas to talk about what really matters when choosing the right instructor for you.
We also dive into the most common reasons people fail their driving test, with a focus on steering control and how it can trip you up. Plus, we chat about why getting on well with your instructor can make a big difference to how quickly and confidently you learn.
If you're just starting your driving journey, this episode is packed with tips to help you feel more prepared and in control.
The Driving Test Podcast is here to give you all the information and tips you'll need to help you pass your driving test. Whether you're learning to drive, getting ready to start, or helping someone else, this show will get you in the right gear.
For more information, head over to Support Driving School
You can follow Support on Facebook
Check out the Support YouTube channel
Follow Garry on Facebook
Takeaways:
- The selection of a driving instructor should extend beyond mere convenience, focusing instead on personal compatibility.
- Instructors play a vital role in fostering a rapport that enhances the learning process and reduces anxiety during lessons.
- Students are encouraged to explore multiple driving instructors to find the one that best suits their learning style and personality.
- Maintaining proper control of the vehicle's steering is paramount, often influenced by the driver's attention and overall situational awareness.
- It's imperative to engage with friends and family to gather insights on potential driving instructors, ensuring a well-informed decision.
- The transition from learner to independent driver necessitates a focus on practical driving experiences beyond just passing the test.
Transcript
Foreign.
Speaker B:To the Driving Test podcast, as always, I am Terry Cook, your guide on your journey to passing your driving test and beyond, including all those wonderful adventures that you're going to go on once you have indeed passed that driving test.
Speaker B:Today we are joined by fellow driving instructor Gary Thomas.
Speaker B:And as well as reviewing Gary's local test center and Gary giving us some top tips, we're also going to be looking at one of the reasons people commonly fail a driving test.
Speaker B:And we're going to be taking a bit of a deep dive into how you can choose the best instructor for you.
Speaker B:But just before we get into this, I want to tell you guys about one little change.
Speaker B:So if you've been following the driving test podcast for a little while, you will know that it's always been run by me, but.
Speaker B:But it's been bummed by me of TC Drive.
Speaker B:Well, that has now changed.
Speaker B:TC Drive is no more.
Speaker B:I have teamed up with a couple of fellow driving instructors and we have launched a national driving school called Support Driving School.
Speaker B:So wherever you are in Britain, if you are looking for lessons, you can reach out to us and see if we can help you.
Speaker B:The best place to do that is probably the website, which is supportdrivingschool.com head over there, you can type in your postcode and we will tell you if we've got instructors for you.
Speaker B:You can also reach out to us and you'll find contact details at the website supportdrivingschool.com or you can find links for all of that stuff in the show notes.
Speaker B:I'm really excited about this and if you're looking for driving lessons or if you just have some advice, feel free to get in touch.
Speaker B:For now, let's help you pass a driving test, but we are now joined by fellow driving instruct, Gary Thomas.
Speaker B:Gary, do you want to start off just by telling us a little bit about you, your driving school and where it's based, that kind of stuff?
Speaker A:Hi, Terry.
Speaker A:Yeah, my name's Gary.
Speaker A:I'm based in Lee, which is in between Manchester and Wigan.
Speaker A:I cover, well, I cover the Lee area, I cover Everton and I cover parts of Wigan.
Speaker A:I'm a BSM franchisee.
Speaker A:And one thing about my driving school, I couldn't think of anything more boring than teaching people to pass a driving test.
Speaker A:So if you're looking for more than to pass a driving test, I might be the instructor for you.
Speaker B:Welcome to the Driving Test Podcast.
Speaker B:This is the podcast that we dive into more than just a driving test, but we also look at aspects around that and the topic we're looking at today, the main topic is how to choose your driving instructor.
Speaker B:I thought this was a good topic to come back with.
Speaker B:But one of the things I also ask guests here is to bring a myth, a myth around driving lessons or driving tests.
Speaker B:And quite nicely, you've tied your myth in with that how to tutor instructor.
Speaker B:So what is the myth you brought along with you today, Gary?
Speaker A:Okay, so the myth that I'm going to be speaking about is, well, it's going to, like you've just mentioned, it's going to tie into the first topic, which is once you've chosen an instructor or once you've found an instructor, you do not have to stick with that instructor.
Speaker A:A lot of people do think they get tied into contracts or, you know, you've met them, you've been on one lesson, therefore they're now your instructor for 40, 60 hours.
Speaker A:Doesn't have to be the case.
Speaker A:And we can dig a little bit deeper into that in a little while.
Speaker B:Excellent.
Speaker B:So I love that we've tied those both together.
Speaker B:So let's start off with that.
Speaker B:And I'm going to ask you a nice, broad question.
Speaker B:How should you choose your driving instructor?
Speaker A:Well, there's lots of ways.
Speaker A:I mean, we'll start with the obvious ones.
Speaker A:I think first and foremost, the ones that I usually come across, word of mouth.
Speaker A:So your friends are learning to drive, and you just ask them, who's your instructor?
Speaker A:They tell you the name, you make contact, and away you go.
Speaker A:Social media, Facebook, friends of friends, you know, maybe siblings have passed recently, and.
Speaker A:And you just want to use the same instructor that they have because it's easy, because you're familiar, because your parents are familiar, and it just ties in nicely.
Speaker A:What I would say is try and dig a little bit deeper than that.
Speaker A:And again, just going back to the intro, though, about, you know, learning to drive just to pass a driving test.
Speaker A:Find out why you want to learn to drive.
Speaker A:First and foremost.
Speaker A:Is it just to pass a driving test?
Speaker A:Because if it is, you're going to have absolutely no problems filing a driving instructor.
Speaker A:There is a huge array of instructors out there that will just get you through a driving test, and they'll do it fantastically well.
Speaker A:You might be the one, one of the students that passes with zero, zero driver faults because of that.
Speaker A:But if you want to learn more than that, if you want to dig into the routes you're going to take as a full license holder, places you're going to drive with friends, with family, to college, to Uni to work to the Trafford Centre.
Speaker A:If you're kind of close to me, near Manchester, you're going to need to do a little bit more digging and Facebook is a good place to do that.
Speaker A:You can search driving instructors and you can look at the photos they post.
Speaker A:If they post pictures of passes, then that's all good.
Speaker A:And, well, you know that they can get people through a driving test, but if they showcase in other things, more exciting things, things that resonate with you as a person and you as a human, then they might be the people worth contacting, the ones with the pitches outside of the Trafford center or the football ground or the college, or you or your friends in the back of the car and your playlist on.
Speaker A:Yeah, that might be the.
Speaker A:That might be the instructor for you.
Speaker B:I love that answer.
Speaker B:And especially around the idea of just finding the instructor that's right for you, I think that a lot of people at the minute, especially because, you know, a lot of instructors are busy and they've got waiting lists, whatever, but a lot of people just go for the first instructor that pops up rather than taking time to dig into it.
Speaker B:So I love those suggestions there.
Speaker B:And.
Speaker B:And, yeah, take a minute to look on social media, whether it's Facebook, Instagram, whatever, and just see what's there.
Speaker B:And as Gary said, if your only concern is passing a driving test, then go and find the instructor one that does that.
Speaker B:But if you actually want to become a good driver and get some real skill and actually work on yourself as well, then dig into that.
Speaker B:And you mentioned before as well, the idea of word of mouth and reading reviews and speaking to your friends and stuff like that.
Speaker B:And I think that's one of the best ways, and I'm keen to see if you agree with this, because I think that's one of the best ways, because you get to actually ask questions.
Speaker B:You know, you go to your friend and say, oh, does your instructor turn up on time?
Speaker B:Does he finish on time?
Speaker B:You know, do they mess you about?
Speaker B:And what else do they teach you rather than just passing a test?
Speaker B:So do you think that that's a good way to do it as well, to actually go out and find out more by that?
Speaker A:Yeah, definitely.
Speaker A:I mean, certainly people that you can trust and friends that you have, you know, similar things in common with similar interests, you know, by all means, ask.
Speaker A:And you have to be careful with that, of course, because that might be the only instructor that your friend has ever had and you don't know what you don't know.
Speaker A:So they might Feel they got an excellent service and perhaps they did pass first time and perhaps that instructor worked well for that person in that moment.
Speaker A:Doesn't necessarily mean it will work for you.
Speaker A:But yes, certainly asking questions, finding out a little bit about that instructor and the way they work, you know, how they teach, how they go about building rapport in car and then things, seemingly inconsequential things that I think are huge things actually.
Speaker A:You know, did he let you put your, your music on, you know, or are you listening to, you know, 80s classics and classic FM?
Speaker A:You know, did he allow you to connect your mobile phone or did he make you put it in the back of the car?
Speaker A:Now, common sense would perhaps suggest that putting it in the back of the car is the safest thing to do, which I tend to agree with.
Speaker A:But is it real?
Speaker A:Is it real life?
Speaker A:The first thing you, as a driver is going to do is most likely set your mobile phone or put it on the dash and follow Google Maps to the, you know, the football ground or college.
Speaker A:So can you do that?
Speaker A:Do they allow that?
Speaker A:Are they flexible enough to, you know, allow that kind of thing in car and give you that little bit of freedom that, you know, you don't want to have, that the first drive you do after you've passed, suddenly it's gone from a sanitized environment to, oh, I've got my mates in the back, I've got my Google Maps on the dashboard and suddenly my kind of eyes are all over the place because of all these new sights and sounds.
Speaker A:So, yeah, speak to friends.
Speaker A:But, yeah, dig a little bit deeper than that again, you know, there's always another layer to kind of explore.
Speaker A:I think.
Speaker B:Make all my students listen to Taylor Swift so they don't get a choice.
Speaker B:They're stuck with Taylor Swift.
Speaker B:But you kind of mentioned there about the.
Speaker B:Often the friend will have only had that one instructor.
Speaker B:And every now and again I'll get someone that gets in for their first lesson.
Speaker B:They'll say, terry, just so you're aware, I've got another lesson this week with another instructor and I'm going to go to the one that's.
Speaker B:That's best.
Speaker B:And look, I'll be honest, some instructors don't like that.
Speaker B:I love it.
Speaker B:It almost makes me want to do a better job because I feel like there's competition, there's.
Speaker B:Have you had that, Gary?
Speaker B:Is that something you would advise students to do, to maybe look at different instructors?
Speaker A:I'm not sure if I've had it, but then again, I wouldn't know, potentially, if I'd had it.
Speaker A:But I would encourage it.
Speaker A:Most, most definitely I would encourage it.
Speaker A:And I see that quite a lot.
Speaker A:You know, I'm part of.
Speaker A:Part of groups and groups of other instructors.
Speaker A:And, you know, that's a topic that comes up a lot because four or five of the instructors within that group will all mention they've got this first lesson with a student.
Speaker A:And lo and behold, so have I.
Speaker A:And so have I.
Speaker A:And so have I.
Speaker A:Suddenly, everyone.
Speaker A:Spartacus.
Speaker A:So it is.
Speaker A:It does happen.
Speaker A:And like I said, I encourage you because it shows that that learner is thinking about how they're going to spend that next 40 to 60 hours.
Speaker A:They're not just blindly following a lead off of Facebook or from a friend, like we mentioned earlier.
Speaker A:They go in about doing a little bit of digging and they maybe understand a little bit more of what they want or perhaps what they need, and they want to find that right person.
Speaker A:And I have given up students in the past that I didn't feel were going to be right for me.
Speaker A:And I would certainly expect that students have given me up in the past because I'm not quite right for them.
Speaker A:And by that I mean I have a.
Speaker A:It's called a coaching contract.
Speaker A:It's not like signing when you're locked in for life.
Speaker A:It's just a little explanation of how I work as an instructor, what they can expect from me, and perhaps a little bit of what I can expect from them.
Speaker A:And if that doesn't match up, if they don't want to have kind of roadside conversations, if they don't want to dig into some of the kind of psychology side of driving, perhaps I'm not going to be the right instructor.
Speaker A:And that's not a bad thing because we both potentially, for want of a better phrase, dodge your bullet there.
Speaker A:And they'll find an instructor that works for them and I won't waste their time and vice versa.
Speaker A:So, yeah, have a look around.
Speaker A:Try a few.
Speaker A:A lot of instructors will give you a lot of.
Speaker A:I say a lot.
Speaker A:Some instructors will give you a refund if you have that lesson, and it turns out that it's not quite a right fit, so you've got nothing to lose in that regard.
Speaker B:I think that ties quite nicely, which is the myth you brought on stage, which is that you have to stick with your instructor.
Speaker B:So I think you've just given the sort of a perfect example that you don't.
Speaker B:And I'm going to chip in on this.
Speaker B:And one of the first things, or one of the things I talk about on the first lesson is always that if at the end of this lesson, if you don't like being in the car with me and you want to go somewhere else, then just tell me.
Speaker B:You know, you don't have to be rude about it.
Speaker B:You can drop me a text if you want and just say you're not the right instructor for me and go and find someone else.
Speaker B:So I think I'm.
Speaker B:I'm right in saying this.
Speaker B:I'm sure you'd agree with that, Gary, that if, if you're not.
Speaker B:If that instructor doesn't feel right, go and find someone else.
Speaker A:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker A:Again, I think one of the most important things if you.
Speaker A:It's a human connections job, first and foremost on wheels, you know, and you have to have that connection.
Speaker A:It's really hard to learn and to.
Speaker A:To express yourself and be kind of you as a person in that car, if you're sitting alongside someone that you have absolutely zero rapport with, you may feel you're progressing early, but then you'll hit a plateau.
Speaker A:You will stop learning.
Speaker A:It will almost be like you're just going through the motions.
Speaker A:Feel you need that rapport, that trust and that ability to be able to express how you feel in certain circumstances.
Speaker A:And likewise, the instructor needs to be able to express how they're feeling in certain circumstances.
Speaker A:You know, they are the passenger in that moment.
Speaker A:You know, a coach, an instructor as well as a passenger.
Speaker A:And if they feel nervous or anxious about what's happening on the road, they need to feel comfortable opening up to you and vice versa.
Speaker A:So you do need to find that rapport.
Speaker A:If you don't have that rapport, then that's going to be a long old 60 hours that you're going to spend in that car together.
Speaker A:And you'll find for both instructors and students, there's a hell of a lot more cancellations occur in those relationships than.
Speaker A:Than with the instructor that you find that you really gel and bond with, because it becomes.
Speaker B:It is.
Speaker A:It's a team in that car.
Speaker A:You know, the instructor might be the expert on driving.
Speaker A:You're the expert on your own self and your own thoughts and feelings in between you.
Speaker A:You know, you can really.
Speaker A:You can really have a.
Speaker A:It's quite a.
Speaker A:A profound 40 to 60 hours together in that car that leads to the huge milestone at the end of the day.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker B:The other thing I'll just chip in there as well, is if you were to change instructors, don't be afraid to tell your new instructor what you did and didn't like about the previous one because you've then coming into this lesson or this lesson, this other instructor with background on lessons.
Speaker B:So don't be afraid to bring that in.
Speaker B:But I think that'll be my tip.
Speaker B:But is there anything else you want to touch on around this subject?
Speaker B:Gary?
Speaker A:I think you've just, you've just hit the nail on the head there.
Speaker A:You know, if I know I've got a student that's come from another instructor, be it they've moved areas or, you know, they've had this long wait time and the previous instructor no longer has room, the first thing I'll do, you know, what did you like?
Speaker A:What didn't you like?
Speaker A:How did they teach in certain moments?
Speaker A:How do you like to be, how do you, are you visual?
Speaker A:You know, do we get the books out?
Speaker A:Do we have the conversation?
Speaker A:You just want to give it a go and, and yeah, it's not digging dirt on the previous instructor.
Speaker A:I don't need to know who that previous instructor was.
Speaker A:But it would, it'd be helpful if, if you could give me a heads up on.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:What they did that worked and yeah, what didn't work?
Speaker B:Like it.
Speaker B:I like it.
Speaker B:That's good.
Speaker B:But I want to move on because one of the things that we're going to be doing on this podcast is talking a little bit about the driving test.
Speaker B:It's called the Driving Test Podcast.
Speaker B:So we're going to talk initially about the top 10 reasons people fail.
Speaker B:And today we're going to be talking about not having proper control of the steering.
Speaker B:So I think I'm going to just start this by being nice and open and broad with you and just say, give us your thoughts on this.
Speaker A:Yeah, I thought I'd choose probably one of the more difficult ones to dig into.
Speaker A:I think it seems obvious, but I don't think it quite is now.
Speaker A:You know, proper control of the steering, I think a lot of people initially go to, oh, I didn't have my hands at 10 to 2, I didn't have my hands at quarter to 3 or whatever this, this position has to be.
Speaker A:But I think it's, I think it's a symptom.
Speaker A:I think, I think poor control of steering is often a symptom of potentially not looking far enough into the road, but looking further down the road.
Speaker A:We can, we can look at some examples of what would be marked as, you know, no lack of control of the steering.
Speaker A:Things like steering late when moving past parked vehicles, one neck in turning late, turning right, hitting the curb when turning left, I think a lot of that comes down to just not looking where you're going, not looking far enough into the distance so you can plan for these eventualities.
Speaker A:Hands follow eyes as well, is one that I use quite a lot as someone that rides motorbikes.
Speaker A:And I think looking at certain things, we look at the parked cars and then suddenly found we're heading towards them.
Speaker A:We look down at the curb because we don't want to hit the curb.
Speaker A:So I'm going to look at that curb and make sure I don't hit it.
Speaker A:And therefore we stare a little bit too close and we end up nibbling that curb.
Speaker A:So, yeah, I don't think it necessarily is kind of hands on the wheel more where you're looking, when you're looking, why you're looking and what you're doing about what you're seeing.
Speaker B:I feel like I'm going to say this a lot over the next 10 episodes, but I think I want to dig in a little bit as well as to why that occurs.
Speaker B:Because with this fault, which is not having proper control of the steering, it's on your driving test sheet, it'll be marked as control steering.
Speaker B:But I think we need to look at why that occurs because I'm sure you're the same as me with this, Gary, that will have students, they'll do the lessons, and for 10, 20 lessons prior to their test, they don't make any mistakes around the steering.
Speaker B:And then they'll go for a test and they'll make a mistake.
Speaker B:And that mistake could lead to a driver fault, commonly known as minors, or it could lead to a serious or dangerous fault which result in a fail.
Speaker B:But I think we need to look at why that's occurring if it's not normally occurring.
Speaker B:So an example, although, and I'd welcome your thoughts back on this, is it's overthinking sometimes.
Speaker B:So you come in towards a junction and rather than just paying attention to the junction, you may be thinking about the examiner because, I don't know, maybe you made a little mistake earlier, or maybe you've just seen the examiner look at you, or maybe you've seen them press a button on the iPad.
Speaker B:So rather than paying attention to where you're going, your attention is now on the examiner and therefore you lose a bit of control of the steering, whether that's a small fault or a serious fault or whatever.
Speaker B:So what are your thoughts on that, Gary?
Speaker B:On, like, the idea of the actual fault not being the actual fault in that sense?
Speaker A:Yeah, I tend to agree.
Speaker A:I mean, I sit in the back of enough driving tests to see how the presence of that examiner in the front seat has an impact on the learner in that moment.
Speaker A:So that certainly could be one thing.
Speaker A:Yeah, paying attention, you know, they catch in the corner of the eye the examiner marking something on the form and yeah, they're looking down at that rather than looking where they need to be going.
Speaker A:I also think perhaps, and this is more anecdotal than any evidence based anything that I've found, but I think as instructors certainly myself, I personally at least have, I mean, lack of interest wouldn't be the word, I guess, but maybe is what describes it most accurately of how a student holds that theorem wheel.
Speaker A:Well, they'll have it in, you know, certainly promote kind of 10 to 2 because that's how I drive and that's how I, you know, do advanced driving courses in, in that kind of 10, two or three, because I do feel it gives most control but, you know, doesn't have to be that way as long as you've got proper control.
Speaker A:So I see all kinds of steering techniques happen when it comes to the driving test.
Speaker A:The nerves, perhaps the anxiety or even expectation.
Speaker A:Students revert to this unfamiliar 10 to 2 because maybe they've, you know, had those last words of advice from a family member that said, oh, remember 10 to 2 and suddenly they second guess him.
Speaker A:You know, an examiner will say prior to that test, just nothing different to what you've been doing on your lessons.
Speaker A:But when it comes to staring as I'm sat in the back, I suddenly see those hands go further up the wheel, further up the wheel.
Speaker A:And it's not natural for that in particular learner then to, to make those turns at roundabouts and sharp left turns and right turns because our hands are in such an unfamiliar position and perhaps that could have something to do with it.
Speaker A:Again, it's anecdotal, it's just me.
Speaker A:It's just what I've noticed.
Speaker B:And yeah, perhaps it's not just you.
Speaker B:It's not just you.
Speaker B:I think I see that as well and I love that example.
Speaker B:And it's not just a steering one as well.
Speaker B:Actually.
Speaker B:I think it comes with a lot of aspects of tests where people change how they drive because they're going on a driving test.
Speaker B:Rather than looking at how they've driven with their instructor for the past 40, 50, 60 hours and trusting their judgment and trusting the instructor's judgment, they then change that, which again makes it harder for that driving test.
Speaker B:But I also want to touch on that specifically idea of 10 to 2.
Speaker B:And one of my pet eights at the minute is videos on TikTok.
Speaker B:So there'll be a lot of students listening to this that'll watch on TikTok and maybe they'll shout me for this.
Speaker B:But with instructors saying, you do not have to hold the wheel with two hands.
Speaker B:Now, just to clarify, they're right, they're correct.
Speaker B:You kind of touched on this a little bit earlier.
Speaker B:You do not have to hold the wheel at 10 to 2.
Speaker B:You do not have to hold it with two hands.
Speaker B:You can hold it with one.
Speaker B:You can in theory pass your driving test by steering with one finger if you wanted, as long as you had control of the car.
Speaker B:But I think the thing that's missing a lot of time from those videos is what's safer?
Speaker B:How are you choosing how to hold the wheel?
Speaker B:So, you know, you think about it, generally what is going to be safer?
Speaker B:Generally it's going to be having two hands on the wheel.
Speaker B:So do you think that's something that's missing, that thought process about how to hold the wheel?
Speaker A:Yeah, most definitely.
Speaker A:And I generally touch on that in the first lesson because I will find that students, they have one hand on the wheel.
Speaker A:I mean, people look cool with one hand on the wheel.
Speaker A:That's how it's depicted in the movies.
Speaker A:Brad Pitt will only have one hand on the wheel.
Speaker A:And like you said, that is fine.
Speaker A:You can get away with that on the test, but it's getting away with it.
Speaker A:Do you want to run the risk?
Speaker A:Because one hand on the wheel might be fine on a super smooth tarmac, nice long straight road.
Speaker A:But the minute that pothole comes, the minute that dog, cat, rabbit, deer runs out from the field at the side of the road, the minute that child steps out, all that ball comes bouncing into the road.
Speaker A:You're going to wish you had two hands on the wheel.
Speaker A:And that's all it takes in a driving test.
Speaker A:Horse test on lessons is the best case scenario.
Speaker A:You're going to get round one handed, nothing is going to happen and you'll be fine.
Speaker A:But the minute that you know that emergency happens, and I'll often do that, we do emergency stops.
Speaker A:I'll encourage students to do as many emergency stops out in lessons and I will also encourage as many hand positions.
Speaker A:So let's do five emergency stops, all with your hands in a different position and let's see what offers most control.
Speaker A:And nine times out of 10, as they hit that brakes, those hands come both onto the wheel and they hook.
Speaker A:Well, why take the risk in the first place if that's where your body and mind instinctively put those hands in an emergency?
Speaker A:Well, listen to that.
Speaker A:There's something in that that's telling you that's where you're going to get most control.
Speaker B:I just associate all with choice.
Speaker B:So you gave a good example then of on that long straight road and you gave some examples of why two hands would be beneficial.
Speaker B:But I tend to think as if you go, oh, I'm a little bit tired, I'm gonna, you know, leave my left hand off just for this 30 second stretch, just to almost compose myself a little bit.
Speaker B:And then as I come towards these parked cars, both hands back on.
Speaker B:Now I'm re engaging and I'm not.
Speaker B:Just to clarify, I'm not condoning not engaging when you're driving, but if you are making those conscious choices, I think that's massively different to just driving around like Snoop Dogg with one hand on wheel.
Speaker B:So, yeah, I think I'd agree with everything you've said there.
Speaker B:But just on this topic, this fault, if you like, of not having proper control of the steering, which again on your test we marked as control steering.
Speaker B:Any words of advice or anything else you might want to touch on around this or do you think we've covered what we need to cover?
Speaker A:Not so much words of advice because I'm sure learners will get enough of that from their own instructors and I'm not someone that's going to tread on anybody's toes.
Speaker A:Have a practice, you know, 10 to 2, pole push doesn't work for everyone and it certainly doesn't feel comfortable that first couple of times you, you try and drive like that.
Speaker A:Give it a go, see how it does.
Speaker A:I mean, I've.
Speaker A:I've been driving for 23 years and I've been through every single possible steering technique short of driving with two knees whilst eating a Pot Noodle.
Speaker A:I've covered everything else and I've reverted back to this way of steering for a reason.
Speaker A:Yeah, just experiment, have a go, do a bunch of emergency stops, one handed, two handed, hands at the bottom, hands at the top and see what gives you most control in the moment.
Speaker B:Like it.
Speaker B:And yeah, don't eat a partner with the one you're driving, especially not one that's hot, because that's not going to end well.
Speaker B:But I want to move on again and I want to talk about a test centre.
Speaker B:I'm presuming this is a test local to you.
Speaker B:So Atherton Test Centre, is that your local Test centre do you want to.
Speaker A:Tell us a bit about is indeed, yeah.
Speaker A:Atherton Test Centre got relatively new test.
Speaker A:Well, it's around 12 to 13 years old, so it still feels relatively new.
Speaker A:The area around it still feels relatively new.
Speaker A:Cars, motorcycles, lorries, buses, you name it, it all comes out of that one test centre.
Speaker A:So as you're leaving on that day of your test, yeah, you're going to be surrounded by every kind of vehicle you can imagine.
Speaker A:So that adds a little bit of pressure out the car park straight away because you have learner motorcyclists coming From One Direction, HGVs and buses coming from the other.
Speaker A:I like it.
Speaker A:I really do like it.
Speaker A:I mean, I've used a few and I would say it's my favorite actually.
Speaker A:The only downside is the current lead time.
Speaker A:So as of Monday, as the last test dates were released on Monday at 6am, they were booking for mid December.
Speaker A:So it's quite the wait time, but I think that's kind of usual.
Speaker A:Think of all the amazing things you can do in that wait time.
Speaker A:You know, how many places you can drive, how many new experiences you can have.
Speaker A:It's on a pass rate of about 48%.
Speaker A:Take that information as you will.
Speaker A:Doesn't necessarily mean a huge amount to me because my learners are ready when they go.
Speaker A:So it doesn't matter what the national app, what the average is because every student is ready on the day of the test.
Speaker A:Lovely bunch of examiners.
Speaker A:Not a word, not a negative word to say about any of them.
Speaker A:Put you at ease.
Speaker A:Straight out the door.
Speaker A:Little car park or a couple of small car parks actually.
Speaker A:Quite tight, quite tricky in places, depending on how many vehicles are on that car park in the moment.
Speaker A:And quite, Yeah, a couple of roundabouts, you know, you've got five roundabouts within a couple of hundred yards of that test centre.
Speaker A:So yeah, be ready, be ready for roundabouts for sure.
Speaker B:The pass rate at my most local Test centre is 36%.
Speaker B:So there you go.
Speaker B:What's the area like?
Speaker B:Because I don't know that area at all.
Speaker B:Is it more rural, is it industrial, good mix of everything or.
Speaker A:Yeah, a little mix, actually, I would say quite.
Speaker A:I mean there's, you know, a huge, you know, a large number of possible test routes here.
Speaker A:So 15, 16, 17 routes out of Avaton.
Speaker A:So you do cover quite a large area.
Speaker A:Now the only downside for me, maybe not for everyone, but for me is that there isn't any high speed roads.
Speaker A:I think the fastest road you travel is short spell at 50 we are you know a mile or two from the East Lanks Road.
Speaker A:The road that connects Manchester to Liverpool doesn't get used anymore unfortunately.
Speaker A:There's a little bit of country, country road, a lot of schools and smaller 20 mile an hour roads but yeah, good mix.
Speaker A:You've got a bit of everything.
Speaker A:You know if you cover that area, Everton or surrounding areas, you've got a huge array of, of places to go and yeah, no excuses not to be experiencing absolutely everything.
Speaker A:You know you're close to the motorway network.
Speaker A:We've got the Lake District which is reachable in a two hour lesson.
Speaker A:If you want that, you know, long motorway you got Trafford center, not too far away for motorways, you know, difficult parking maneuvers, you got a whole heap of football grounds if that's your thing and you're going to be driving to Anfield, Goodison Park, Etihad, Old Trafford, cricket, you know, sports grounds and colleges, universe.
Speaker A:You've got everything local if to Atherton.
Speaker A:So if you live in that area, if you're covering that area, if that's where your test is going to be, absolutely no reason why you shouldn't have been through a whole syllabus of different experiences leading up to that test.
Speaker B:Yeah, I love that there's only like you say you don't go above 50 on your test but there's absolutely no reason why you shouldn't be going and practicing those 60, 70 roads especially on longer journeys.
Speaker B:But I think the last question I want to ask about this test unless you have anything else you want to add onto that is because I'm always intrigued by this.
Speaker B:Does it have its own car park or are you starting off from the side of the road?
Speaker A:No, it's got its own car park.
Speaker A:It's got a couple actually.
Speaker A:So no shortage of parking spaces.
Speaker A:It does get busy you know, one car park specifically for examiners I guess but you can use that if there's no spaces on the other side.
Speaker A:But yeah, you're coming out of the car park.
Speaker A:It can be quite, you know the one thing you do see at Aberton Test Centre certainly is right before a driving test is four or five instructors at the front, me included, you know, talking the learners through every little give way line.
Speaker A:So you've got to come here.
Speaker A:Give way line.
Speaker A:Watch the fence post.
Speaker A:Give way line.
Speaker A:Now this is a two way road.
Speaker A:Even though there is no center line if the examiner turns right, please don't get on the right hand side of the road.
Speaker A:So it's a little tricky coming out of the you know they've repent.
Speaker A:Sorry, repainted the fence posts in the past couple of months.
Speaker A:A bright, very bright yellow for a reason.
Speaker A:You know, I have heard tales of doors and bumpers being caught on the way out and on the way in.
Speaker A:So you do have to be mindful of the gates, but there's no reason you shouldn't see them.
Speaker A:They are bright yellow now.
Speaker B:Yeah, well, maybe I'll make a point of driving over to you and you can take me on a.
Speaker B:On a test or on the Atherton test somewhere and see if I can.
Speaker B:Yeah, we'll record that one just in case it doesn't go so well.
Speaker B:But let's finish up then with a top tip.
Speaker B:So for all the lovely learners that are listening today, what top tip are you going to leave them with?
Speaker A:Okay, tips.
Speaker A:And there is no shortage of tips.
Speaker A:Like you've mentioned.
Speaker A:TikTok.
Speaker A:We've talked about Facebook, social media, friends, family.
Speaker A:Everyone's got an opinion, everyone's got a top tip but mine.
Speaker A:I'm going to try and tie it into.
Speaker A:Well, the first and the second things we spoke about, about how you choose an instructor and the fact that you don't have to keep that instructor.
Speaker A:So it would be, let your instructor, well, not at least think about and potentially encourage your driving instructor to join you out on the test, to sit in the back.
Speaker A:Now, I can hear instructors cursing me all around the country because who doesn't enjoy sitting in a nice test centre with a cup of coffee and Facebook and having a break from all that stressful driving?
Speaker A:But if you've chosen your instructor mindfully and thoughtfully and you've seen all the amazing things that that instructor is going to allow you to do in his or her precious vehicle, you've then stuck with that instructor, even though you know you're not locked in for life.
Speaker A:So you've stayed with them by choice.
Speaker A:You built the rapport, you've had an amazing time, you've had all these new experiences and you've really built this strong bond in those 45 to 60 hours.
Speaker A:Then being sat in the back shouldn't be a hindrance, it should be a relief, a support mechanism, someone who's got your back even though you can't.
Speaker A:They can't speak.
Speaker A:You know, you can cough in a certain pattern that says move left or move right.
Speaker A:They can't click a pen with some sort of Morse code technique, but they can offer support.
Speaker A:It can be a reassuring glance in that center mirror, a nod from the instructor in the back that just you Know, helps you pull yourself together just before you kind of emerge at that tricky roundabout.
Speaker A:And more than that, they can sit in and they can.
Speaker A:Well, for one, it's going to make them a better instructor.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:And they're already this amazing instructor, like we've discussed already, and it's going to make them an even better instructor for the next student they take on.
Speaker A:It's going to be a second pair of eyes watching you and seeing what you did.
Speaker A:Well, maybe where you could improve.
Speaker A:Even if you are successful, there will be things you can improve.
Speaker A:Nobody's perfect and.
Speaker A:Yeah, encourage them.
Speaker A:Get them in the back and you've started that journey together.
Speaker A:Why not finish it together on a high?
Speaker B:The first time I ever sat in the back of a test, the examiner turned around and he said, you know what your role is?
Speaker B:And I was a bit, like, dumbfounded, and I just stayed quiet and he went, sit still.
Speaker B:Shut up.
Speaker B:Okay, I get that.
Speaker B:But I've had.
Speaker B:I get some really interesting responses to this.
Speaker B:About whether students want me sat in the back air lessons.
Speaker B:It's probably about 70, 30 in favor of wanting me to sit in.
Speaker B:And I have people that are like, they want me there because they want me to see them pass.
Speaker B:You know, there's that side of it.
Speaker B:They want me there because they want me to be able to give feedback at the end, you know, that kind of stuff.
Speaker B:But then every now and again, there'll be someone that's like, I don't need the extra eyes.
Speaker B:Nothing against you, Terry, but I don't need the extra eyes.
Speaker B:And I have people now and again that's like, I do not want to see anything else in my mirror except what's behind me, you know, So I.
Speaker B:I fully agree.
Speaker B:I think that's a great tip.
Speaker B:I think, where possible, if you're comfortable with it, and I think that's a big thing, if you're comfortable with it.
Speaker B:Get your instructor in the back.
Speaker A:Yeah, you have to be comfortable.
Speaker A:You know, it's your day at the end, at the end of the day, so you have to be comfortable.
Speaker A:I will say I'm 6 foot, 3 2, and I'm not the smallest person in the world, and I've not got a huge car, but I can hide in the back of a Vauxhall Corsa out of the way of that center mirror.
Speaker A:So if you want to be there, you can find the way to get yourself out of the view of that.
Speaker A:That, you know, the center mirror.
Speaker A:Every time.
Speaker A:Every time the learner looks behind.
Speaker A:I also think it's how you sell it.
Speaker A:You know, if you sell it with an.
Speaker A:Well, you're possibly going to encourage that lender to say, no, well, I'm going to be sat in the back.
Speaker A:All that extra weight, all that, you know, you're going to stall it more often and you're going to do this.
Speaker A:It's just like a full tank of fuel.
Speaker A:Yeah.
Speaker A:It's not a big deal for a car at the end of the day.
Speaker A:Whereas if you sell it as though it's a positive.
Speaker A:Yeah, you'll.
Speaker A:You'll probably get invited more often.
Speaker B:Agree wholeheartedly if you are comfortable with it.
Speaker B:Definitely, definitely, definitely ask your instructor to sit in the back.
Speaker B:Unless they've got some kind of health issue, they shouldn't have a problem sitting in the back of the car.
Speaker B:But it has been a genuine joy talking to you today, Gary.
Speaker B:So do you want to take a moment just to tell everyone where they can find you if they want driving lessons or tips or anything like that?
Speaker A:Just in Leigh, Everton and Wigan, if you're based in Leigh, Everton and Wigan.
Speaker A:Again, I'm a BSM franchisee.
Speaker A:You can log into bsm, you'll find me on there.
Speaker A:If I've got availability.
Speaker A:You can also find me on Facebook.
Speaker A:Gary.
Speaker A:Double R in Gary.
Speaker A:The proper way, of course.
Speaker A:L.
Speaker A:Thomas, Driver Training and Development.
Speaker A:Yeah, other than that, I don't really have a huge kind of public profile in terms of website or anything like that, but you'll find me online if you want to.
Speaker A:And like I said, if you're in Lee, Wigan or Abbotton, you'll find me on the BSN website.
Speaker B:Well, I follow Gary and he does offer some really interesting content on his social media, so I'll include links for it in the show notes.
Speaker B:So make sure you go and follow Gary.
Speaker B:But all that's left me to say is thank you for joining us today.
Speaker A:It's been a pleasure for me too.
Speaker A:Thank you, Terry.
Speaker B:I hope you enjoyed our chat with Gary there.
Speaker B:And a big thank you to Gary for joining us and sharing some of his wisdom.
Speaker B:And just a reminder that if you're looking for driving lessons, check out our new driving school support driving school.com and make sure you follow us on social media.
Speaker B:You can find links for that all in the show notes.
Speaker B:But for now, remember, stay safe and drive safer.
