Driving Lesson in Spalding - Overtaking by Tom of www.BigTom.org.uk/home/

On David’s driving lesson in Spalding today he was travelling along this road, the A16 from Spalding to Peterborough.

As you can see, this is at times, a very straight road and the temptation for some is just too great, so you tend to see some pretty hairy overtaking going on.

Today, despite David keeping between 55-60 mph (it is National Speed Limit, 60mph max on a single carriageway), there were cars and even lorries tailgating and also doing some horrendous overtakes.

It is on roads like this, that whilst there is an obligation to not become an additional hazard by driving too slowly, it pays to stay very alert to what is happening way in front and way behind.

Remember to use all the mirrors in order to get an accurate picture of the speed and distance of vehicles approaching from behind.  The centre mirror is flat, good for distance, the side mirrors are more suited to provide positional information as they are slightly convex.

3 hazards to be aware of include:

Vehicles overtaking from behind with other vehicles in the oncoming lane being too close.  The overtaking driver has either misjudged the distance, or the speed at which the oncoming traffic is approaching.  Stay alert, come off gas if it will assist a vehicle getting back into the correct lane (try to avoid severe braking and/or steering).

Vehicles behind tail gating.  Keep 2 seconds distance from the vehicle in front and behind (4 seconds in wet).  “Only a fool breaks the 2 second rule” takes 2 seconds to say.... use it to judge the separation gap.

Junctions.  Vehicles in minor roads, paused, waiting to emerge may mis-judge the correct time to go.  Spot these vehicles well in advance, consider what you could safely do (position/speed) if they did emerge in front of you.  Think “escape routes”.

David had a good insight on his driving lesson in Spalding today about how beneficial it is to stay alert, expect the unexpected and anticipate hazards before they actually occur.  Sudden and severe steering when travelling at higher speeds can easily result in a loss of control of the vehicle, this is not an experience anyone would want to experience, and the consequences can be fatal.

BIG TOM Driving School   Intensive Driving Course in Spalding 0800 689 4174

Cost of driving is just too expensive! by Tom of www.BigTom.org.uk

As a nation we are in difficult times when it comes to the cost of driving.

The Government has just released plans to try to relieve some financial pressure off "hard working families" with the cost of driving.

I would encourage them not to ignore our young people.  

The number of driving tests being undertaken by our young people has been in steady decline over several years, they simply cannot afford to either learn to drive, or even drive once qualified.  Of the 3 young men who just passed their driving test with my driving school in the last 2 days, not one is going on to drive..... not one!  Now that truly is a recipe for disaster.

Car insurance and fuel costs do play a part in this problem as has been identified in the above Government press release, but I would personally place the importance on helping our young people; they are the new blood who are going to be so needed for this country's economy, and we ignore skilling them up at our collective peril.

UPDATE: At a recent presentation on road safety to 150 Yr 12 pupils (9/9/14) in a pretty affluent area, only 50% of them stated that they intend to learn to drive - my blog has more info on this concerning trend.


BIG TOM Driving School  Intensive Driving Course in Peterborough, Spalding, Stamford, Sleaford, Boston and Grantham  0800 689 4174

Buses on driving lessons in Peterborough www.BigTom.org.uk/home/

I would be amazed if you managed to avoid meeting any buses when on your driving test or driving lessons in Peterborough.  They can affect us in many different ways.  This short blog will explain how they can affect us and what to do so that you don’t fail your driving test due to a Peterborough bus.

Some bus stops are in there own bay to the left, off the main road, and they tend to affect us positionally very little.  Other bus stops are simply on the main road, as such you would need to make a positional change to the right to pass it.  When stopped in the main road, at a bus stop, to pick up or drop off passengers, the left signal will be on the whole time that the bus driver is pulled over.  The moment that the driver intends to move off, the right signal will come on, and then, the driver will expect to be given the opportunity to move off – there may be 80 passengers on board that bus.

So two things to think about there.  One is, if the bus is stationary at the bus stop, is a right signal needed in order to pass it, and secondly, at what point can you continue to pass the bus, if you see the right signal come on the bus?  Neither of those questions have a definitive answer unfortunately, it is one of those many examples in driving when we all have to “think on our feet”, and assess what is the best course of action at the time.  This judgement comes with practise.  Some of the factors to consider are whether there is anyone around you who would benefit from seeing a right signal from you to pass the bus (inc the bus driver), how wide the road is, is there any oncoming traffic, the speed you are travelling at the time, the distance of your vehicle from the bus, the driving conditions eg darkness/rain/fog.

Another way buses can affect us is when they are moving in and around junctions and sharp bends.  The physical size of the bus makes in inevitable for there to be some crossing over into our path at times.  This is no fault of the drivers necessarily, it is simply unavoidable due to the length of the bus.  As such, it is not only showing consideration when you can accommodate this fact, but at times, it is really necessary.  Queensgate roundabout near the bus station is a good example where there are some tight bends for buses, and I can think of plenty of “T-junctions” where a bus will encroach into our path when turning and emerging.  Being able to pre-empt such a situation and slow or make a slight positional adjustment can often make the world of difference to the outcome.

This blog has highlighted two ways in which buses can affect us when driving on driving lessons in Peterborough.  Please remember that bus drivers have much to consider, they have a timetable to keep to as best they can, they can have a considerable number of passengers on board, all with their own tight deadlines, and the bus driver is spending their entire working day in what can be quite hazardous driving conditions... so spare a thought for them when on your travels.  For those interested in these things, the thrust of this blog would come under the heading of “defensive driving” – it is a sign of a thinking driver, with #gooddrivinghabits.  There are many other ways that we can all demonstrate defensive driving when driving on the roads, ask your Driving Instructor for others (they will be mightily impressed with your question!)

Andy who passed his driving test this morning after doing his Intensive Driving Course at Peterborough had this very situation described above happening on his driving test in Dogsthorpe.  Andy was approaching a "T-junction" to turn right, and spotted a bus in the major road to his left, with the right signal on, Andy held back from the give way lines, about 2 car lengths, and the bus was able to turn right.  Might seem a small point this, but actually, this is a big deal, and very, very nice to see - as it shows an ability to identify stuff in advance, and plan for it (being considerate in the process).
I obviously had no idea when I posted up this blog last night, that this would happen this morning, but it is a good example of how it is possible to keep yourself informed of driving related stuff above and beyond the in-car training.

Congrats go to Andy for a very comfortable first time pass after just 8 days of starting to learn to drive with Big Tom Driving School.

BIG TOM Driving School  Intensive Driving Course in Peterborough 01733 306016

Effective observations when driving by Tom of Big Tom Driving School

The importance of effective observations when driving cannot be overstated.  Glancing in the right place, at the right time, is NOT the same thing as making an effective observation.

Reminds me of a mate at school who decided to jump into a lake one evening on a school camping trip many moons ago.  His youthful enthusiasm to ignore the time honoured saying of "Look before you leap" meant that he actually dived head first into water of about 5" depth - I still wince to this day thinking about what happened, and that is 30 odd years later.

Whether you are pushing a trolley around in a supermarket, standing in a queue, talking to a friend in a restaurant, or dancing in a club, the fact is that you, me, all of us do like our own personal space.  We don't like our conversations overheard, we don't like our personal space invaded, we don't even appreciate an unwanted look for too long in our direction if we are being entirely honest.  And this concept does not change when we drive round in cars.

Paying attention to your position in the road, and being willing to consider how your driving affects other drivers' "personal space" is a sign of someone who understands this most basic form of etiquette.

Making the time for an effective observation BEFORE a positional change on the roads is about as fundamental a rule as you can get and the consequences of ignoring it are far reaching.

Starting to turn left into a minor road before seeing traffic already in the minor road on your side of the road due to a parked vehicle, emerging on to a dual carraigeway when there are vehicles already on it, exiting a roundabout when there is a motorbike over your left shoulder, reversing out of a parking bay when there is a toddler nearby.... these are all examples that will startle people, will cause heavy, sharp braking, will make others around you swerve violently to avoid you - at best this is the stuff of road rage, flashed headlights, hand gestures, and raised stress levels, at worse it is the stuff of serious road collisions.

Consider this.  On a bike, would you ride across a crossroads junction without effectively looking? On foot, would you cross a road without effectively looking?  Of course you wouldn't.  Well just transfer that same instinct for your personal safety to consider others when you are driving.  It is no different.  It is one of the responsibilities of owning a full licence.  There is more to road safety than just considering you in your own half ton of metal shell.

As my pal discovered to his cost all those years ago, "look before you leap", in the driving world "check before you move".  

Any questions/comments please feel free to add below.

BIG TOM Driving School  Intensive Driving Course in Peterborough, Grantham, Lincoln, Sleaford, Stamford, Spalding and Boston   0800 689 4174 (free on mobiles too!)

Queensgate Roundabout in Peterborough by Tom of Big Tom Driving School

This blog is aimed at raising the delicate balance needed when driving of keeping up with traffic around you and driving to the conditions.

A few days ago, I re-tweeted a pic from the Lincolnshire Police Roads Policing Unit (@LincsRPU) that had the text “Again, not driving to the conditions” accompanying it.  You could almost sense the exasperation, desperation and sheer frustration of someone who is spending all day attending collisions where drivers do not follow this most fundamental rule in driving. 

Why does this happen so often?  Partly it is due to something that I experienced only yesterday on one of my Intensive Driving Courses in Peterborough.  My pupil approached the Queensgate roundabout in Peterborough and realised a silver MX5 behind was very close, and kind of got into a bit of a battle of speed on the roundabout as a result.

We found ourselves on the roundabout, doing swift lane changes in 2^nd gear, accelerating towards the sharp bend with no vision (near the Evening Telegraph building), and why?  So that the MX5 could not undertake us.  The result was the planning on the roundabout went astray, we ended up exiting at speed into the right hand lane and when the car took a much needed gasp of breath for the 2 – 3 gear change, the MX5 undertook us anyway.  As an observer of all this carry on, you have to take a step back, and ask.... “What on earth was that all about?”

What it is often about is not so much about “keeping up with traffic” as “not losing face”.  I’ve noticed that when a newly trained driver starts driving with emotion rather than skill, it only leads to problems.  The loss of pride associated with being undertaken or overtaken or giving way at a meeting situation, or pausing at a mini-roundabout are symptoms of someone who is now driving on emotion. 

There is a need to keep up with the pace of traffic, by that I mean, not become the hazard ourselves by driving so slowly that everyone is getting angry with us.... so doing 40 in a 60 for no apparent reason would be a good example.  But, far more important a skill to develop and apply every day of the year, is to shelve any macho tendencies, ditch the emotion, and drive to the conditions

If you go into your driving life with the mindset that you don’t want to get “had over” by any other driver, you are going to find every minute of your driving experience a constant battle.  There is ALWAYS someone around who wants to driver faster than you.... a sad but true fact. I appreciate that some people will read this paragraph in particular and really disagree with the sentiment and I would encourage you to drop me your comment below, as I know there are often 2 sides to any point of view.

My customers on my Intensive Driving Courses will be very used to the concept of “You must be able to stop in a distance seen to be clear” – how relevant that message is to this blog.

If you read this and want to air your view, vent your frustration, please fire away......

http://www.bigtom.org.uk/home/

Driving Lesson Peterborough side mirror view by Tom of www.BigTom.org.uk

On a recent driving lesson in Peterborough, my pupil asked a great question about the view she saw in the drivers side mirror.

She was coming on to a dual carraigeway via an entry slip road, and noticed there was a motorbike on the dual carraigeway, not too dissimilar to the view in the photo above.  

She asked "How do I know which lane the motorbike is in?"  What a superb question, I don't think anyone has ever asked me that question before. 

The answer is that as a general rule, the further right the object is in your mirror, the further AWAY it is from your vehicle - but it is dependent on the actual distance FROM your vehicle, so it takes some practise accurately appreciating this point. The importance of having the mirrors set up correctly cannot be over-stated.  An incorrectly set mirror too far over to the right for example could easily eliminate visibility of an entire lane on the dual carraigeway.  You should be able to see a thin strip of your car's bodywork on the left side edge of the mirror to ensure it is not set too far over to the right.

The question is good because it raises other related questions, such as, what can you see in the side mirror if you are entering the dual carraigeway from an elevated slip road?  What happens at night time in the dark, can you still spot the seperate lanes of the dual carraigeway?  How do you know if a vehicle that is moving between lanes on the dual carraigeway is moving in your general direction or not?  How can you tell if a vehicle seen in the mirror is getting closer, gaining speed on you, or not?

Looking at a mirror, in fact any of the 3 mirrors, is one thing, actually looking at the object seen in a mirror and being able to decipher what that image seen actually means is another.  As a general rule, contrary to what you might think, staring at mirrors is not a good way of gathering information.  Instead, taking repeated, short, glances of a side mirror backed up with a well timed side glance of the head (due to the possibility of "blindspots" in side mirrors), is a #gooddrivinghabit.

It's good because it allows you to keep track of what is going on immediately in front of you, and also because the possibly changing image seen by those seperate glances is easier for the brain to decode speed, distance, position, than if you just stared at the mirror.

This is yet further proof, that asking questions is such a good idea when on your driving lessons in Peterborough (see here for another real example of how a question recently asked on a driving lesson helped someone on their actual driving test!).

Good luck to you all.... and happy driving.

www.BigTom.org.uk/home/

Driving Test Nerves by Tom of www.BigTom.org.uk/home/

It is virtually impossible to eliminate driving test nerves, but you can make good attempts to manage them effectively, this blog will tell you how.

If you imagine that to pass a driving test, a driver needs to perform no lower than a specific, made up level, let's say 75%    By way of a reference, 100% would be a perfectly fault free drive.  This is NOT how you are assessed but bear with me, all will be revealed shortly.

Now when you are taking driving lessons with your Driving Instructor, the two of you will be communicating with each other all the time about your driving ability, and as long as there is an agreement that your driving ability is indeed over this 75% mark, then happy days, it does indeed make sense to put in for the driving test.

However, what needs to be remembered is that on Test Day itself, with the nerves that will be present, your driving ability is very likely to be slightly lower than normal.  There are many reasons for this, it can be to do with your ability to make judgements of the speed of traffic around you, distance of other vehicles, it can be related to your perception of the position of your vehicle in the road.... lots of possible things, but ultimately, accurate judgement can be affected due to nerves.

As such, it pays to ensure that your actual driving ability, achieved BEFORE Test Day, is consistently, significantly higher than 75%.   So let's say for the sake of argument, 85% - the actual figures here are completely irrelevant, it is the concept that is important.  By ensuring your driving ability is regularly running at 85%, even with the reduced ability on the day of the test, you will still be driving at over 75%, which will result in a pass.

Another way of looking at it is that any slight cracks, minor hiccups in driving ability that occur on normal driving lessons, will very likely be exposed and be significantly more pronounced on test day, simply down to the decreased ability brought on by Test Day nerves.  So for example, a recurring issue related to inadequate observations on junctions, or the position of your vehicle in the road when turning right, or moving off on a hill, or exiting a roundabout, or driving over the speed limit, will tend to get exposed in the time of the test.

In summary, do not ignore what might appear to you to be relatively minor driving faults.  It can be very tempting to ignore a fault that crops up, because at that moment in time, on that occasion, nothing actually happened as a result.  But remember that whilst nothing actually happened THAT time, you were not in control of that outcome, on another day, the consequence might well be very different.

If you feel like you need some assistance applying the concept of this blog to your own driving ability then contact me and I will be able to help.  Maybe you want to know what the driving test pass standard of "75%" looks and feels like in real terms, or perhaps you want to know what your current driving ability is compared to that 75%.

Please feel free to ask any questions or make comments below.  

This blog has provided details of how driving test nerves can affect driving ability on Test Day, and how we all can manage that situation by ensuring a certain standard of driving ability is consistently achieved BEFORE Test Day.    

BIG TOM Driving School  Intensive Driving Course in Peterborough, Grantham, Sleaford, Boston, Stamford and Spalding.  0800 689 4174

Standing out from the crowd by Tom of www.BigTom.org.uk

This blog will expand a little on the subject of how easy it is to take things for granted, and not notice the detail, in particular when learning to drive.

I discovered a very fragile looking, pretty little flower in the front garden yesterday.  That flower has sprung up out of nowhere.  It didn't feature last year in my front garden, so I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered it this spring.  It's a beautiful, delicate flower, in a bunch of about 30, and really catches the eye.

But only when I then took a look at the image I had taken of it on my computer did I see the detail.  Have you ever seen so much detail as that before in a flower?  What appears at first glance to be just a pretty flower, when you take a close look, WOW! - look at the detail.

And this is a very similar situation with a good driver.  At first glance, as a passenger, nothing particularly out of the ordinary is going on.  You might recognise that the drive appears smooth, or that the driver is cleverly avoiding heavy congestion, maybe there is not much stop/starting going on.  But it is very easy to actually not notice a good driver when you see it!  We all know what a bad driver looks like: no regard for comfort, little thought for other road users, often breaking the law, but a good driver is less noticeable.  A good driver is calm, observant, considerate, they are only noticeable by being so unnoticeable! 

That level of good driving is not left to chance, just like my little flower, there is much going on in the background, a lot of detail that is not necessarily detectable to the naked eye.  

For the next few journeys you do in the car as a passenger, start paying attention to the driver.  Do just a little less talking for a while, and observe what is going on.  Don't make a fuss about it, don't tell the driver what you are doing, just watch.  How much is their head turning and observing other road users around them, is there a pattern between mirror checks and what is happening, is there a lot of stop/starting, is there heavy acceleration or braking, do they interact with other road users in a positive or negative way.

There is much to be gained by learning from others, observing good and bad driving habits, appreciating a skillful bit of planning ahead, recognising how emotions affect driving ability.  Every time you get in the car, even as a passenger, you have an opportunity to notice something good or bad, and store it for future reference; if you are learning to drive, why would you NOT make the most of these opportunities?

BIG TOM Driving School  Intensive Driving Course in Peterborough, Spalding, Stamford, Sleaford, Boston, and Grantham 0800 689 4174

Driving through a red traffic light on the driving test in Grantham by Tom of Big Tom Driving School

Driving through a red traffic light on a driving test in Grantham - not a great prospect?  But what if the examiner tells you to?

Recently, a pupil on an Intensive Driving Course in Grantham asked me what is the correct course of action to take if he is stopped at a red light, and blocking an emergency vehicle from passing through on a call. What a great question.  We talked about how the law interprets it, how technology is used in some towns/cities to enforce the law, we talked about the moral implications, and we spoke of who is allowed to order you through a red traffic light and in what circumstances.

All very good, interesting stuff.

I put up a scenario based on this conversation for others to consider what they would do in this situation on my social links, and on a driving test in Grantham just this morning, exactly that scenario actually occurred.

The really interesting thing about this though, is that the person who initially asked me the question, is the same person who was on test this morning!  How good is that?!

If that doesn't encourage anyone monitoring to ask questions on their driving lessons with me in Grantham, you have to wonder what would?

You are not permitted to drive through a red light for an emergency vehicle UNLESS a Police Officer in uniform actually directs you to go through it - physically, in the act of controlling traffic waves you through the stop line.

Worth knowing, because in a court of law, should you go through the red light having not been directed through, thereby causing an accident and then attempting to offer this situation as some kind of defence to your actions, it is not an actual defence.

In reality, for practical purposes.  You would like to think that the Police Officer driving the vehicle on an emergency call, will recognise the fact that a member of public is not permitted to drive through the red light, and turn off the blue lights, the siren and sit there and wait for the lights to go green.  If not, then the poor member of public who is waiting at the red light, feels under an awful lot of pressure to move but is being held on a red light - not a good combination.

What happened on the driving test in Grantham this morning was that the examiner without saying a word, having seen the Police car behind, pointed with his right hand over to the left side of the road.  My chap (the driver on test) saw this, and was able to move the car over to the left WITHOUT actually going over the STOP line.  Phew!  A tricky situation where the old saying "knowledge is power" certainly comes into play!


BIG TOM Driving School  Intensive Driving Course in Grantham 01476 850 050