Students, when your mates give you driving advice confirm it with me. Two from today, " When you take your test make sure you don't just look into your mirrors. The examiner won't see you if you just glance." Wrong, the examiner won't be very pleased if you take your eyes off the road for so long. "If the traffic light has just gone to red and there is someone behind you don't stop. That's legal, because they might run into the back of you " Wrong, red means stop. I wonder if this is why so many people ignore red lights?

I know I'm an old fuddy duddy and I don't move with the times and one of my old fashioned ideas that everyone laughs at is my insistence of a spare wheel in the car rather than a can of spray. Yesterday a former pupil who passed a couple of years ago called me asking, "Do you still insist on a spare wheel?" Apparently during their holiday, along with his wife and six month old baby they were stranded for over an hour on a deserted road in the Scottish Highlands. A rock had taken out the side of one tyre, the can of spray wasn't any use, they didn't have a signal on their phones and because of the baby were beginning to panic. Eventually a passing motorist rescued them. He called to tell me that as they go out into the middle of nowhere quite often, now back home he's decided to be as fuddy duddy as I and bought a spare wheel.

I would prefer my student not to take their Practical Test at certain time of the day, however I'm now telling them to 'just book it' whatever time of day, then to keep checking for cancellations. Shell was fortunate to get a cancellation but she did almost live on the site. The next available tests at my two local centres aren't until the end of September. Theory test aren't much better either one student had to travel from Greater Manchester to Sheffield to take his Theory rather than wait for the local one to come available.

Shell Rowlinson-Smyth

I passed!! Thank you Sean for your help and advice it was much appreciated.

Shell passed her test first time yesterday, not with me but in her own car. She had been learning to drive in the family car but decided she needed proper lessons with an instructor. Having taught her brother she came to me.

After a few lessons, tidying up the silly mistakes it became apparent she was struggling trying to adapt to driving two different cars so I advised her she should be in the car she felt most confident in.

Therefore I am going to claim just a little bit of credit for Shell's pass.

Drive Safely Shell.