Hope you all had a lovely Christmas and ate and drank too much, we had a lovely week away and because Sean isn't like Rob Cooling I enjoyed not having to cook. Sean is still on holiday but I decided  to get back on the computer and sort out his emails, but mostly to brag to friends after being sworn to secrecy for so long.
I Nora Green is off to Buckingham Palace in May to the Queens Garden Party, Beats everything I've ever done! 

Well that's another year gone, finished work yesterday until the 5th January so I can unchain the wife from the computer.
After last year with just one student not passing their test first time I was hoping this year I might get all my students through first time but it wasn't to be, one still managed to fail on their first attempt. However, before you all starting thinks that result is so good, remember I'm old and lazy, don't work as hard as most of you therefore don't put as many tests up so have a better chance of less fails.
Hope you all have a Happy and Safe Christmas and all the Very Best for 2016

My wife and her trainer at the gym yesterday, apparently he says 1 - 2, 1 being the left hand. It didn't work so he changed it to Left - Right and had another trainer take photos for insurance purposes.
He's a braver man than me, because there isn't any difference in left and right.  She's a fantastic map reader, but waves her right hand about and says,  "take the next left." 

Well done to Megan Kennedy who passed her test on her first attempt.
Hope you get the Christmas present you are hoping for Megan and don't forget to be nice to your dad for all the extra lesson he gave you.
Have  good Christmas and all the Very Best for 2013 and remember my boring saying.
Can you see and be seen?
Drive Safely.

Anyone who has read todays Daily Express will see an article about grand parents not being aware of seat belt laws. It states that the driver is responsible for children up to 12 years old. To clear things up I have just copied Rule 100 from the Highway Code this morning.

The Highway Code.
Rule 100

The driver MUST ensure that all children under 14 years of age in cars, vans and other goods vehicles wear seat belts or sit in an approved child restraint where required (see table above). If a child is under 1.35 metres (approx 4 feet 5 inches) tall, a baby seat, child seat, booster seat or booster cushion MUST be used suitable for the child’s weight and fitted to the manufacturer’s instructions.

2014 was a really good year for me, just one person didn't pass first time therefore I thought, perhaps 2015 everyone I put up will pass first time. How wrong can you be?  So far this year for the first time ever got two serious and one dangerous and you wouldn't believe what for. Not to mention one doing 35mph in a 20 zone on a road we have to drive along to get to the test centre fortunately, because when the examiner questioned it he said he didn't know because he hadn't been on that road before.
Make me wonder what I'm doing wrong.

First time pass with only 2 minors for Monica Patel. Well done Monica, now you can go to uni and concentrate on your studies.
Drive Safely.

17/09/2015

Well Done Kathryn Wood, first time pass today with only two minors. Now you can relax, no more squeezing your baby bump behind that steering wheel.

Hope the imminent birth goes smoothly, if you do any more driving? Drive safely. 

Because Sean is useless with the computer and his mobile is still one of the original wind up ones I wrote down the instruction how pupils could access their licence details via our website. He complained this week the website wasn't working.
I got the pupils details and checked but could only get a message saying contact the DVLA. Incidentally they're on strike until Wednesday 3rd Sept. 
 Had another new pupil due to start next week give me their details today so I could check, yet again no record of that licence at the DVLA and to contact them.
I'm an expert at making say the number 21 into 12, but checked and rechecked. That's two new licences this week that aren't correct for whatever reason.
Anyone else having this problem?

Just had a weeks Mediterranean cruise, thought you might like to see one of my holiday photos. Lovely hot weather, low 40s, unfortunately in Florence we had a ten minute walk back to the tour bus as the roads turned to rivers. Nice was cancelled completely, waves too high, instead a full day in Villefrance which quickly changed to only half a day as we tried to make a run from the force 8 approaching storm. That was when the Captain put up new decorations (sick bags) all around the boat. But nevertheless with my phone switch off it was a lovely break.   

Side Street Emerging

Thank you for the card Emma, I enjoyed teaching you. Emma

passed her test last week.
Drive Safely

25/6/2015
Well Done to Emma Turner who passed her driving test today. See you for Pass Plus, in the meantime. Drive safely.

Lost a pupil a few months ago after three 1½ hour lessons, because she didn't like my style of instructing.
Second lesson I wasted too much time giving her too much information.
Third lesson, I didn't give her enough information so she informed me she would be moving to another instructor. Adding, "would you be offended if I came back to you if I didn't like them?"
I didn't answer because I thought it was a joke. Yesterday my wife got a call from her wanting to book a block of 10 hrs. Needless to say I have a full diary!

I have two slots available, Wednesday 1.30 until 3 and Thursday 9.30 until 11am. Also with two tests in the next couple of weeks there will be two Saturday morning slots available.
All my new starters in January are now beginning to leave me.

Finally saw the Watch Dog  report on Drive Dynamics. Starting about 2008, when Red were putting lots of instructors on the road, and everyone was cutting prices I stuck to my principles until we were desperate and I signed up for 6 months, £99 per week to D/D.
Had to have an online diary, (never came) so my wife came with me to speak to them. First thing they did was offer us coffee, it never came and the wife said, that's not good.
Everything is done by text, you give them post codes which they ignore and send you pupils a days drive away. You text back refusing that pupil then two weeks later get a text saying the pupil is complaining because you didn't turn up.
I paid weekly letting them use my debit card, sometime I paid twice in one week! Sometimes I got threatening texts saying I hadn't paid that week so would be charged extra.
You did the first lesson, then two weeks later you got the payment for that lesson.
Because of D/D I realised what a fantastic local bank I had, which also happened to be D/D bank.  Where I couldn't get to speak to anyone at D/D the bank could and was able to inform them they were looking at their account and could see they'd taken the money.
I gave the required notice to end the contract and guess what, the next week they still took the money. My bank got it refunded but they did the same the following week. With that the helpful young men at the bank took my debit card, cut it up and reported it lost. I got a threatening text the following week because they couldn't get a payment. In the six months I worked for them I got nine pupils, plus two they sent to me, which naturally I ignored, two weeks after I left. 
They may have a bad reputation with pupils, they have an even worse reputation with local instructors I've spoken to.

Congratulations to Anna Genders who passed 1st time with just 2 minors.  Anna is one of those students who has learned to drive in months because she came out for every lesson wanting to learn, never cancelled, listened and enjoyed herself. She is now off to America to coach football.
Be safe Anna, you were a joy to teach. 

Unprofessional Drivers

This video demonstrates how unprofessional so called professional drivers can be.

Holidaymakers are being warned to expect a summer of car hire disruption after it emerged that the DVLA is to scrap the paper counterpart of driving licences from 8 June, with drivers told to obtain a special online code before heading abroad – or possibly be refused a rental car.

In what it says is a purge on red tape, the DVLA is abolishing the paper counterpart that currently accompanies all UK photocard licences. It is advising drivers to destroy the document (not their paper licence if they still have one) because it will no longer be legally valid. Instead, all endorsements will be held electronically on a web-based service called “Share Driving Licence”.

But fears are growing that the “very muddled” introduction of the new rules will almost certainly lead to some hirers being turned away by car firms this summer. This is because many car hire companies insist on examining the paper document to check on any endorsements or bans.

After 8 June holidaymakers will have to log on to the DVLA website the day before they leave and input their driving licence number and national insurance number. The system will then generate a one-time passcode which the holidaymaker can give to the hire company when they arrive at the desk.

The code is only valid for 72 hours, which will mean that holidaymakers hiring a car in the second week of a foreign trip face having to find an internet cafe and log on abroad, or pay roaming charges, if they want to show the car hirer their record. If they fail to produce the online code, the car hire firm may call the DVLA’s premium rate line (charged at up to £3 a minute) to check the driver’s status – if they can get through.

A spokeswoman for Hertz says: “We will ask customers for the DVLA one-time pass code, or for the PDF of the driver record, or we will use the DVLA premium-rate line – but this has restricted hours of operation.”

DVLA says the Share Driving Licence system, which is still being worked on, will be ready in time for 8 June.

Reminder. If you are booking your tests,applying for a new licence  do so through our website. Go to Resources and there you will find the official channels that don't charge you a booking fee.
Just applied to renew EHI cards but instead of going through the website I found what I wanted on Google. Halfway through I saw the sign for credit card payment. Knowing it's a free service I came out immediately, this is the second time I almost got caught out. Ugov is at the bottom of the page not at the top as you would expect.  Be careful.

Apparently I'm Xenophobic

This month’s MSA Newslink carries an article stating that EU migrants are able to go over to Northern Island in bus loads to take their Theory Test because they can use the voice over translation. Then come back and drive on our roads.  Rather defeats the objective of banning translators over here don’t you think.

But what has really sent me over the top is the statement made by the instructor who taught me to drive, now head of the MSA, someone I’ve respected for more than 30 years.

At the end of a long maddening article John ends with.  Quote. ‘It does make you wonder whether scrapping translations had nothing to do with road safety but everything to do with playing to the UKIP/xenophobic crowd.’

Apparently 70% of us MSA members were in favour of scrapping translators, I thought my reason was because or road safety, apparently not, I’m xenophobic.

Joe Marsden passed his test back in January and like most of my pupils was going to do Pass Plus, that is usually the last I hear from them. Not Joe, he drove past me today, waving, flashing lights, with a horn that sounded like an ice cream van, then later I got a text.

Hi Sean it’s Joe, many thanks for helping me pass my driving test and for the friendly service whilst I was learning. I feel I no longer require any more lessons off you now but I just thought It would be right to say that I appreciate your patience and reliability. So yeah have a good one.
Thank You Joe, be safe.

Story told to me by a student yesterday.
Many, many years ago when her husband passed his driving test, he parked his car near a roadside sign that said something like 1 hour, no return within 2 hours. Yes he did, he only wanted to nip into a shop but he walked around for two hours,  got back to his car to find a parking ticket! Apparently he was only 18 at the time.

Thank you Jessica, I wouldn't dare argue with anyone in your position. However, had you done what I told you and not booked the first test of the day in January, it wouldn't have been cancelled because of icy roads.
Be Safe.

First time pass for Jessica Aspinall who finally passed her test yesterday after the first test was cancelled because of the snow. Because of Jessica's job we can't have a photo so instead you have one of my boss.
Thank you for the cards and chocs Jessica.
Be safe.

Gave a young lady a refresher lesson yesterday. She passed her test two weeks ago with another instructor, got herself a little car but can't drive it. It keeps stalling. 
Her friend my pupil introduced us after she told me the story, I explained she had probably had lesson in a diesel car and the instructor to make live easier for him had taught her to start without gas. My highly experienced pupil (six hours),  tried to help her by telling her she had to use the gas pedal. She did  a bit too hard, but got lucky.
Yesterday we spent an hour stopping and staring, even found a little hill and she ended the lesson happy and confident.
I have a petrol car because of this, but why do instructors with diesel not teach them to use the gas?

Sean has just had a lucky escape, got a phone call from a lady, just failed her test in Ashton and has booked another in five weeks time because the examiner told her to rebook right away as she is an excellent driver!
She came to us via I think, Mike in Rochdale who obviously wouldn't teach in Ashton.
She lives in Oldham which is out of our area but was willing to travel by bus to Ashton, right away a no no.. She has been having trouble with instructors they keep p***ing her off by playing the radio and going into shops but she has reported them to the DVSA.
My advise was to find an instructor in Oldham and take her test in Failsworth, nearer. Can't do that, failed loads of times there and reported 4 examiners for their conduct.
Honest it's all true, I might not be able to read but my ears work, thanks Mike.

I always tell my pupils when ready to book their test to go on line then phone my wife. They are advised not to book early test this time of the year, however, there is always one who knows better. Had to get up at 6am this morning, arrived at the test centre in the snow for the first test only to be told as expected it had been cancelled.
So annoying when it could have been avoided, and no I stopped booking tests years ago after a couple of pupils couldn't get time off work for the tests I'd booked.

Answer to a question posed by Scott Rigby about keeping the names of people phoning because their instructor has let them down.
A couple of years ago my wife booked in a foreign gentleman who's English was almost none existent. 
I struggled with him for about 10 hourly lessons, had no concept whatsoever about road signs, lines, speed limits. Every question I asked or instruction I gave him the answer was, "yes yes."
Then he got a 100%  pass on his Theory and booked his test. I told him not in my car, still couldn't control the clutch. I know of at least 6 other instructors he called and he must have been going through a list because he even called here another couple of time without I'm sure any idea who he was calling. 
That makes me one of the nasty instructors letting down a pupil who had booked their test.

My first this year, "my test is tomorrow and my instructor has hurt his back." Was told if his instructor calls us I'll do his test. It's always males who get let down by instructors, never females. They are always told the same thing yet  I never hear from any instructors.  My wife logs all calls and texts  and from the 21 September  till today 27 males have been let down by their instructor after booking their test. Wonder why?

14/1/2015.
Well Done Joe Marsden, My first pass this year,  Joe  passed his driving test yesterday with just 2 minors.  See you next week for motorway drive. In the meantime Be Safe.

Do you know your National Insurance number? I know mine, my wife spent ages before she found something  with her number on.
My wife has just shown me what pupils will have to do to produce the proof they would have on their green counterpart.
None of my pupil have printers therefore when they attend for their test are the examiners  going to stand there while they trail through this information on their mobiles?
Someone tell me I've got this all wrong.

Got a new student starting next week after he had a discussion with a student of mine because he didn't understand about stalling the car. He was happy with his instructor, loved the car belonging to a Nationwide Driving School. Never stalled because if he stopped for any length of time the engine cut out then restarted when he went back on the gas. Then she questioned if he would be able to afford that car when he passed his test? No. So if he stalled his car would he know what to do? He's going to continue his lessons in my common Clio which you can stall.

Hope you all have a happy and successful 2015 and that you all had a better Christmas and New Year than we did.  Started with a cold the week before Christmas which turned into the horrible bug that is going round. My wife was the first to start, so as you can see is now recovering, while I'm off back to bed leaving her to contact all the people we put off until the New Year. 
The most annoying thing for us both is, not having eaten anything properly for almost a month we haven't lost any weight. Life is cruel.
Happy New Year