Pupil Review

Charlotte:

I had some driving experience with a previous instructor but due to unforeseen circumstances had to move city. As a result I had a large gap in lessons and as well as being slightly older than the average new driver I was very nervous about starting again. The issue I’d previously had was that although I was being taught to drive, the techniques behind were not fully explained to me. I struggled as I did not understand how to do certain things. Examples would be how to manipulate the wheel on a parallel park and when to turn, or correct distances from a junction to change gear.

Kelvin has taught me and is currently teaching my sister to drive and I have nothing but positive things to say about him. With my unusual situation he quickly ascertained what level of skill I was at and really listened to my concerns about gaps in knowledge. He was patient in my need to not only see how to drive, but understand why certain actions are taken at certain points. My confidence quickly grew. As I understood the processes involved in driving I was not nervous behind the wheel. His highly flexible approach to learning needs was also reflected in him teaching my sister. There was always a happy, relaxed atmosphere in the car and the banter certainly made lessons even more enjoyable. I was almost sad to pass (first time I might add) as I was going to miss the lessons. Kelvin is a fantastic teacher. He is patient and dedicated and perhaps most importantly, he really understands driving. I was shocked at how quickly I improved under his teaching. He was always accommodating in booking lessons, his lesson plans were always more organized than I was and he guides pupils through a challenging and well thought out pace.

There is only one thing I would warn future pupils about with Kelvin. When you pass (and you will) he will surprise you with a photo for the site so he can congratulate you online. I did not know this and my hair on test day reflects this! All in all I would heartily recommend Kelvin to any learner driver of any age or experience.

 

Pupil Review

Johnny: The reason why Kelvin impressed me so much, wasn’t his timekeeping, flexibility and lesson planning, I expect that regardless. But it was his greater understanding of instruction gained by having a genuine interest and refreshing dedication to teaching. Although he is a clear and professionally neutral character most of the time, he is a friendly approachable guy who clearly takes a genuine interest in his pupils and will work out fresh ways to resolve a students issues and habits on an individual basis. Every lesson I felt like I was moving forwards and improved something that needed work. I have 2 friends that passed with Kelvin before me. I have and will be recommending him to anyone in the area who is taking lessons. I am 25 now and have had 5 instructors in small patches as well as a 4 day intensive driving course in Blackpool, had literally no interest in my progression but it was prepaid. Because of the hundreds I must have spent over the years and the poor attitudes of some under standard instructors I would have to say that if he charged double it would be an excellent investment and probably still be cheaper to get to pass standard, and feel confident and safe on the road. What I have learned from years of giving money to people, some of which that are simply not switched on enough to teach with the right attitude. So if you are unhappy with your instructor think about your options, the problem might not be you. Try an instructor as an interview, at £20-25 an hour you don’t want some idiot teaching you incorrect manoeuvre methods, its important to feel your instructor is up to the job of getting YOU through your test, the moment you don’t look for reviews and recommendations. Get Kelvin and you will pass as a safe driver. He just needs to get my girlfriend passed now, I’m more than confident he will get her their in the next 2 months. Then we can get a car, but will probably go back to Kelvin to do the other advanced courses you can take to reduce insurance. Be careful he tells me some of these are no longer creditable with most insurance agencies. I can happily vouch for Kelvin as an excellent instructor, make him your first call, kindly priced passionate and prepared to get you to test standard as a safe driver.

 

Review by Amy

You’ve been a great instructor! The only one I have had that has given me the courage to finally book my tests and do them first time! Thank you! I will be recommending you to everyone I know who is looking to learn how to drive! Thank you again x

 

Pupil Review

The reason why Kelvin impressed me so much, wasn’t his timekeeping, flexibility and lesson planning, I expect that regardless. But it was his greater understanding of instruction gained by having a genuine interest and refreshing dedication to teaching. Although he is a clear and professionally neutral character most of the time, he is a friendly approachable guy who clearly takes a genuine interest in his pupils and will work out fresh ways to resolve a students issues and habits on an individual basis. Every lesson I felt like I was moving forwards and improved something that needed work.

 

I have 2 friends that passed with Kelvin before me. I have and will be recommending him to anyone in the area who is taking lessons. I am 25 now and have had 5 instructors in small patches as well as a 4 day intensive driving course in Blackpool, had literally no interest in my progression but it was prepaid. Because of the hundreds I must have spent over the years and the poor attitudes of some under standard instructors I would have to say that if he charged double it would be an excellent investment and probably still be cheaper to get to pass standard, and feel confident and safe on the road.

 

What I have learned from years of giving money to people, some of which that are simply not switched on enough to teach with the right attitude. So if you are unhappy with your instructor think about your options, the problem might not be you.  Try an instructor as an interview, at £20-25 an hour you don’t want some idiot teaching you incorrect manoeuvre methods, its important to feel your instructor is up to the job of getting YOU through your test, the moment you don’t look for reviews and recommendations.  Get Kelvin and you will pass as a safe driver.

 

He just needs to get my girlfriend passed now, I’m more than confident he will get her their in the next 2 months. Then we can get a car, but will probably go back to Kelvin to do the other advanced courses you can take to reduce insurance.  Be careful he tells me some of these are no longer creditable with most insurance agencies.

 

I can happily vouch for Kelvin as an excellent instructor, make him your first call, kindly priced passionate and prepared to get you to test standard as a safe driver.

 

 

 

Gold standard

 

Well done Charlotte

Well done on passing your driving test 1st time. Look forward to the Btec

 

1ST Pass of the new year

Well done Johnny on passing the driving test 1st time.

 

www.drivinglessons-nottingham.co.uk

 

A happy pupil

Alkis:

When i first looked for driving tuition, i decided to go with a company called Surepass, where i first met my driving instructor, Kelvin. After driving with Kelvin for 15 or so hours, i then got a job working away which meant i was unable to drive for about 3 months, when i got back i rang Surepass to see if Kelvin was still available to teach me and take me through to my test, i found that he was no longer with Surepass and had started on his own, i then decided to scour the internet and found his new website where i proceeded to make contact with him and arrange my lessons. One of the reasons for wanting Kelvin as my driving instructor was that he was understanding to my beginners nerves and helped me build the basic confidence to be able to drive safely and competently. As my confidence grew Kelvin adopted a more meticulous and particular method of teaching which was sometimes frustrating for me, but as an end result of passing my test with only 4 minor faults, and looking back i now see that the standard of driving that Kelvin teaches is probably in my opinion the best out there. After first starting driving on a personal level with my partner who has been driving for 12 years, and thinking that i was ready for my test after 10 hours of lessons with Kelvin i asked him if he thought i was ready to take my test and he honestly told me that i would not be ready to drive competently under test conditions and pass, i have friends that have been through driving lessons with teachers that have an attitude of putting there students through with maybe the standard of 50/50 chance of passing to me the thought of being told or being put forward when you are only half way ready or 3/4 of the way there is a waste of your money and is malpractice on behalf of the driving instructor. As a mature learner i realise that personal safety and for others is paramount on the road and found Kelvin is not only straight talking, humble and good to get on with on a driving lesson he is also fair and honest, which put me at ease when i first started and all the way through till my test and would class him as a good friend. I had certain issues with concentration and nerves which with Kelvins help in a relaxed and understanding manner i have managed to overcome. I would gladly recommend Kelvin as a driving instructor to all age groups and would like to take this opportunity to personally thank Kelvin for all his tuition and support and getting me through my driving test.

 

Driving tests

Driving test repeat candidates more likely to fail

Retaking a driving test no guarantee of
Some people are simply not cut out to get behind the wheel of a car, official statistics suggest.

Nearly 300 would-be motorists took their driving test for the 10th time in the past year. Just 88 of them passed.

When it came to the 67 drivers who tried for the 12th time, 11 were successful. All eight people taking their 15th driving test failed.

The Driving Standards Agency’s figures for 2010-11 show that the traditional advice – “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again” – does not ring true for some drivers. The pass rate falls the more times candidates sit their test.

It remained steady for the first three attempts, at between 46 to 47 per cent, before falling sharply. It stood at 44 per cent for the fourth attempt and 41 per cent at the fifth go. Just over a third of people taking their test for the sixth time were successful and for people who kept going it kept getting worse.

There was a 30 per cent pass rate at 10 attempts, 16 per cent at the 12th attempt and a 100 per cent failure rate at 15 attempts. Fourteen appeared to be a lucky number for some learner drivers, with a pass rate of 50 per cent.

The figures also show that men are more likely to pass their test than women. One in two male candidates passed at the first attempt, compared with 43 per cent of female candidates.

They maintained their lead throughout the sample. However women showed the greatest determination to persevere no matter how many times they failed.

Ten of the candidates taking their 13th test were men, compared with 13 female candidates.

Earlier this year the Driving Standards Agency revealed that a 26-year-old woman had failed her theory test on 90 occasions. It is estimated that the unnamed woman spent nearly £2,800 on the exams.

Details disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act showed that a man in the Midlands had failed the practical test 36 times.

Robert Gifford, executive director of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, said that young men typically found the test easier because it only judged their eye, hand and foot

co-ordination, not their attitudes to driving. Andrew Howard, the AA’s head of road safety, said there were two probable reasons why the test appeared to become harder after several attempts. The first was that people were likely to be more nervous. The second was that the financial cost of learning meant people took fewer lessons as time went by, making them more rusty on test day.

Those who do pass a test after several attempts are more likely to have a crash during their first year of unsupervised driving, according to recent research at TRL, formerly the Government’s transport research laboratory.

Success

Attempts Pass rate %

1 46

2 47

3 36

4 44

5 41

6 38

7 35

8 33

9 34

10 30

11 28

12 16

13 31

14 50

15 0