Why Do I Have To Drive Like That?

When customers come to train with BIG TOM Driving School they come with differing attitudes to learning.  This isn't intended to come across as a judgemental statement, but rather a statement of fact.  It is one of the factors that makes everyone's learning experience unique.  How much weight a pupil places on the advice of a Driving Instructor is dependant on many factors including the trust, understanding and effective communications between them, as well as the previous experiences the pupil has had in learning, and any opinions from others that the pupil will be influenced by.   

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) produce a "standard" by which the public are to drive to, the one for cars and light vans is here .  The purpose of this standard is:

The standard is for car and light van drivers and tells you what you must be able to do to be a safe and responsible driver.

It is some document, as it encompasses a wide scope of content detailing the expectations required of a driver taking into account differing vehicles, roads, driving conditions, whether passengers are present in the vehicle, preparing for journeys, maintenance checks, managing risk, legal requirements of drivers, planning journeys, how to drive, how to engage with other road users, and even how to continue learning from experience.  It even includes a section that is dedicated to the process of learning to drive.

The reason why this standard exists is to take into account that Learners in the UK can learn to drive with or without the assistance of a professional, DVSA registered Driving Instructor.  As such, the public are able to refer to the standard and understand what is expected of people learning to drive that goes beyond solely looking at the driving test standard, but takes into account many more factors for the benefit of life-long learning.  (If you were interested in the standard required for the driving test incidentally, then this guidance document for Driving Examiners may be of assistance).

One of the benefits for providing a standard is that provides an opportunity to achieve some consistency in the methodology that Learners adopt in learning to drive.  The DVSA periodically monitor the quality of Driving Instructors against this same standard so there is a complete loop between the professional driving instruction that a pupil receives and the expectations of the DVSA.

How does all this information help you?  Well, if you find yourself wondering what on earth a Driving Instructor is attempting to "teach" you when taking driving lessons, you could quite simply and very legitimately ask the question "Could you tell me where that advice you are giving me fits within the DVSA Driving Standard?"  

Ultimately, the standard creates a consistent approach to driving training, it provides a set scope and depth to the training, and it details guidance on a learning experience that is effective.

The author, Tom Ingram is the owner of BIG TOM Driving School and can be contacted here.  0775 607 1464

Do We Learn to Perceive Danger?

The simple answer to that question is yes.  From the time we are a baby, and our motor skills begin to develop so does our perception of danger.  When my niece visited just a few days ago with her "just walking" toddler, there was an instant perception of danger of the open fire in the lounge.  There were no words needed from Mum, this was ingrained and perfectly natural.

So it begs the question why a 17 year old cannot perceive danger when driving a car.  

This morning, on an intensive driving course in Bourne, my pupil wanted to drive out to Stamford using a rural road rather than one of the arguably easier, more forgiving A roads that he could have chosen.  He actually deliberately chose this route as he wanted to experience driving on a rural road in pouring rain.

So, after raising the question to him of any potential hazards that may be coming our way, his response was in the negative.  In my mind I am thinking of increased seperation gaps between our vehicle and others; reduced vision out of the windscreens and side mirrors due to the rainfall; the increased mental fatigue due to the effort required driving in rain; the potential of aquaplaning and the prospect of having large pools of water on the road surface; the importance of tread depth on tyres and correct tyre pressures for traction; the prospect of spray suddenly hitting the front windscreen from a passing vehicle that temporarily reduces vision; the possibility of sliding on a country road bend due to the wet and how it would be sensible to adjust speed and gears on the approach so that there is no braking or gas on the bend for maximum stability.  But despite the fact that this pupil had just passed his theory test 4 days earlier, none of these potential hazards came from him, in fact nothing at all came from him regarding how this journey was going to go.

Unsurprisingly, straight away I could sense that he was not adjusting his speed at all to adapt to the driving conditions, so in the interests of safety, I instantly intervened and raised his awareness of the potential hazards associated with the speed he was travelling in the rainy weather.
  
Any change?

Marginal.  

He kept on driving through the large puddles on the left near the verge.  So I intervened and raised his awareness of what he was feeling in his hands through the wheels and steering wheel as he drove through the puddles; the potential for loss of traction, driving off the road, the possibility of driving through large potholes that the puddles could conceal.  We discussed coping mechanisms, he spoke of reduced speed, I spoke of changes in position to avoid the puddles.
  
Any change?

None.

We pull over.  We talk about the perceived danger here, and there was no perceived danger.  We talked about the "thrill" of driving through these large puddles at speed, and how a vehicle can lose traction in a second at these faster speeds and be off the road.  I ask him how he thinks I feel at this moment.... "I don't know, could you tell me?".  I most certainly could, "I am shitting myself here".

From the age of a baby, through pre-school years, into primary school years, yet further into secondary school - all these years this pupil of mine would have come across danger.  Danger to himself, or his family or friends.  He will have experience of perceived danger relating to amusement parks, Call of Duty video games, riding a bike on a road, playing a prank on a friend, riding a 2 wheel scooter, walking alone in the dark, learning how to swim, crossing a busy road.  There will have been dozens and dozens of instances where he was either aware of the impending danger and managed the situation, was unaware of the impending danger and suddenly made aware of the near miss or unaware of the impending danger and learnt the hard way.  But, one thing is for sure, he has not spent the first 17 years of his life wrapped up in cotton wool, living a "risk-free" existence.  As such, why on earth when I raise his awareness of the impending danger of driving as he is in the heavy rain, is he not adapting his behaviour?

We get back home.
  
Me  "How did that go?"
Him "Ok"
Me "Talk me through how you felt when you drove on that road in that pouring rain"
Him "Yea ok.  It is harder driving in the rain"
Me "It is?  How?"
Him "Well I could just feel it sometimes as I drove through a puddle, even in the villages, in the 30's I felt it on my hands, through the steering wheel"
Me  "How did it make you feel?"
Him  "Ok"
Me  "Did you perceive danger?"
Him "No"

I then spoke to him about the perception of danger.  I in effect, steered his brain into the thought of what danger means to each of us, and how some people can perceive danger more than others.  He immediately took a defensive response with, "Oh you mean I should slow down a bit more, and steer away from the puddles?".  Well..... is that what I mean?

No, that is not what I mean.  

That would be a coping mechanism for dealing with the dangerous situation that he had just been in, but what I am referring to is his ability to even KNOW that he is in a dangerous situation.  I made the point that today, I was present with him in the car, overseeing to make sure we did not crash, that both of us lived to have the discussion that we were.  But crucially what I was raising was the fact that he himself had not imagined these dangerous hazards when he chose the route he did, and more than that, even when I raised his awareness of the dangerous hazards, he did not heed my warning and adapt his behaviour despite my giving him the guidance of how to adapt.  All of us behave in a manner that reflects how we think and feel.  
  
Unconsciously incompetent.  

What I am keen to develop in this young man is his ability to start identifying risk, assessing it, making appropriate decisions based on that assessment and reflecting on the outcomes so as to refine this skill-set.  

So no, the skill being developed here is one of self-awareness, not one of regurgitating a sentence about slower speeds in the rain - regurgitating answers in this manner is best left to school exams or dare I say, theory tests; what I am wanting to hear and see is a bit of deep meaningful reflection that will hold this chap in good stead when I am long gone out of his life.  How will he respond when he first drives in mist or fog for the first time, or plans to drive with 3 mates to a party, or buys his first powerful car?

I can't MAKE my pupils wear seat belts after they pass the driving test, I can't force them to drive to conditions rather than maximum speed limits, the influence I have on them is tiny compared to the influences of others in their inner circle.  What I can attempt to do however, is raise his awareness to realise that it will be him and him alone who makes the choices of how he drives a motor vehicle - now that is some responsibility.

The Chief Examiner of the DVSA recently made mention of this subject in a driving instructor conference explaining about the frontal lobe development in the brain of 17-25 year old (particularly males) with the consequent affect of limiting "anticipated regret" (not considering consequences of actions)

Tom Ingram is the Owner of BIG TOM Driving School

PAYG trainee driving instructor training Bookings: 0775 607 1464

Mobile phones & cars

“A person’s behaviour can be predicted, in large part, from knowledge of the social circumstances in which it occurs” 

‘The Correspondence Bias’ Daniel T. Gilbert & Patrick S. Malone

In this blog, I would like to expand on the theme that is becoming increasingly common to see in the driving training industry regarding mobile phone use while driving. Rather than taking a critical, judgemental view on the drivers who regularly do this, I will attempt to put the activity into some kind of context.

So, to start with, have you any idea how addictive technology is these days?  This seems a reasonable question to begin with given the latest statistics that are pinging around the Net.  The majority of people are increasingly relying on technology in modern day living.  “Relying” not “choosing”.  This reliance is in our work environment as well as our private lives.  Age is no boundary, from the youngest toddlers to our senior citizens, there is a place for technology in all our lives.

The first time that I encountered how technology is going to start seriously affecting us in a work environment was in the late 1990’s.  When I was a Police Officer in London, one of my expected daily duties was to check a “Court Attendance Register”, where I had to sign within a thin line of dozens of entries to acknowledge notice that I was needed to give evidence in court on a certain date.  It was not fool-proof by any means, there were many reasons why that process broke down and the consequences of failing to attend when required were significant and expensive.  The method of these notifications was then modified by way of an email being sent requiring no action on my part whatsoever, the mere fact that I had opened the email was enough – woe betide me if I did not attend court AND had opened the email. This was the first time that I recognised the controlling nature of technology.

I mention this example because with the passing of 20 years, the degree to which technology has progressed in controlling human behaviour has increased exponentially.  And one of the most significant developments is this sense of needing it to get by.  When I was a young kid we played in the school playground with a cap gun, football or a bag of marbles.  Now, smart phones are being used to “catch Pokemon”.  When I made some chocolate and marsh-mellow cookies last night with my son, as soon as he put them in the oven, he got his iPad, taped it to the back of chair, and photographed them being cooked on a time-lapse.  The idea would never even have entered my mind…. but it was such the norm for him, he did not even mention a word of what he was doing – it was as if it was as much the ritual as was the washing of the dishes afterwards.

Technology is monitoring and controlling our behaviour all the time.  Cars have their own WIFI nowadays, the on-board information is updating automatically in real time.  The complexity of the interaction between smart phone and vehicle is quite incredible.
 

There are apps to entertain, educate, inform, motivate and pacify you – the apps can monitor your behaviour to raise your awareness, they can analyse data to offer instant and personalised feedback and they undoubtedly can control you whether you actually desire it or not.  This is where the ‘sting in the tail’ is regarding technology.  Such is our need to receive the latest financial data, breaking news, status update, reward notification, important email or send the latest selfie, play the next game level, publish the run we just did, photograph the next meal we will eat; no longer is our inter-connectedness desirable, it has become an absolute necessity.  We feel a need to thrust upon others our children’s achievements, we must see the latest batch of selected match-maker date prospects INSTANTLY, the text to the boss or customer must be responded to with immediate effect.  Our technological engagement levels within “work, rest and play” are difficult to distinguish between; it is impossible to ascertain if a person is working on the smartphone or playing, but on the phone, most people are, most of the time.  Marbles?  When did you last see a couple of kids playing marbles together?

These days, we will use our mobiles absolutely everywhere.  We don’t care if we are dining out, attending a sporting event, driving, sleeping, working – it really matters not, the device is always primed ready to interrupt us with the latest, must see instantly data.  People can be on holiday and absolutely must stay connected, they can be in the most intimate of situations with their loved ones and STILL must stay connected.  It appears that there is no “OFF” switch to technology.

And it is on THIS basis that my peers in the professional world of driving training, really do have to stop wondering why they are seeing so many drivers on mobile phones.  Attempting to “educate” a 17 year old about how they should not use their mobile while driving is a completely alien concept to them – the awareness levels can undoubtedly be raised, but does it change behaviour, will it affect attitudes and beliefs?   In issue 8 of “Driving Instructor”, Chief Constable Suzette Davenport of the National Police Chiefs’ Council says regarding drivers using mobile phones:

“We will continue to stress the dangerous consequences, and arrest offenders but we also need people to take responsibility for their behaviour behind the wheel and exert some social pressure on family and friends who take this risk”.

 

As any secondary school teacher will confirm, effective education of young adults absolutely does rely on the support and assistance of family and friends.  Raising awareness and enforcement as important as they are, really pale into insignificance compared to the overwhelming social conditioning influence of engaging on one’s mobile phone – a fact that Suzette Davenport knows only too well.

Tom Ingram is the Owner of BIG TOM Driving School - offering PAYG and Intensive Driving Courses in Peterborough, Bourne, Grantham, Sleaford, Boston, Lincoln, Stamford and Spalding.  Bookings: 0800 689 4174

We are OBSESSED with assessment

I am sure in many years to come, this period of time that we are in will become known as the “pigeon-hole” era.  It is ingrained into every aspect of our society.  Tom Ingram (Owner of BIG TOM Driving School) writes……

Employment, education, welfare and benefits, health – we can barely get through a day without being assessed in some manner.  New and existing employers are assessing our suitability for new careers or promotion.  There is hardly a job that can be thought of where a continual assessment is not being conducted on the “effectiveness” of a person doing their job.  Motivation, passion, job satisfaction, pride, inner belief, forget them all, they are not enough in this world we live in; no matter how intensely you personally feel these values as you do your job, you clearly cannot be trusted.  It does not discriminate on income, no matter what your personal income is, you are not to be left alone, you must be put into a pigeon-hole…… it just MUST be done.

In fact, so extreme is this situation that we find ourselves, that the weight of the assessment itself, is actually becoming the motivator…. the reward.  It seems the more passionate you feel about assessment, the more you are ideally suited for upward progression.  Leaders in organisations tend to be fixated with assessment criteria, assessment grading, assessment of assessors etc.

Does this matter?

It most certainly does.  Whilst the motivation levels of individuals will vary, what is now happening is that everyone, regardless of their “effectiveness” if left to fend for themselves, is being instructed to conform to what is being expected.  There are negative consequences to this approach.  By no means all, but many people, will naturally aspire to improve.  They wont just want to be seen to be developing, they will actually be internally driven to improve – it requires no intervention or external motivation, there will simply be an inner desire to do what they do to the best of their ability, and always willing to be self-aware of where their ability is, and how they would like to improve.  You don’t find many employees turning down training opportunities from the employer do you?  The employee may be nervous and might feel anxiety as they choose to leave their comfort zone, but they inwardly know that what is happening is a good thing, they WILL benefit from learning new things.

However, due to the fact that not everyone feels this way – some people for quite specific reasons, do not have this inner drive.  As such, stand clear, make way please for the “system of assessment”.  

This magical tool brought down to us from our great leaders in society, this one size fits all method of improving efficiency.  Let’s continually assess our school children throughout their school years, let’s make sure that we repeatedly assess each and every single member of staff in our organisation, let’s group society into categories, so that we can clearly and unequivocally project on to every single person our understanding that we “see” them, and that we want to see more “out” of them.  It matters not where they are on the spectrum of self-improvement because quite frankly, wherever any one is at, we want to see more out of them in any case.

 

The consequence of this approach?

We have thousands upon thousands, in fact millions of highly paid individuals who no longer live and breathe this passion that they had, no, what they now spend an inordinate amount of their working day doing, is behaving in a manner which ticks assessment boxes.  They are finding themselves involved in activity such as filling out forms either hand written or on computers, asking questions of people, making statements, meeting other individuals in the knowledge that this activity has absolutely nothing to do with the passion for which they have.  Smart, wise, effective professionals are leaving their specialism in droves due to this obsession with assessment.

       

By nature, most people want to feel of worth, they want to feel responsible for “adding value” in their working life.  It is what makes us tick.  It brings meaning to our lives.  But this fixation with assessment, and how it impacts the working day, means that a great many people are finding that they are doing “work” which is quite illogical, adds no value, and certainly is not effective in any way.  And it saddens me to say, that a great many people are able to see that these activities are actually damaging for the outcomes that they like to see – so in effect, this is depriving them of the very values that they hold dear to their heart.  For careers that involve other humans, where these activities are affecting the outcomes for other humans, this will intensely hurt some people as it robs them of the very thing that they actually do care about, namely their effect on other humans.  We don’t naturally like to harm or impact negatively on any other human being, it is not in our instinct to wish to deliberately affect others in this way.  As a society, we do care for the health of our elderly and young, we do desire to give our young adults the best start in life, we do want to see our colleagues develop, progress and achieve.  Anything and everything that we do in our working life which adds no value, no matter how small amount of time it takes to complete, erodes our sense of purpose, it betrays the inner feeling of worth that we like to feel, we NEED to feel.  If enough of that happens, we will quite instinctively remove ourselves from that situation.  This is happening in many industries across the UK, including my own of driving training.  This conditioning of continued assessment is being systematically in-bred into our youngsters, so when they come out of the educational system, they will not even recognise how much they have been dehumanised.  Monty Neill, Executive Director of FairTest writes in the book "Creative Schools" by Ken Robinson: "Tests don't measure very much of what's important and they measure in a very narrow way.  How the subject is tested becomes a model for how to teach the subject".  And this is what has been happening for years in the driving training world; customers have become conditioned to this way of thinking about tests being the ultimate goal, and driving instructors are busying themselves servicing the desires of their customers.  It is severely limiting the scope of the learning.

This is a problem of lazy leadership.  Rather than being selective as to where to concentrate efforts, this broad-brush approach adversely affects good people.  It may be effective in demonstrating non-discrimination, but the effect of demotivating all at the expense of identifying who to motivate is very harmful, and just not smart.  Depriving individuals of their passion in life and enforcing a policy of standardized conformity will only attract “average” performance.  This is a systematic method of discouraging the very thing that makes all of us individuals where the potential for greatness exists; in its place are outcomes that deprive us of human virtues such as compassion, forgiveness, aspiration, self-belief, belonging and satisfaction. 

BIG TOM Driving School  Driving Training in Peterborough, Spalding, Stamford, Grantham, Lincoln, Boston and Sleaford Telephone: 0800 689 4174

New career as a Driving Instructor

BIG TOM Driving School is looking for people who are considering a new career as a driving instructor.  As with any consideration of this magnitude, fear of the unknown is a very natural obstacle that prevents people from fulfilling their dreams.
The school is offering the opportunity to meet up and discuss this exciting career over a coffee with no strings attached, completely without obligation.  Typically, these discussions cover subjects like pay, training, tests, skills, available time, hours worked and financial outlay.
Be brave, come and speak to Tom who is the owner of the driving school and properly explore the options that are available.  Get in touch NOW!  Telephone - 0775 607 1464
* Peterborough  *  Grantham  *  Spalding  *  Stamford  *  Lincoln  *  Boston  *  Bourne  *

Contact: Click here or email - info@BIGTOM.org.uk  

Make Me Feel Safe and Confident

A recent BIG TOM Customer Satisfaction Survey had some striking feedback which goes a long way to understanding why the BIG TOM 5 Day Intensive Driving Course is so popular.

The sender of the survey declined to provide their identity which is an option that our customers have every right to exercise, but nevertheless, part of the feedback is worthy of note.

When asked the question, "If there was one comment that you would make about your experience of learning to drive with BIG TOM Driving School, what would it be?", the reply was:

"Had a fantastic ability to make me feel safe and confident while driving.  This was the first time I have really felt comfortable behind the wheel"

It is well recorded that our customers safety is of paramount importance; it is actually the number 1 priority.  But what this customer is referring to is "a fantastic ability" to make him/her feel safe and confident.  This is one of the key factors that differentiates driving schools and driving instructors - the ability they have to instil a feeling of safety, confidence and being comfortable.  

Pupils would rightly place these feelings pretty high on a list of important factors.  Have you tried googling around driving schools and seeing how many of their customers make mention of these points?  The authors of many websites will make mention of words like nerves, patience, professional, quality, and quite typical these days will be a reference to how good the driving instructor is.  But how many have got the words of previous customers that describe how they were made to feel safe, comfortable and confident?  

Although this customer is anonymous, as the Owner of the driving school being described, this feedback makes me feel proud and assures me that the ultimate goal of the driving school as described in the BIG TOM Customer Charter is being maintained.    

Tom Ingram is the Owner of BIG TOM Driving School - 5 Day Intensive Driving Course in Spalding, Sleaford, Stamford, Peterborough, Grantham, Lincoln and Boston.   Tel: 0800 689 4174

Where Can I Take My Driving Test?

Here at BIG TOM Driving School, we often get questions from customers relating to the driving test: how long does it take, what's the difference with the driving faults, what is the examiner like, how can I control my nerves?  Quite understandably there are many questions and anxieties expressed about the driving test.

This blog will take a look at a really important question that many a learner will ask:

                                      "Where can I take my driving test?"

The most direct answer to this question is literally anywhere you like!  More accurately, what it comes down to is which driving test centres you have near you.  Whilst you might expect them to all be roughly the same, there are a couple of points that make them differ.  Test date availability is one aspect; they do differ in their waiting times for tests - it varies from about 4 weeks up to 12+ weeks.  Another aspect is the pass rates.  Surprising as this may sound, the pass rates associated between driving test centres does differ across the UK.  The pass rates are freely available for public viewing via www.GOV.UK 

Another point to make when it comes to choosing where you intend to go to test is whether you feel strongly about knowing the area itself.  This tends to differ between pupils.  Some customers have strong desires to take their driving test in a certain location, and yet others are not so concerned.  If you think about it logically, by passing a driving test, you are in theory at least, opening up the prospect of driving anywhere in the UK, so from that point of view, where you take your driving test, should not be of major concern.  

On the BIG TOM 5 Day Intensive Driving Course, our customers are encouraged to drive in a variety of different locations, so at to expand their experience of differing driving conditions.  Driving between county boundaries is not unusual, clocking up 70+ miles in any one driving session on the course is also quite common.  For the vast majority of people, passing a driving test, gaining their full driving licence will inevitably open the door to driving around in towns and cities that they have previously never been - so it is quite sensible to gain the experience, when learning to drive of being able to cope on journeys that you are not familiar.

The only other factor that it would be worth checking out prior to choosing where you are going to go test, is the actual location of the test centre itself.  They do differ in size, the size of the car park, and even how busy it is near the test centre.  Whilst this may not be an over-riding issue for you, it is always a good idea to check things out before hand.

If this blog has been useful to you, consider clicking through to this blog here that talks about the difference of learning to drive on an intensive driving course versus the traditional pay as you go driving lessons.

The author, Tom Ingram is the Owner of BIG TOM Driving School that provides 5 Day Intensive Driving Courses in Peterborough, Lincoln, Stamford, Grantham, Bourne, Spalding and Boston.  Call now on 0800 689 4174 

What Do I Need To Be Able To Do On My Driving Test?

This blog will attempt to provide some clarity to answer the question of what a driver needs to be able to do when driving around on their driving test in the UK.

There is often a fair amount of confusion and mixed messages about what an examiner exactly wants to see on the driving test - this is perfectly understandable.  Using one of the DVSA's own policy documents as the reference (DT1), I will provide below guidance to help answer this question.

A driver needs to demonstrate to the examiner that they can perform the following activities on the driving test competently, causing no danger and with consideration to others:

Start the engine and move off smoothly whether this be going ahead or when behind a parked car and doing this well on a flat road, uphill or downhill.

Accelerate to a speed which is appropriate whilst maintaining a straight course and changing gears.

Adjust the speed to maintain control of the vehicle whilst dealing with junctions, possibly in tight spaces.

Brake accurately to a stop when told to including for the emergency stop.

Perform either a reverse into a side road (left or right), turn the car around using the width of the road, parallel park or bay park. So you will be asked to perform one of those four options.

Pull the car over at a designated place.

While driving, to be aware of the position in the road, markings in the road, traffic signs and any potential or actual risks (this includes by making effective use of the mirrors).

Make at least 2 normal stops at the side of the road and move off.

Only to use authorised means in which to communicate with other road users.

React appropriately if and when actual risk situations occur.

Comply with the law, and personnel in authority.

Adjust road position and speed in line with conditions and the road.

Keep the right distance between vehicles.

Change lanes.

Pass parked, stationary vehicles or obstacles.

Approach, cross, turn left or right at junctions or to leave the carriageway.

If appropriate, pass oncoming vehicles in confined spaces, overtake, approach and cross level-crossings.


They are the requirements needed for the driving test, as outlined in a positive manner, as in, do this, do that.  Let me now give some practical examples of commonly seen situations that go against the criteria set above:


Emerging left or right into a road where in doing so, you create a road user already in the road to either stop, swerve or slow.

Performing a gear change when the car is moving that is not appropriate for the speed the car is travelling at.

Driving over or across road markings that is either illegal or directly affects other road users.

Not responding sufficiently to a hazardous situation, whether that be by not adjusting the speed to reflect the risk, or not creating enough space between the car and the hazard.  This often either causes other road users to react suddenly, or increases the likelihood of a collision/loss of control of the car.

Not complying with road signs eg directional, traffic lights, prohibitions such as no entry or no right turn, speed.

Failing to keep up with the traffic around, in other words, actually creating a hazard by driving too slowly.

Moving on to a roundabout which caused another road user to stop, swerve or slow.

Failing to make effective mirror checks prior to changing speed or direction, or to update yourself what is around you.

Fail to check all around when performing a reverse manoeuvre to ensure safety.

Make sudden positional changes in the road due to a lack of effective planning which causes another road user to stop, swerve or slow.

Crossing the path of another road user which directly affects them in a negative manner.


These are just a few examples of common errors that will tend to have pretty significant consequences to the outcome of the driving test.  It is not intended to be an exhaustive list and it also does not include the driving faults that although are less serious in nature, are committed with such frequency and consistency that the examiner cannot overlook them and provide a test pass.

I hope this is of assistance to you.     Like this?  Check out similar here 

Tom Ingram (Owner) of BIG TOM Driving School     5 Day Intensive Driving Courses in Lincoln, Peterborough, Spalding, Stamford, Boston and Grantham.  Call now! 0800 689 4174

Successful Crash Courses in Sleaford

BIG TOM Driving School offers the people of Sleaford first class driving training on their 5 Day Crash Courses (01529 400 455)


The training is undertaken by professional DVSA Driving Instructors who provide pupil centred teaching methods in a stress free learning environment.  The result is being able to manage the risk effectively so that driving training is safe, whilst ensuring that progress is made in a way that the pupil recognises and this helps to create motivation.  These are important factors that help to ensure the learning taking place remains enjoyable.

The course has a range of start times, with flexibility of pick up/drop off points and is backed up with first class resources to help prepare BIG TOM customers for the course.  Customers can take advantage of online resources for the theory study as well as carefully selected, exclusive access to driving videos for BIG TOM customers only.

Starting training in quiet, stress free locations in Sleaford is important to develop confidence and trust between pupil and instructor.  This relationship is key to maximising learning. 

Allow us to guide you with a successful crash course in Sleaford that gets results.  Contact us now, to make your reservation and get your driving licence faster with BIG TOM.  

How To Get Your Driving Licence Faster

This blog will have a major tip within it that will help you to understand how to get your driving licence faster. 


When we learn new things that involve physical activity of some sort eg playing a musical instrument, snow boarding, driving a car, playing a new sport, it will take a while for the body to learn what to do.  It may involve an element of co-ordination skills between different limbs, intricate movement of a hand, wrist or even finger tips (bowling in cricket for example), it may require a degree of multi-tasking where one hand is doing something while a foot does something else (changing gear in a car for example).  It can sometimes take a while for us to learn how much of a particular action to do to achieve the mini-goal, so leaning the body in a certain direction that we are not used to, or looking in a certain direction for a certain duration or at a critical time, bending the knees at a certain time, by a certain amount.  These things take a while to perfect, we are often busy receiving feedback via our senses while we learn these techniques - often that will mean actually learning what a certain feeling in the body, or sound that is made means whether that be for a good outcome or not so good.  We often learn from these experiences in a very dynamic way, through making mistakes, and that experience is very valuable, even necessary.  It can be frustrating, incredibly frustrating in fact, to teach the body to take a certain action, or react for a given prompt because these things rarely happen quickly, and sometimes, while in the process of learning and making mistakes, it can hurt (think gymnasts, skiers and cyclists).

So now let's focus on what you are doing at the moment, learning to drive, and see how this relates to your experiences.  In the early days, as an absolute beginner, you will be bombarded with the above.  Your eyes will work hard, your hands will be busy steering, changing gear, applying the handbrake, putting signals on, and your feet have the brake, clutch and gas pedals to deal with - all with varying degrees of pressure or resistance felt when you press the pedal, all with varying degrees of intensity needed and even range of movement.  If you are naturally dominant on one side eg right handed and footed, then you will suddenly be expecting your left hand and foot to step up to the plate and get active.  Wow!  If that wasn't enough to be getting on with, there will be a need to do certain jobs at very specific times, and often whilst doing others eg approaching a T junction to emerge left requires you to put the clutch all the way down with the left foot, while the right foot very lightly presses the brake pedal to bring the car to a smooth controlled pause while the hands initially steer to the left to position the car over to the left, and then the left hand needs to apply the handbrake and select first gear *gulp*

The good news is, in the majority of cases, all the above starts clicking into place within about 4 hours, so typically within the first day of the BIG TOM Intensive Driving Course - there will be exceptions to that of course, but generally it is true.  However, no sooner do you start getting competent of the physical actions needed to drive a car smoothly, under control and efficiently, then there becomes a need to pay attention to HOW you drive the car around so that it is safe and courteous to others - and this is the bit where some learners will get their driving licence faster than others.  Don't think about stalling, rolling back, selecting the wrong gear, braking too hard here, I've done that bit, what I'm now bringing your attention to is, how you are expected to behave on the roads, when you are driving the car.  Try not to get those two things mixed up. 

For example, when driving on a road, you can see up ahead that there is something that is going to require you move over to the right to pass it.  Let's say it is a bus at a bus stop. As a general rule, before you even start steering away from the bus, you should use your eyes to check if it is safe to carry on with your plan, consider whether a right signal would be required, think about how the position of the car in the road will help achieve your mini-goal, assess what speed you should do this at, and whether that will require a change of gear and do all of those things before you give it one final check with your eyes, to make sure it is still safe to do your plan.  And be alive to the fact that often in driving, things change quite quickly, so having the ability to anticipate what you would need to do and how you would do it, should something occur eg the bus pulls away sharply from the bus stop before you have got to it.

The above "routine" if you want to see it in that way can be summarised as:
Mirrors
Signal
Position
Speed (and gears)
Look

It is a sequence of driving actions that makes sure what you intend to do is actually safe before you do it, and it forces you to consider what needs to happen with your car in order to do the desired mini-goal.  I cannot tell you how massive this point is.  You can of course ignore this.  Plenty do. But generally, those people that do, don't get their driving licence fast.

One of the problems that can occur is that pupils learning to drive are influenced by the driving they see on a daily basis or by the attitudes of others around them who might be saying how easy it all is, and what a waste of time it is learning "routines".  As a consequence, those people, through no real fault of their own, don't appreciate the importance of learning HOW they should be driving around on the roads.  They are thinking that the mere fact that they have achieved the first goal of how to drive will do, it wont, it really, really wont, you have to learn the key concepts of how you drive around on different types of road, in different driving conditions.  Have you tried learning rugby and ignoring the advice of your coach about how to scrum or tackle?  This is all about making decisions, and realising there are consequences to the decisions that we all make in life.

BIG TOM Driving School  (0800 689 4174)   5 Day Intensive Driving Course in Peterborough, Grantham, Sleaford, Stamford, Bourne, Lincoln

Elderly Drivers

The subject of elderly drivers and how appropriate it is for them to still be driving has been in the media lately as the Government has changed the legislation so that the medical profession can disclose patient information to the driving authority regarding how suitable it is for a person to be driving from a medical point of view.  It has been hotly contested and created much ill feeling.  Many elderly drivers are understandably very protective about their ability to drive, it offers them much needed independence and freedom.  Coupled with that, no matter what age a person is, no-one likes to have their pride and dignity dented by being told they should not be driving.

I recently mentioned this in a monthly article that I write in our local area, and a 79 year old female responded to it, saying that she was uncertain how good a driver she actually is.  It turned out that her husband who also drives, was continually making comments about her driving, and the seed of doubt was beginning to spread.

The benefit of having an independent assessment from a professional such as myself, is that firstly, it is just that, independent, a fresh pair of eyes with no "history", and secondly it will be objective and based on modern day standards.  The assessment is backed up with a written summary which includes positive points as well as areas for improvement.

Crucially though, it is not a test.  One of the fundamental reasons why elderly drivers would naturally feel threatened by this latest Government amendment is that they will interpret it in the manner of a pass/fail test.  Yet, one of the distinct advantages of an assessment is that it offers help, tips, guidance and advice that is not part of a legal process involving authorities.  

Subjects that are typically covered include:

The types of journey normally covered, and how they are planned for in advance
Eyesight, hearing, reaction, spatial awareness and forward planning assessment
Modern time driving eg signs, highway code, road design (big roundabouts), road law
Setting up the car to afford proper control and effective observations
Planning for dealing with an emergency breakdown
Ability to adapt to differing driving conditions
Pros and cons of modern day technology


The journey that we use here at BIG TOM Driving School has been carefully selected so that it offers an opportunity to drive in differing driving conditions, and we can assess the ability to take extra care when needed, keep up with traffic as appropriate, identify varying max speed signs, comply with road law, manage modern day road etiquette, and accommodate the pressures and demands of the driving environment of today.

This subject can be very difficult for family members, and dear friends to raise when they might have valid concerns about someone who is close to them, and their safety on the roads.  What this assessment does is take that personal element away from the situation, and put the burden on the shoulders of an independent and qualified assessor.

To read more about this subject and how we can help click on this link.

BIG TOM Driving School   Telephone: 0800 689 4174

Customers love our intensive driving course in Peterborough

5 Day Intensive Driving Course in Peterborough with BIG TOM Driving School 01733 306 016

A measure of the success of our intensive driving course in Peterborough is how our customers rate us after they get handed their full driving licence. BIG TOM customer reviews are authentic, not ready made ticky box statements. Our customers take the time and effort to place their thoughts and feelings about their experience so that others can benefit from it. And at BIG TOM we listen to what our customers tell us, look at what customers tell us they love about our intensive driving course in Peterborough:

• The dedicated use of a Customer Support Line that enables any question to be answered
• Rather than expecting our customers to meet us in Peterborough City Centre for their intensive driving course, we pick them up and drop them off at home or work
• We let our customers concentrate on the driving, and we work away in the background booking tests so they don't have to wait a long time to get a driving test slot
• We do want our customers to pass the test first time, in 2015 we managed to achieve that for 64% of our intensive driving course customers
• We maintain standards of appearance, professional conduct, punctuality and reliability by adhering to our Customer Charter
• 100% safety record: not a single customer of BIG TOM Driving School has ever been involved in an accident since the school was established in 2009

Take a look at all of our customer reviews across all of our public channels, you will see customers talking about "calm", they say "no pressure", they will mention "relaxed" - at BIG TOM we pay attention to the learning environment for our customers to enjoy the experience of learning to drive.

If you are looking to pass your driving test soon, then let BIG TOM hand your driving licence over to you by reserving your place on our popular Intensive Driving Course in Peterborough 01733 306016