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Thursday, 14 July 2011

Learner Drivers Count The Costs as Pass Rates Fall

The Independent July 10 2011

Olivia Baldock, training co-ordinator at the Driving Instructors Association, said: "As the recession has hit harder over the past few years, more and more people have decided to save money and take lessons from parents and other relations.


"This is not always a good combination and can mean that people have to spend a lot more as they do not get the right training and end up having to take more tests and pay for more lessons."


At Beverly Slater School of Motoring we encourage private practice with family and friends because additional experience will make a safer driver. Our Instructors will work with the supervising driver, giving advice on what the learner needs to practice, where to take them. We also encourage the supervising driver to sit in on a lesson, so they can see the learner's ability before venturing out with them.


To read the full article please click on the weblink:

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/motoring/motoring-news/learner-drivers-count-the-cost-as-pass-rates-fall-2309912.html


Saturday, 9 July 2011

Learn to Drive Before or After University?

University tuition fees are a real hardship for today's students. When my sons went to university a couple of years ago, they encountered the same problems and had to make important 'lifechanging' choices.

My boys chose to learn to drive at 17 and so when they went off to uni they had already obtained their driving licences. This saved a fortune in the cost of driving lessons as the younger you are the faster you learn, therefore, it took less time and cost less money. Their ability to drive helped them with job opportunities whilst at university and once they finished university, it also meant they could hold down holiday jobs without the need of mum's taxi service.

Tuition fees do not have to be paid back until they started earning a set amount (£21,000pa now), which means that for the first couple of years they didn't pay anything back. The Martin Lewis website has great, useful information re Student Loans:


A lot of my sons' friends went to university first and have then had travel to and from jobs on unreliable, expensive, and busy public transport. It also limited their job prospects and are finding learning to drive in their spare time, combined with a full-time job and building a career exhausting. They also need more lessons and ultimately it's taking them longer and costing more money.

Thank goodness my boys learnt before university as it has paid for itself several times over.

Driving is a Skill for Life

Thursday, 7 July 2011

Memories of my Driving Test

I was brought up in Sale and attended Sale Grammar School, so the Sale Test Centre on Poplar Grove is a well known area to me. I took my original driving test there and passed first time. I still remember it vividly.

The Driving Examiner took me along a test route which included a hillstart at Brooklands Station, the A56 Washway Road up to Broadheath, near the Ice Rink in Altrincham, and then over a level crossing somewhere nearby. In those days the Theory Test consisted of a couple of questions on the Highway Code at the end of the drive. How things have changed and the standard required today is so much higher. Back then the saying was 'pass your test and then learn to drive.' These days that no longer applies - if you cannot drive you will not pass your test!

My driving instructor was a lady called Moira who was very patient and experienced, just like all the male and female instructors we have working at Beverly Slater School of Motoring. Little did I know that many years later I would run a driving school with instructors regularly teaching in the Sale and Altrincham areas where I was once a nervous learner.

Beverly Slater

Sunday, 3 July 2011

Driving Without a Licence?

  • is your job in jeopardy because you don't hold a full driving licence
  • do you drive but you have never passed your driving test
  • are you worried about being caught and the consequences
Many people have driven for years but are worried about taking their first steps towards gaining a valid driving licence because they are embarrassed and do not want to admit to colleagues, family and friends they have been driving illegally.

We are not here to judge!

We believe you should be given a chance and we can help you to become legal - fast. We will be sensitive to your situation and will not treat you like a beginner - you can already drive. We will polish up your driving and enhance your skills and level of understanding, so you can pass your test quickly and be a legal driver.

You will probably not need many lessons but just a few pointers. You could hold a licence in no time at all.

Beverly Slater the Key to your Driving Success!