Learning to drive.

There is more to learning to drive than just getting the car to stop and start where you want it to. The driving test, these days, is much more complex than it was even ten years ago. An examiner is not looking for a perfect drive, far from it indeed, but they do expect a test candidate to drive with a high level of anticipation and awareness. You must drive with courtesy, but not negatively. You must be positive and make progress where safe, but not use excessive speed and bully your way through situations.

Learning test routes may seem like a quick way to test, but in the long run, may lead to accidents in areas a new driver is un-used to. Not to mention, the DSA often introduce new routes! For this reason, I take learners over a variety of roads and areas, from single track country roads, to city centres. Recently, pupils have found themselves driving in, for example, Tenby, St. Davids, Cardigan and Fishguard.

The DSA recommends, and I couldn't agree more, that private practice between lessons is important in getting through your test earlier. But, the DSA also recommends that at least some lessons should be taken with a qualified instructor. Why is that? Simple, we know what the examiners expect and how to deal with situations the "DSA way". How many times have you heard someone say that they wouldn't pass a test today if they had to re-take it? But, those same people think they can teach someone to drive. The driving test has changed so much over the last couple of decades that, a person who teaches their child to drive how they were taught to drive at 17, is teaching them to fail!

I always aim to be as honest with my pupils as possible, I WILL NOT tell you that you are not ready for test if you are, but then again I don't put people in for test if they are not ready. Some instructors throw pupils at the test as soon as they think that on a really good day, with very good luck, they might just pass - does this sound how you want to pass your test? I don't believe in relying on luck, it's not safe for you, the examiner, my reputation and, above all, everyone else on the road. Also, with the cost of a driving test these days, plus 2 hours of lesson and car use on the day of of your test, this costs you around £100 - money far better spent on a few more lessons to achieve a first time pass.

Pass Rates

Pass rates are not a very accurate way of assessing how good an individual instructor is, they make no allowance for, for example, nervous pupils, but for the record my pass rates for the last 4 years were:

2005 - 55% 

2006 – 65%

2007 - 58%

2008 - 69%

2009 - 64%

In 2004/05 Haverfordwest test centre pass rate was 42.1% and Pembroke Dock 47.5%. In 2005/06 these figures were 47.1% and 44.3%. The DSA website quotes a national average of 42.3%. In 2007, 64% of those people who passed their test with me passed first time, 30% second time and 6% third time, in 2008 80% passed first time, 15% 2nd time and 5% 4th time and in 2009 69% passed first time and 31% second time.

In 2008 14 out of the 16 pupils of mine who passed achieved a mark less than the national average of 8 driving faults or more. In 2009, this was 15 out of 16, with one pupil achieving zero faults.

I am proud of these rates and believe they justify my belief in waiting till a pupil is really ready for the test. The DSA's motto is "Safe Driving For Life" and I believe this is the only way to teach people to drive on today's roads.