5 day intensive driving course Peterborough "When turning right at a roundabout, look left!"

You would be excused for wondering if I’ve been watching too much Joey on “I’m a Celebrity”, but there is method in my apparent madness.  The following 2 examples are guaranteed to crop up on your 5 day intensive driving course in Peterborough

The first example is when we can use traffic coming from our left or straight over, to block the traffic coming from our right!  Blockers....there’s an idea!  Take a look at it in action here

The second example is when we need to initially drive over to our left, in order to drive round the roundabout.  Looking in that left side mirror before you do so, is a #gooddrivinghabit  Take a look here at how this is useful.

Good luck and keep monitoring this blog for more classic Joey one-liners!

BIG TOM Driving School   5 Day Intensive Driving Course in Peterborough 01733 306016

Driving Lessons Peterborough Go go go! by Tom of Big Tom Driving School

There is a general need to keep up with the flow of traffic, and no better example of this on your intensive driving course in Peterborough than when you are on dual carraigeways or "Parkways" as they are locally named; there are times when you will need to "go go go"!

This video here is one such example.  It shows that whilst it is perfectly acceptable to approach "Eye roundabout" in Peterborough in the furthest most right lane, it will mean that you will need to exit in the furthest most right lane, and that is the lane that typically, the faster moving vehicles gravitate towards.

It's not technically an issue to be exiting in the furthest most right lanes of multi-lane roundabouts but you should try to avoid it if you are driving in a vehicle that has limited power/ability to keep up with these higher speeds or you, as the driver, do not like driving at that faster pace.  Remember, no-one is forcing you to use that faster moving lane, and as such you are able to plan in to your approaches on multi-lane roundabouts, the lane selection that will be more comfortable to your driving tempo.

Seeing a vehicle travelling in the outer lanes of dual-carraigeways physically obstructing vehicles behind it by not keeping up with the flow of traffic is not good.  Generally speaking, other drivers expect you to either "go go go" or move over and let them do exactly that.  I must emphasise that I am not encouraging speeding here, I'm not advocating travelling over the speed limits, but there is a need to be considerate towards other road users.

Hope this blog helps you appreciate the importance of knowing you need to keep up with the flow of traffic when on dual carriageways on your intensive driving course in Peterborough.

BIG TOM Driving School   Intensive Driving Course in Peterborough 01733 306016

Driving Lessons in Grantham Traffic Lights and Stop Lines

Most of us know that when a traffic light goes amber and then red, you MUST STOP before the solid white line, but when driving on your intensive driving course in Grantham it is not quite so obvious where the stop line is!  Take a look at this video of a driving lesson in Grantham to see that not all traffic lights have STOP lines next to them.

It's not designed to catch you out, the secondary traffic light serves a very useful purpose in improving visibility of traffic lights, it just means that we must get into the #gooddrivinghabit of associating a traffic light with a corresponding STOP line.

Look out for this when you are next driving in Grantham, it's one of those things that once it has been raised into your conscious mind, you'll start noticing them all over the place now!

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

Tom's really proud moment with Big Tom Driving School

Tom passed his driving test first time on the Big Tom Driving School Intensive Driving Course in Peterborough

This is a very proud "Tom" from Peterborough.  His brother came on an Intensive Driving Course in Peterborough with Big Tom Driving School a few years ago, and advised him to also use the same course.

This is what Tom's brother, Graeme, said a few years ago:

"“I would like to thank Tom for taking the time to teach me to drive last week on my intensive course. I learnt so much and Tom really made me feel at ease with something I wasn’t comfortable with to start with. I would highly recommend BIG TOM to anyone. Great teacher and a nice guy to boot. Thanks Tom”Graeme Miles (aged 31)

Tom overcame some real hurdles in learning to drive, he is a very busy person with his work commitments, and he made full use of all the extra resources that Big Tom Driving School offers to all it's customers.

This photo was a special moment for Tom, it was a life changing moment, this is what he had to say:

"I passed first time under instruction of Big Tom, both theory and practical. I was given a ton of resources such as video's and guides to help with the tests in which Tom does himself and despite my hectic calendar during the course, Tom was very accommodating and was able to work with me to get the hours in. Regularly giving tips and advice, encouraging and pleasant. BigTom does exactly what he says, teaches you to drive." Tom Miles (aged 28)

Big Tom Driving School has been getting results from their trademark Intensive Driving Courses in Peterborough for years, tons of people are passing the driving test first time by using all the support and help that is offered.

Quality and value guaranteed - an ideal solution for people with busy lives.

(Over 25's get extra discounts on the price too!)

BIG TOM Driving School   Intensive Driving Course in Peterborough 01733 306016

Driving Lessons Spalding Space Around Your Car

Being aware of what is near your vehicle when on driving lessons in Spalding is really important.  There are plenty of places that crop up where maintaining the space around your car is very necessary.  Watch this video for some examples of being aware of space around your car on a driving lesson in Spalding.

Whether it be driving in the Town Centre, around St Thomas' Road or on the new by-pass, the principle remains the same - it is not something that is speed dependent.  Maintaining large spaces between your car and others is good as it reduces the need to quickly go on your brakes to react, and it provides a nice buffer of time in which you and others around you can respond safely.

When driving in slow moving traffic, not driving too close to the vehicle in front, when coming on to a roundabout not driving too close to the vehicle crossing you, when paused at a red traffic light, being aware of a cyclist or pedestrian really close to the car, when on a single carraigeway being aware of a motorbike wanting to overtake you, when overtaking on a motorway.  There are loads of examples of this very important principle, and applying it is a #gooddrivinghabit.  Check out my twitter feed "tukkr" for more of these lifetime good driving habits.

The key skill to develop on the BIG TOM intensive driving course in Spalding is to make yourself aware of what is around the car at important times, so that in the event of a potential hazard escalating, you as the driver, are aware of your responsibility to keep things safe.  The habit to develop on your course is identifying the times when mirror checks, and all round observations, are necessary and effective.  It takes time to develop this skill, and you are encouraged to practise it throughout your course.

BIG TOM Driving School   Intensive Driving Course in Spalding 01775 660 525

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