Now if you asked me this a few years ago my answer would have definitely have been yes, that would have been because I was then working as a qualified Driving Instructor as a job and obviously had a suitable car which had duel controls. In fact it was something I was really looking forward too. I no longer work as a driving instructor due to my long term illness and so I am now looking at it purely from a parent’s point of view.
Therefore,if you ask me that question today, the answer is a resounding NO! In fact, just today I have booked him to start his lessons with a reputable company and instructor. Many of you will think this is madness to throw all that money away on lessons even though I feel I could teach him no problem but I would only do so in a suitable car with duel controls, believe me I speak from experience that learner drivers try to kill you on a daily basis when they are only starting.
As many of my regular readers will know that before I had to give up work through illness I worked as a Qualified Driving Instructor. I happened to love the job and really miss it. What amazed me through my time working was how many people would cancel a driving lesson when the weather deteriorated. Some pupils who started driving in the summer hated going out in the darker nights. Some panicked when they had turned up for their test in the rain after managing to get through their lessons without driving in proper rainfall!! And don’t get me started on the snow!! I had to coax a few take their lessons as the snow had started to melt. Yet, in the highway code and the theory test there are multiple questions on how to change your style of driving to suit the weather conditions. Even now it amazes me how people still drive like idiots when it is chucking it down. They don’t adjust their speed and they certainly don’t adjust their distance from other vehicles in adverse conditions!!
Does this sound familiar to you? Are you one of those people who don’t really know how to adjust their driving in different conditions?
Well tune into this web show for the best advice around:
Winter driving master class
Log on to our web TV show for tips from motoring expert Quentin Willson on how to prepare your car and yourself for bad conditions
Show date: Thursday 3rd November
Show time: 15.00
If you’ve ever ventured out into the snow or ice in your car you’ll know it can be scary, dangerous and treacherous to navigate your vehicle while skidding around in low visibility.
But despite the fact winter driving requires a lot of skill and a vehicle that can handle the conditions, new research shows that millions of us continue to drive in terrible British winter conditions without really preparing ourselves for the journey ahead.
Unlike other European countries like Germany where winter driving is almost an artform and regulated by the Government, in the UK most of us don’t change to winter tyres, and most of us have never been given lessons in driving in snow and ice.
Furthermore, with a severe cold snap approaching once more this year, how many of us have started packing an emergency kit to chuck in the boot in case we break down and get stuck in freezing conditions for hours on end?
Motoring expert Quentin Willson has joined with Goodyear to help drivers prepare for winter by giving them driving and preparation tips to keep them safe this winter.
Log on to our Web TV show where Quentin and Kate Rock from Goodyear show you how to drive for the conditions and what could happen if you’re not prepared.
