No Mow May

Banish your lawnmower to the shed this May and take part in No Mow May. Watch beautiful flowers come into bloom and help pollinators such as bees, butterflies and beetles.
With two Bank Holidays in the UK this May, the traditional sound of lawnmowers buzzing is fading away as more gardeners prefer the sound of silence, in support of No Mow May.

Road Verges

It was then suggested that local councils did the same on the road sides, verges & more.

We love to see wildflowers in the grass verges, but it has to be properly managed. If you spend a lot of time on the road you might find that long grass on verges can block lines of sight. If you can’t see properly at junctions and roundabouts it could cause accidents, and it will make it harder for less experienced drivers and learners. Where do you stand on this debate? Would you rather see wildflowers and long grass verges? Or do you find it’s having a bad impact on road safety? 

Pass With Us!

We aim to get our learners through their practical driving test first time, but sometimes we all make mistakes. If you’ve just failed your driving test don’t worry! It can make you feel like you will never pass, but you will get through it and pass with a bit of extra practice and support. The first thing to do is not give up! You’re allowed to book your next test 10 working days away from your last test (this generally works out to 2 weeks unless it’s over Christmas or Easter). As there is always great demand for driving tests you may have to wait a bit longer for your re-test.

Positive Change

So what should you do to make this new test turn out better than your last? It will help to identify what made you fail last time. Don’t beat yourself up about your mistakes, but identifying the reason for your failure will help you to avoid making the same mistake again.

Was it a problem with one of your manoeuvres? Maybe you just struggled to park, this can be easily rectified. You should ask for more practice at the manoeuvres that you find difficult, so the next time you face them in your test you’ll be able to do it without problems. Knowing you’ve got this well practiced will increase your confidence and help with the rest of the test.

Confidence

The problem could just be your driving confidence, so you need to ask for more general driving practice. If you have a parent or friend that will let you practice in their car this could be a good way to get enough practice to make you more confident next time. Maybe your problem isn’t the driving at all, it could be that you’re nervous and struggle with all exams. In this case more driving practice is still helpful, but you also need to find ways to cope with exam stress. This could be breathing techniques to keep you calm, or practicing taking the test so you have a chance to think through every part of it. Sometimes knowing that you’ve done it well before will help to keep you calm. If you feel it’s your nerves stopping you from passing talk to your driving instructor, as well as other people in your life such as your teachers, family and friends. Everyone will want to help you to overcome this hurdle, and they might have useful techniques to help. You might find a lot of people you know also struggle to pass tests, and you’re not alone. At Always Pass we’re experts in driving, and also in supporting people to learn to be great drivers and pass their test.

Let Us Help

If you feel you’re ready to try again, or maybe you’d like to try a new approach, get in touch and find out how we can help you pass your test.

De-ice

The best way of getting rid of ice on the outside of the windscreen is turn the car on, and the heater on full, ensuring the heat is directed to the screen. Turn the air-con on as well, this will help to keep the inside of the car dry. Make sure the windscreen wipers are turned off before you have cleared the ice away, as it’ll damage the blades of the wipers. You then need to use a scraper and/or liquid de-icer to completely clear the outside of the windscreen and the other windows and mirrors.

Using the air-con and heaters should also help to clear the inside of the windscreen. Something else that can help is to keep the humidity levels down in your car. You can get car dehumidifiers, these will absorb some of the moisture in the car to avoid some of the fog that collects on the windscreen. If you find you have a problem with the inside of your windscreen just use a clean, dry cloth to wipe the glass to make sure it’s clear and you can see properly before you set off. I know de-icing the car isn’t anyone’s favourite job, but if you’re a new driver you can think how much better it is in your nice warm car than having to walk!

Learn Safely

Most learners will recognise that we need to use the appropriate speed for the road and conditions. For a learner to pass their theory test they will have learnt what a speed limit sign looks like (that is limit not the speed you have to travel at!) Learners also need to know stopping distances, and these eloquently show the faster you’re travelling the longer distance it will take you to stop.

You have to wonder why the speed cameras are there if they’re not turned on. Some people think they will slow traffic down, as drivers don’t know if it’s turned off. This probably works if the camera is very visible, and if it’s slowing the traffic, then it’s doing a good job. Other drivers might feel that if a camera has been out of action for a long time it should be removed. They could be a distraction when driving, and as we should be aware of our speed at all times any unwanted distractions should be removed. Whichever side of the debate you’re on, we’re all better drivers if we’re aware of our speed.

Get in Touch

If you’d like to learn to drive safely get in touch. We’re experienced driving instructors, and will help you to become a great driver.

‘Tell Me’ Questions

Tell me how you’d check that the brakes are working before starting a journey.

Well it’s obvious why they might want to know that new drivers can check their brakes. No-one wants cars on the road that don’t have working brakes! That’s dangerous for everyone, not just drivers…So how do you answer the question? (and more importantly how do you stay safe?!) You should test your brakes as you set off. They shouldn’t feel spongy or slack. When you’re driving slowly brake and the car shouldn’t pull to one side when under braking.

Tell me where you’d find the information for the recommended tyre pressures for this car and how tyre pressures should be checked.

Tyre pressures can affect braking and fuel economy, so it is important for new drivers to understand how to check them. This is a simple and important part of owning a car.

To answer the question correctly you’d find the information in the manufactures guide. To check use a reliable pressure gauge to check the tyres when they’re cold. Don’t forget to check the spare tyre, and refit all of the valve caps.

Tell me how you make sure your head restraint is correctly adjusted so it provides the best protection in the event of a crash.

It is important to have well-adjusted head rests, as if you had a bump it would help to protect your neck from serious injury. This one is nice and easy to answer, it should be adjusted so the rigid part of the head rest is at least as high as the eye or top of the ears, and as close to the head to be comfortable. Some cars don’t have adjustable head restraints.

Tell me how you’d check the direction indicators are working. You don’t need to exit the vehicle.

This one is just like how you’d check the headlights, again not such a tricky question to answer. You just need to explain how to turn the indicators on and walk around to check the lights are working.

Tell me how you’d check the brake lights are working on this car.

This might seem trickier than the other lights to check, as you can’t leave them on and walk around to check, but the answer is actually quite simple. If you have a friend with you, just ask them to check the lights whilst you operate the brake pedal. If you’re on your own you can still check your brake lights. Just park with the rear of the car opposite a window or door that has a reflective surface. You can then see the reflection of the brake lights to check they work.

Tell me how you’d check the power-assisted steering is working before starting a journey.

Unless you’ve ever driven an older car that doesn’t have power steering you won’t realise how much difference the power steering makes!

If the steering becomes heavy, the system may not be working properly. Before starting a journey, 2 simple checks can be made.

Gentle pressure on the steering wheel, maintained while the engine is started, should result in a slight but noticeable movement as the system begins to operate. Alternatively turning the steering wheel just after moving off will give an immediate indication that the power assistance is functioning.

Tell me how you switch your headlight from dipped to main beam and explain how you’d know the main beam is on.

You need to show where the headlights switch is, the picture shows full beam and dipped lights. If your main beam is on you should have a light on your dashboard. It’s important that you know the difference, as your main beam lights will shine a lot further down the road, and might blind oncoming traffic. Dipped lights should be used around town, full beam is for very rural areas without street lighting. If you see another car coming  you must dip your lights to avoid blinding them.

Open the bonnet and tell me how you’d check that the engine has sufficient oil.

For this one you’ll need to open the bonnet (make sure you know how to do this in your car). Tell the examiner how you’d check the oil. The dipstick to check the oil can be found by unscrewing the oil filler cap, this usually has a picture of an oil can on it (and is sometimes yellow). You would need to explain how to remove the dipstick, clean it by wiping on a rag then dip fully into the oil and remove. The level of oil should be between the max and min markers on the dipstick.

Open the bonnet and tell me how you’d check that the engine has sufficient engine coolant.

It’s important to have had a look under the bonnet before you get to the tell me questions, so you can identify where the coolant would go. In most cars it’s clearly marked coolant. You would need to explain it should be filled to between the high and low level markers. This should be filled with coolant, or anti freeze not water.

Open the bonnet and tell me how you’d check that you have a safe level of hydraulic brake fluid.

For this question you need to open the bonnet and show where the brake fluid goes, this is identified by this picture. Explain you need to check that the level is between the high and low markings.

That’s the whole list of questions! You’ll only be asked one of them, it only takes a little preparation and you will be able to face them with confidence. We always fully prepare our learners for their driving test, we love it when people pass first time!

If you’d like to learn with us, we’d love to teach you. Just get in touch with the form below.

Why become a Driving Instructor?

If you love driving and are thinking of a career change why not consider becoming a driving instructor? You can work the hours that you choose, which is very useful if you have kids or older people that you care for, or any other commitments on your time. You have a great sense of achievement when one of your learners passes their test, it is a job with great job satisfaction. Another reason it’s a great job is that you meet a wide range of other people, you might think it’s all young people, but people can learn to drive at any stage of their life. It’s interesting to get to know people from all walks of life. So if you’re looking for a rewarding career, with great benefits and job satisfaction being a driving instructor could be the choice for you!

There is currently a shortage of driving instructors in the UK, so once you’ve passed your driving instructor training and exams you won’t be short of opportunities. You can work on your own, for a larger company, or talk to us about a franchise. Our franchises are good value as we manage the running of the business leaving you free to teach your learners. We’re also here to support you, if you’re newly qualified it’s useful to have someone experienced to ask when you need a little guidance.