Blog posts tagged ‘car’

The summer’s here and it’s hot for once! Just as in the winter there are a few things you can do to help stay safe on the roads:

1. Stay cool – open your windows, or preferably use your air conditioning. Being hot and sticky will lead to drowsiness and a lack of concentration
2. Take regular breaks  –  when you start to feel tired make sure you stop and have a break. Don’t drive if you’re feeling too tired to fully concentrate.
3. Keep hydrated  –  drink lots of water to keep your body hydrated
4. Screen wash – don’t forget to have plenty of screen wash. Flies hitting your windscreen soon affect visibility. Keep the windscreen clean.
5. Check your fluids and tyres – ensure that you have the correct coolant and oil levels. An engine is more likely to overheat in hot weather, especially if you get caught in a traffic jam.  Tyres can also get very hot on a long journey; the hotter the tyre, the higher the tyre pressure. Regularly check the condition of your tyres.
6. Animals – never leave a dog or other animal in a hot car. The temperature inside a parked car can soar very quickly, potentially resulting in the death of your pet and possibly even criminal charges for animal cruelty.

Most learners I teach don’t have the opportunity to drive other than when on driving lessons. But some do get the benefit of being able to practise in their own/parent’s/partner’s car. These lucky few are able to gain experience of different road traffic situations more quickly and are generally ready to take their test earlier than those who haven’t had extra practice.  Some instructors feel that learners tend to pick up bad habits from their family and friends supervising them, but as long as the practice is taken alongside regular professional driving lessons then I don’t believe that this is the case.

Adding a younger learner to a policy can be prohibitively expensive. There are cheaper options available such as short term policies, held by the learner themselves. One such policy is offered by a company called Marmalade Provisional, who have a tie in with Halfords. They offer policies from as little as £90 per month although this does vary with location. I have checked with them, and for a learner with a Selly Oak B29 postcode, the cost would be £99.50 for one month, or £187.00 for two months.

I believe that in the run up to a test this type of policy can really give a learner an extra boost to their learning experience, raise their confidence and increase their chances of passing the test first time.

Click here for more details…