On Thursday 7th March after 9 months of lessons I passed my driving test and I thought I’d share my driving journey, because I had a very positive journey with a couple of hiccups.
I actually started learning before I went to uni in my year off between college and uni. I went with the guy who taught my mum and that was going ok, until I started volunteering in charity shop as a placement from the Job Centre and that’s where the relationship broke down. Also he wanted me to book and take a theory test which I wasn’t in the frame of mind to do. Then I got a shop job to tie me over and the lessons fizzled out and stopped. I then went to uni and didn’t feel any want or need to drive, I was quite happy with the situation I was in.
It was June last year I seriously started thinking about learning to drive because it would make my life so much easier. Problem is it took so long to find an instructor, I started with ones in the local area but was unsuccessful with one even asking our postcode and saying he didn’t cover that area even though he was classed as local. I think tried Drive Johnsons and had a terrible experience with them they kept saying that my local instructors they had their diaries were closed and would re open at this time and then I’d phone back and they’d still be closed. I think i was refunded three times by them for a taster lesson because no one was ever available, yet in that time I saw a lot of Drive Johnson’s cars around. One of the reasons why I struggled so much with finding someone is because of my working hours I finish at 6pm three day a week and 4pm the other two days and then work some Saturdays until 1pm, added onto that I spent most weekends with Darren. My last option was with RED driving school and even that didn’t get off to a smooth start either because trying to find an instructor with the availability on their calendar was difficult. Then a new instructor came available through them and I finally had a 2 hour lesson booked. So the day of the lesson came and I waited and waited and waited, an hour passed and he didn’t turn up. So whilst I was on watching duties, my mum phoned the number and we found he wasn’t turning up, he told us it had been cancelled. So I straightaway phoned RED and had a really helpful person, who told us that that it hadn’t been cancelled as far as they were aware and they sorted me out with a new instructor.
This was the instructor I stuck with throughout the rest of the process, in the first lesson we spoke about my previous driving experience and how he was going to teach me. Firstly, I was happy because at that time the RED instructors drove Mini Coopers which is one of my favourite cars. He introduced me to reference points which consisted of three strategically placed markers on the front windscreen. There were two to my left one bigger than the other and one to my right, the first point is to help with road position whilst driving if this was touching the kerb then you had the correct road position. The shorter one next to that is to help when pulling up on the left hand side if this marker is touching the kerb when you pull the card in then you have a very good gap. The last one on the right hand side is to help with pulling up on the right hand side, again if this is touching the kerb then you have a good gap. The other key part of his teaching was something he called role play, basically whilst you are driving along you say everything you see as this will make you more observant and prepared whilst driving. For example “Is that car on his side of the road?” “How is my reference point?”. Also if you can plan out loud such as when approaching a roundabout “How busy is it?, Am I in the right gear?”. I found this really helped especially the planning side because I knew what I needed to do, I struggled with general role play because I just like to chat whilst driving. There were some lessons which I struggled through and others where I had no faults, it was a take it as it came each lesson developing each time. I used to have lessons on a Tuesday at 4pm pick up from work and go for 2 hours, which was so ideal for me. I originally paid the lessons through RED which was £63 for a 2 hour lesson with an added booking fee, I used to book an 8 hour package every month and then I was talking to my instructor about it and from then on I paid him directly which was £50 for 2 hours and obviously no booking fee which saved me so much money.
I passed my theory on my second attempt back in October so I booked my first actual driving test for first week of December at 3:30 ish at the Redditch test centre. Also in August RED changed all their cars from Minis to Renault Clio which actually ended up being an easier car to drive but I did love the Mini. What a disaster my first test was, my instructor picked me up about 12 ish from work and then I basically did a load of driving, we stopped for lunch and then went again. We had a nightmare, we had a lorry nearly reverse into us because he didn’t know where he going and then school traffic galore and this was before I’d been in for the test. So the test itself was a write off, I was a wreck from the moment I got in the car, I came out the test centre and rolled back a little bit which prompted my instructor to turn the Sat Nav off and direct me himself, thus taking me up a massive hill which I couldn’t get up, I think I stalled it and went into a breakdown panic. He had to take control and get me up the hill, obviously this is a clear sign that I had failed which I accept but what upset me is that he got angry with me for not doing this and that, then he put the handbrake on so much I physically couldn’t get it off again. We got up the hill and he directed me to turn right which I thought is fine I can do that, so I tried for him to tell me he still had the clutch, he then told me to turn left and we went down an even steeper hill, I felt so out of control of the car. Once at the bottom he asked me to pull over and then told me he was aborting the test and I had two options I could either walk back to the test centre with him, leaving the car then me and my instructor pick it up or he would walk back, leaving me with the car and tell my instructor where I am, which is the option I took because I had no idea where I was. About half an hour ish I think I was sat waiting for him to come back but he found me with help of a phone call and maps.
After that disaster I booked another test for February and the problem with that was more things couldn’t have gone wrong in the run up. My instructor got ill for about 2 weeks which coincided with my test, so I was going to move it when I got an email saying it had been cancelled due to the examiner not being available, I think this was a huge blessing in disguise so I moved to the 8th March and decided I would make this month of driving the best yet and really knuckle down with it, which is what I felt like I did. I was beginning to feel like I was getting to a point of I was going around in circles with it now, there was nothing else to teach me we had covered as many options as we could. On the Thursday my instructor picked me up from home and I drove to Redditch, we had a little bit of time as my test was at 10:14, he got the car cleaned and then it was test time. The worst part was I had the same examiner as last time, he asked me a show me tell me question which I think I did ok with and the read a number plate bit. Luckily from the off I had a pre set Sat Nav route which I think I was really lucky with because it took me around a load of residential parts with parked cars and bit of duel carriageway. However, during the test I stalled the car three times and I actually thought the third time that was it. We got back to the test centre and he nearly forgot to ask me to do a reverse park then he remembered and we pulled up, my instructor got in and what was said next I never expected and that was I had passed the test. I immediately cried because it was so unexpected. He gave me the little bits where I went wrong and also told me if I had stalled once more I would have failed. So he took my green license with him and that was that. If I needed to drive I’d have to take my pass certificate with me but I haven’t really driven fully yet so that was ok. My pink license came through 10 days later and now I feel like I can kick on and start driving. For now I can’t afford a car so I’ve been put on my Mum’s insurance and I am going to use her car which is a little Peugeot 108. My dream car is a Fiat 500 it’s something I have always wanted so that’s what I’m aiming for.
So after 9 months of lessons, two theory tests and two practical tests I passed and can now drive. Overall, I think going through RED was a good idea because it allowed me to find a decent driving instructor and have lessons that fitted around me. My only problem is that booking through RED is very expensive so I’d advise talking to your instructor about it but RED are a good starting point. I had a very positive experience my instructor was very chilled and didn’t get angry at all. I learnt a lot that will stay with me forever and I hope I can continue to have a positive driving experience. I appreciate that everyone’s experiences are different and I have been incredibly lucky with mine. I do encourage anyone who wants to learn to learn because it’ll be so much easier for you when you can.
Stacey x
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