Cheap Driving Lessons - Part 1

With people worried about the credit crunch and the recession, it's perfectly natural and sensible to economise on what you spend. I do exactly the same myself.

When you go to a shop you usually know what you're getting. You know exactly what Coca Cola is and what to expect from the product inside the can or bottle. You can shop around and compare prices on a like for like basis. The can of Coke you buy from a big supermarket is going to be the same as the one you buy from the local corner shop or the petrol station as it's the same product - the only thing that is different is the price.

However, driving lessons aren't the same.

A driving lesson from one instructor will be totally different from one given by another instructor. Unlike cans of Coke, there's a variable "human" element involved.

Personality, teaching style, adaptability, professionalism, committment to customer service, reliability, punctuality...all of these are factors that wll be different in every single driving instructor, even though they are all ultimately teaching the same subject.

Over the past few months, I keep coming across people on the internet who want to learn to drive, but state that they want a driving instructor who is "good, cheap and will get me through my test in as few lessons as possible".

Unlike popular fizzy drinks, when it comes to driving instructors, the words "good" and "cheap" rarely go together.

Before I explain why I think that cheap driving lessons can be a very false economy, I'm going to put the reason why everyone should learn to drive PROPERLY into perspective...

Driving is a skill for life. A car is a dangerous weapon. When driving, you are in charge of several hundredweight of hard, unyielding metal with a powerful engine capable of travelling at an extremely fast speed.

A car can literally be lethal if not used properly...it can injure and kill, not only you, but other people too. Road accident statistics make horrifying reading;

• Every day in the UK, 23 young people, under the age of 25, are killed or seriously injured in vehicles. Most of these collisions are caused by bad driving. Not the vehicle, the road, or the conditions
• 1 in 5 drivers crash within their first year of driving
• It is estimated that as many as one in five of all serious road accidents involve drivers under the age of 21
• Around 3,000 young drivers are killed or seriously injured on Britain's roads each year
• Young drivers are more likely to be involved in high speed crashes, single vehicle crashes involving losing control, crashes in the dark and crashes when overtaking and negotiating bends

Given that driving is so potentially dangerous, it never ceases to amaze me that so many people are determined to skimp on professional training and rush into doing something that could well cost them their lives if they make a mistake...

"Getting through your driving test in as few lessons as possible" does NOT mean that you will be safe on the roads. You need to think beyond "getting through your driving test" and think about what "driving" actually means.

Before you put the keys into the ignition of your own car and head off down life's highway, you need experience of different road and traffic situations and to know how to anticipate and plan to avoid or deal with dangerous or confusing situations. You also need to be considerate and responsible towards other road users yourself...in other words, you must be properly and adequately trained to handle your car safely. Just knowing enough to "get through your driving test quickly" isn't going to help you, if you meet a situation you don't know how to handle.

Learning to drive properly isn't cheap..but neither are the cost of funerals...think about it...

Back to the cost of driving lessons. Why are some instructors more expensive than others? I've heard people suggest that a driving instructor who charges more than £20 per hour is "ripping people off" and they know "someone who does 5 lessons for £49".

I won't make this blog entry too long, so I'll stop at this point. In Part 2 of this series of "Cheap Driving Lessons" blog posts, I'll be explaining EXACTLY why "someone who does 5 lessons for £49" can end up costing you MUCH MORE MONEY than a driving instructor charging £20 or more per hour...

Where's The "Easiest" Place To Take My Driving Test?

You know what piddles me off with the driving test?

It's a standard test conducted in non-standard places.

I had a girl ring me up last week who'd failed her test a few times in London. She was looking for places she could get to on the train to come out of London and take her test...she wanted to know whether taking her test in Slough would be easier for her to pass...

The answer should be "No"...but it isn't.

The Driving Standards Agency don't release these figures very often but from the last published figures they gave out (April 2003 to March 2004), the national pass rate is 42.8% (that's a figure based on the total number of tests taken at every test centre in the UK)...BUT, when you look at the figures for individual test centres, it's massively variable e.g;

Slough 46%
Salen (Isle of Mull) 55.6%
Glasgow (Shettleston) 32.2%
Inveraray 80.0 %
Aberfedy 64.8%
Leeds 27.9%
Norwood South 29.5%
Pwllheli 60.8%
Reading 39.4%
Wood Green Lords 25.6%
Hayes 40.1%

(source: http://www.2pass.co.uk/passrates.htm)

Does that mean that learner drivers in Inveraray and Aberfedy are miles better than those in Wood Green or Glasgow?

If you look at the stats, yes...but of course it's the fact that traffic conditions in Inveraray and Aberfedy are markedly different than the roads of Wood Green or Glasgow...

The system allows a person who passes their test in a rural area where the most taxing situation they meet is Farmer McGiles blocking the road with his sheep to then be fully licenced to head off to Glasgow or London or anywhere else, even though they've probably never driven round a one-way system or complex roundabout etc...

Barmy...

I told the young lady that...she's probably on her way to Inveraray as I type this...

DSA Overcharge 270,000 Driving Test Candidates Since November 2005

In a press release issued on 18 June 2008, the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) have stated that due to "an error in regulations" dating back to November 2005, approximately 270,000 driving test candidates who booked their driving tests to take place on a SATURDAY were overcharged.

The DSA state that they will be writing to all those affected to apologise and to offer a refund, but that anyone wanting further information in the meantime can ring them on 0191 201 4098 and talk to an advisor.

The press release reads as follows;

"DSA Press release - SATURDAY DRIVING TESTS
SATURDAY DRIVING TESTS

The Driving Standards Agency is writing to learner driver candidates who have booked practical tests on a Saturday since November 2005, to offer a refund for overpayment of fees caused by accidental overcharging and to apologise for the error.

We are taking this action because of an error in regulations made on 1 November 2005 which had the unintended consequence of removing the differential between normal weekday hours and Saturday charges for taking a test.

The refund offered is the premium paid for a Saturday test, currently £10.50 for a car test.An amending regulation has now been laid in Parliament to reinstate in law the intended differential in fees. The Agency is obliged to recover administrative costs through fees, including the extra costs of Saturday operation, for example in overtime. Tests booked from 7 July onwards will be charged at the intended Saturday rate of £67.00.

The Driving Standards Agency apologises for the error and is contacting all those affected, but customers can speak direct to the Agency’s advisers by calling (0191) 201 4098 if they want information in the meantime. DSA believes around 270,000 candidates will be affected."

Source: DSA Press Release - Saturday Driving Tests

Increase in Practical Test "Vehicle Safety Questions" (Show-Me-Tell-Me) from 01 July 2008

From 01 July 2008, six additional "Show-Me-Tell-Me" questions will be introduced to the Practical Driving Test.
The 13 current questions remain and test candidates will still only be asked 2 out of the 19 questions.















The additional questions are as follows;


"Show me how you would clean the windscreen using the windscreen washer and wipers

Show me how you would set the demister controls to clear all the windows effectively, this should include both front and rear screens

Show me how you would switch on the rear fog light(s) and explain when you would use it/them. (No need to exit vehicle)

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

Show me how you switch your headlight from dipped to main beam and explain how you would know the main beam is on whilst inside the car

Tell me how you would know if there was a problem with your anti lock braking system"


Full details of the existing and additional Vehicle Safety Questions can be found at the Driving Standards Agency website as follows;

Vehicle Safety Questions

Driving Test Fees Increasing AGAIN

The DSA Business Plan 2008/2009 has outlined proposals to increase the Practical driving test fee for cars to £64.00 (daytimes)/£76.00 (evenings & weekends) in 2009.

See my previous blog entries for my thoughts on the massive price hikes in the cost of driving tests since 2007 already...

I cannot comment further at this stage...for once in my life, words completely fail me :(

DSA Stop Issuing "Proper" Theory Test Pass Certificates

Theory Test pass certificates have been scrapped.

From 01 April 2008 the DSA stopped issuing separate Theory Test certificates. They now merely print the test pass number on the bottom of the computer generated results page that the test centre staff give to Theory Test candidates before they leave the test centre.












The Theory Test pass certificate used to look OK. It looked like a "proper" certificate and for many people gaining a pass and having a certificate to mark their achievement was tangible evidence that they'd succeeded and was rightly something for them to be proud of.

The Theory Test requires study and self-motivation. The test isn't so simple and straightforward that "everyone passes first time" - far from it, many people fail - so why does a Government agency treat laudable success with what amounts to derision?

This time last year it cost £21.50 to take the Theory Test. This increased to £28.50 in September 2007 and on 01 April 2008, a mere seven months later, the price increased again, this time to £30.00.

An increase of £8.50 - 39.5% over the course of a year. That's a big increase.

One can only assume that the "proper" Theory Test pass certificate has been abandoned in a cost-cutting measure...I would say perhaps that's fair enough, after all thrift is a virtue - if it weren't for the recent massive increases in the test fee...

How can they justify charging people more but giving them less?

It smacks of penny-pinching in the worst possible way...

Your Driving Licence - Look After It!

I had a phone call today from someone saying she'd lost the "letter" that came with her driving licence and was it important...closer questioning revealed that she had lost the paper part of her licence....this is bad...this is not something you want to do...no, really, I'm not joking...

Those of us who deal with learner drivers on a daily basis have come across this time and time again. People (especially teenagers) get their provisional driving licence and eagerly grab the plastic photocard bit for use as ID to get into pubs, clubs etc and ignore the boring paper bit it's stuck too...BAD MOVE...THE PAPER BIT IS IMPORTANT SO DON'T LOSE IT, THROW IT AWAY OR DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN PUT IT SOMEWHERE VERY SAFE...

Why?

I'll tell you why...

Both the photocard and paper counterpart constitute your driving licence and they should ideally be kept together.

You should take good care of your driving licence as it is an important document and is widely acceptable as proof of identity - losing or throwing away the paper part of your driving licence could easily leave you vulnerable to identity fraud...

YOU MUST PRODUCE BOTH THE PAPER AND PHOTOCARD PARTS OF YOUR DRIVING LICENCE WHEN YOU TAKE BOTH THE THEORY AND PRACTICAL DRIVING TESTS - IF YOU DO NOT PRODUCE BOTH PARTS OF YOUR LICENCE YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO TAKE EITHER TEST AND YOU WILL LOSE THE FEE YOU HAVE PAID FOR THE TEST.

You must replace your driving licence if it has been lost, stolen, defaced or destroyed.

You must also replace your whole licence if you've lost either the paper counterpart or the photocard.

You can apply for a replacement driving licence online, by telephone or by post.

Fee For A Replacement Driving Licence
The fee for a duplicate driving licence is £17.50


How To Apply For A Replacement Driving Licence
The DVLA accepts the following forms of payment for online or phone applications; Visa, Eurocard, Mastercard and Maestro.

Apply for a replacement driving licence online

Telephone - 0870 240 0009 (Monday to Friday 8.00 am - 8.30 pm or Saturday 8.00 am - 5.30 pm)


For full details of how to apply for a replacement driving licence, please see DirectGov-Duplicate driving licence, replacing if lost, stolen, defaced or destroyed


You must also report any changes affecting your driving licence to the DVLA such as change of address, change of name etc - for more details, please see DirectGov - Change of name and address on your driving licence