Sandra Perry Driver Training

Congratulations Emily Evans on passing your driving test today, thank you for allowing me to help you achieve your goal, it was a pleasure working with you, I wish you all the best for your future, safe driving and see you on the road 🚗

🚲 “SHALL WE OVERTAKE?”

Yesterday we were driving through a 20mph zone when there was a cyclist ahead.

Almost immediately my learner asked, “Shall we overtake?”

Me: “What speed limit are we in?”

Learner: “20.”

Me: “What speed are you doing?”

Learner: “18.”

Me: “Are we allowed to break the speed limit to overtake?”

Learner: “No.”

Me: “What colour are the traffic lights ahead?”

Learner: “Red.”

Me: “So what exactly are we achieving by overtaking?” 👀

Suddenly the penny dropped.

The cyclist was already travelling at around 18mph in a 20. We had a red light ahead. There was absolutely nothing to gain by squeezing past, only to arrive at the same red light a few seconds earlier with the cyclist probably pulling up beside us thinking, well that was worthwhile.

This is where I think mindset matters just as much as physical driving skill.

Sometimes drivers see a cyclist and their brain immediately screams OVERTAKE, almost as though being behind two wheels for twelve seconds will result in the immediate cancellation of Christmas.

A cyclist is not automatically travelling slowly just because they’re on a bicycle. Look at their actual speed, look at the road ahead and ask yourself whether an overtake is necessary, legal and genuinely worthwhile.

Ego plays a part too. Some drivers seem uncomfortable simply sitting behind a cyclist even when that cyclist is travelling almost as quickly as they legally can.

I teach my learners that if we do overtake, we wait until we can do it safely and legally, giving the cyclist at least 1.5 metres when overtaking at speeds up to 30mph, and more space at higher speeds. We should also be able to make proper progress past them without exceeding the speed limit or immediately cutting back in for a junction, obstruction or red light.

Sometimes the safest overtake is the one you don’t bother making.

I will always teach my learners to respect every road user, regardless of whether they’re travelling on four wheels, two wheels, horseback or two feet.

Good driving isn’t about getting in front.

It’s about knowing when there is absolutely no need to. 🚗🚲

We all have a duty of care out there.
Different wheels, different speeds, different journeys but we all share the same road, and we all deserve to get home safely. ❤️🚗🚲🏍️🐴

🚗 “I’VE DONE LOADS OF PRIVATE PRACTICE WITH DAD… I JUST NEED A FEW LESSONS BEFORE MY TEST.”

Famous last words. 😂
They get in the car looking confident because they’ve apparently done “loads of driving.”
Brilliant.
“I will give you directions you can showcase what you can do.”

Within approximately four minutes I realise the mirrors are purely ornamental. They’ve been included by Volkswagen to make the windscreen area look less empty.

We’ve turned left, turned right, changed position and passed parked cars, and not one mirror has been consulted. I’m starting to think they believe the rear-view mirror is exclusively there for checking whether their hair survived the journey.

Observations at junctions are equally adventurous.

We approach a Give Way and instead of actually LOOKING, we perform the famous Nose-Dive of Faith.

Half the bonnet is now in the new road before we’ve established whether anything is coming.

Apparently the safest method is to send the front of the car out first as a small reconnaissance mission. If nobody hits it, we’re good to go. 😂

Blind spots?
Never heard of them.
“What about checking over your shoulder?”
“Dad never told me that.”

Excellent. So for the last six months we’ve been changing position using the thoughts and prayers method.
If there’s a cyclist there, hopefully they’ll submit the appropriate paperwork before we move across.
Then I notice the speed creeping up.

32…

33..

“What’s the speed limit?”
“30.”

“What speed are you doing?”
They look at the speedometer like I’ve just asked them to locate Belgium on a map using only their elbows.
Apparently Dad normally tells them.
Ahhhh.
So Dad isn’t supervising.
Dad is the dashboard. 😂
Dad has become a fully integrated driver-assistance system.

“Slow down.”
“Brake.”
“Gear.”
“Car coming.”
“Watch the pedestrian.”
“Move over.”
“Second.”
“NOW BRAKE!”

Meanwhile the learner is essentially driving around with DadNav™, waiting for the next instruction.

Then I ask them to make their own decision and suddenly the car goes so quiet you can hear the insurance company getting nervous.

Now let’s discuss gears.
We’re approaching a junction at 19mph…
FIRST GEAR.
The car reacts like we’ve dropped an anchor through the floor.
Everyone bows towards the dashboard.
My handbag has entered the footwell.
A bottle of water has achieved flight.
The gearbox is underneath us screaming, “WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS?” 😂
“Why did you select first?”
“Dad told me you have to go down through all the gears.”
Of course he did.

So every time we slow down we’re visiting every gear individually like we’re doing a pub crawl through the gearbox and nobody is allowed to skip a venue.

5th.
4th.
3rd.
2nd.
1st.

By the time we’ve finished, the traffic lights have changed twice, autumn has arrived and the junction is now available on Google Street View as a historical landmark.

Then we discover coasting.
Clutch goes down approximately three postcodes before the junction and stays there.

We are no longer driving.
We are tobogganing.
The car is just free-range now, rolling towards the junction under the supervision of gravity and Jesus. 😂

Then there’s steering.
Hands gripping the wheel like it owes them £400.
Knuckles white.
Shoulders somewhere around the ears.
We’re negotiating a gentle bend with the physical intensity of somebody trying to wrestle a crocodile into a wheelie bin.

“Relax your hands a little.”
“I am relaxed.”
ARE YOU?
Because that steering wheel currently looks like it’s about to give you the PIN number to its bank card.
Then Dad comes up in conversation again.
“Dad says I’m a really good driver.”
I’m sure he does.
Dad has also spent six months saying:
“GO GO GO!”
“NO, NOT YET!”
“BRAKE!”

“WATCH HIM!”
“SECOND!”
“CLUTCH!”
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

…so Dad may not technically have been assessing independent driving. Dad has been remotely operating the vehicle from the passenger seat. 😂

Then comes my personal favourite:

“Dad’s been driving for 30 years and he’s never had an accident.”
There it is.
The unofficial British Advanced Driving Qualification. 😂

Thirty years without an accident apparently means Dad is now qualified to teach, assess, examine, redesign roundabouts and possibly take over the DVSA by Monday morning.

It’s a bit like saying:
“I’ve had teeth for 45 years, so obviously I can do your root canal.”

I’m sure Dad is a perfectly capable driver, but being able to drive and being able to teach someone to drive safely and independently are two completely different things.

Private practice is FANTASTIC. I encourage it whenever it can be done safely because the extra experience can make a huge difference.

But please combine it with professional lessons where possible.

Get your supervising driver to sit in on a lesson. Let them see what you’re being taught, what needs improving and how they can help without becoming a human sat-nav, speed limiter, gear selector and emergency broadcasting system.

Otherwise you don’t get 40 hours of driving experience.

You get the same five mistakes rehearsed for 40 hours until they’ve got their own postcode. 😂

Practice doesn’t automatically make perfect.
Correct practice builds good habits.
And if Dad insists first gear is required at 19mph…

Please give the gearbox my deepest sympathies. 😂🚗

Share and tag your friends in 🫶🏾

🚗 WHY ARE THERE SO MANY DRIVERS ON THE ROAD WHO CANNOT DRIVE?

There are people using our roads today who genuinely appear to have learned driving from a leaflet they found behind a radiator. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Right now. Sharing the same roads as the rest of us with a full licence and enough confidence to invade Poland.

Some did the absolute bare minimum to pass a test and apparently considered that the end of their education. They treated the pass certificate like a doctorate in driving and have been Professor Roundabout ever since. Passing your test means you demonstrated the required standard on that day. It does not mean the DVSA sprinkled magic competence dust over your head and declared you incapable of ever driving badly again.

Some were taught badly. Lessons rushed, corners cut and very little understanding of risk, planning or consequences. They learned enough to operate the machinery but not enough to understand the responsibility that comes with it. That’s a bit like teaching someone which end of a chainsaw to hold and then wishing them luck with the forest.

Some learned how to hide their worst habits long enough to satisfy an examiner. The minute the examiner disappeared, so did half the Highway Code. Mirrors became decorative accessories, indicators entered witness protection and the two-second following gap was reduced to enough room for a particularly thin pigeon.

Then there are the drivers who apparently believe the Highway Code is merely a collection of suggestions written by an enthusiastic librarian. They drive using instinct, guesswork, assumptions and whatever Sandra’s husband told them in 1997. Road markings? Optional. Signs? Decorative. Right of way? Apparently awarded to whoever arrives with the biggest ego.

Some are absolutely convinced they are brilliant drivers. This confidence fascinates me because there appears to be absolutely no supporting evidence. They’ve mounted three kerbs, frightened a cyclist, missed two exits and entered a roundabout like a wardrobe falling downstairs, yet somehow everybody ELSE needs to learn how to drive.

Then we have the angry ones. Every merge is a declaration of war. Someone indicates to change lane and suddenly Keith is defending his territory like the last male rhinoceros on Earth. Nobody is getting into HIS gap. That twelve feet of tarmac has apparently been passed down through his family for generations.

Some are practically passengers in their own car. Phone in hand, mind at work, argument replaying in their head, changing the music, fiddling with the screen and occasionally glancing through that enormous transparent thing manufacturers thoughtfully fitted to the front of the vehicle.

THE WINDSCREEN.
That’s the important screen.
Then you hear the immortal sentence: “I’ve been driving for thirty years.”
Lovely.

You can also make a lasagne badly for thirty years.
Longevity does not automatically produce talent.

Thirty years behind the wheel means absolutely nothing if you’ve spent thirty years practising the same rubbish habits. Experience only makes you better when you actually learn from it. Otherwise you’ve simply become extremely experienced at doing something badly.

The hardest part is that the drivers who frighten everybody else rarely frighten themselves. They think they’re perfectly normal. They think everyone else is overreacting. They’ll tailgate you at 70mph with enough room between the cars to insert a digestive biscuit and genuinely wonder why you’re uncomfortable.

Competent drivers see risk because they understand how quickly things can change. They leave space, anticipate stupidity, read what’s developing ahead and accept that sometimes somebody else WILL make a mistake.

Unsafe drivers expect everybody else to accommodate theirs.

That’s why I will always say passing your driving test is the beginning of learning, not the end. You don’t collect your certificate on Tuesday and wake up Wednesday as Gandalf of the M4.

Good drivers keep learning.

They question themselves. They adapt. They recognise when they’ve made a mistake. They refresh their knowledge. Most importantly, they never become so confident that they believe there is nothing left to learn.

The most dangerous driver isn’t always the inexperienced one.

Sometimes it’s the one who stopped learning twenty years ago but has spent every day since becoming increasingly convinced they’re brilliant.

A driving licence gives you permission to drive.

It does not give you immunity from being crap at it.

Share your thoughts 🤔

One of the most common questions driving instructors get:

“How many hours will it take me to pass my test?”

There really isn’t one number that fits everybody. Some people learn quickly, some need longer, but there is a lot you can do to help yourself between lessons.

If you have access to private practice, use it. Don’t just practise the things you enjoy or already find easy. Practise the things your instructor has identified as needing work.

Even without private practice, you can still learn between lessons. Sit in a stationary car with the engine OFF and practise moving through the gears. Practise the physical routine of your mirror checks. Get familiar with where the controls are.

When you’re a passenger, put the phone down occasionally and actually watch the road. Look at junctions and roundabouts. Ask yourself what you would be doing if you were driving. Which lane would you choose? When would you check your mirrors? Where is the potential hazard?

Study your manoeuvres too. Ask your instructor to draw them out, including the observations, steering and reference points that work for you. Then go over them between lessons rather than trying to remember everything a week later.

Theory shouldn’t just be something you learn to pass the theory test either. Understanding signs, markings, priorities, stopping distances and hazards makes the practical side of learning much easier.

The more you put into your learning between lessons, the more we can build on during the next one instead of repeatedly going over the same things.

One of the biggest signs that you’re getting close to test standard isn’t simply the number of hours you’ve had.

It’s when the person sitting next to you becomes very quiet.
No constant instructions. No reminders at every junction. No prompting you to check mirrors, change lanes or make decisions.

You’re driving independently, safely and consistently.
Learning to drive is a two-way contract. Your instructor can teach, explain, demonstrate and guide you, but we can’t do the learning for you.

The question isn’t only “How many hours will I need?”

It’s also “What am I doing with those hours?”

📱 COULD SIX POINTS COST A DRIVING INSTRUCTOR THEIR CAREER?

I think this is one worth sharing, particularly for fellow driving instructors, because six penalty points can potentially mean far more to an ADI than points sitting on a driving licence.

In this particular case, Approved Driving Instructor received a fixed penalty for a mobile phone offence in May 2024, resulting in six penalty points.

He notified the ADI Registrar, as instructors are required to do.

The Registrar subsequently decided to remove him from the Register of Approved Driving Instructors, finding that he was no longer a fit and proper person to remain registered.

The instructor appealed.

He explained that there was no pupil in the vehicle at the time and said he had not been making a call, sending a message or reading one. He accepted that he had been holding the phone and apologised for the offence.

He also explained that being an ADI was his only source of income and that he was going through extremely difficult personal circumstances at the time.

The tribunal considered all of this.

It still dismissed his appeal.

One of the important points made in the judgment was that ADIs are expected to demonstrate standards of driving and behaviour above those expected of an ordinary motorist.

The tribunal said instructors are teaching people to drive safely and responsibly, so the public should be able to expect them to follow the very laws they are teaching their pupils.

That is the bit I think many instructors may not fully appreciate.

DVSA guidance says the ADI Registrar considers motoring offences when deciding whether somebody remains a fit and proper person. Mobile phone offences, dangerous driving, drink or drug driving, driving without insurance and excessive speeding are specifically among the offences that can cause problems.

The guidance also states that the Registrar has previously removed ADIs from the register where they have had five or more penalty points within the previous three years.

That does not mean six points automatically equals losing your badge. Each case is considered individually, and there have been other cases where an ADI successfully appealed removal.

But this case certainly shows what is potentially at stake.
For most motorists, six points are a serious consequence.
For a driving instructor, those same six points could potentially put your entire career and livelihood on the line.

We spend our working lives teaching people to respect the law and become safe drivers.
We are expected to practise what we teach.

Fellow ADIs, did you realise six points could potentially result in removal from the register?

🚗 Good driving isn’t about fast reactions… it’s about seeing the problem before it happens.

One of the most respected defensive driving methods in the world is the Smith System. Although it was developed many years ago, the principles are just as relevant on UK roads today.

It isn’t about driving slowly.

It isn’t about being over-cautious.

It’s about thinking ahead.

The system is based on five simple habits:

👀 Aim high.
Look well ahead, not just at the vehicle in front. The further ahead you look, the more time you have to recognise developing hazards and make safe decisions.

🌍 Get the big picture.
Don’t focus on one thing. Build a constant picture of everything happening around you – what’s ahead, behind and to both sides.

🔄 Keep your eyes moving.
Good drivers don’t stare. They regularly scan mirrors, junctions, signs, pedestrians, cyclists and other traffic. Continuous observation keeps you aware of changing situations.

↔️ Leave yourself an out.
Always create space around your vehicle. A safe following distance and good road position give you options if someone else makes a mistake.

💡 Make sure they see you.
Never assume another road user has noticed you. Use your indicators correctly, position your vehicle sensibly and communicate your intentions early.

The best drivers aren’t the ones with the quickest reflexes.

They’re the ones who rarely need them because they’ve already seen the danger developing.

As a driving instructor, I often say that driving is about thinking, not just steering. Every decision you make should give you more time, more space and more options.

Whether you’ve been driving for six months or sixty years, these are habits worth practising on every single journey.

💬 Which one do you think most drivers struggle with: looking far enough ahead, leaving enough space, or keeping their distance

🚨 THE DVSA ISN’T JUST WARNING PEOPLE ANYMORE… IT’S TAKING ACTION.

For years, learners have struggled to get driving tests while unofficial booking services snapped up appointments and sold them on for profit.

The DVSA says it has already suspended more than 4,000 booking accounts and over 1,000 driving licence numbers linked to suspected abuse.

If someone claims they can “guarantee” you a driving test for an inflated fee, think twice.

Buying tests through unofficial channels doesn’t just cost you money. It helps keep the problem going.

The fairest place to book your test is through the official DVSA system.

🚗✨ DRIVING LESSONS AVAILABLE – CAERPHILLY! ✨🚗

Looking to learn to drive? Now's the perfect time!

✅ Friendly & patient instruction
✅ Excellent pass rates
✅ Lessons tailored to your experience
✅ Manual driving lessons available

📍 Limited availability in the Caerphilly area – spaces are filling quickly!

📞 Call or message us today to book your lessons or find out more:
07866 882348 Sandra
07717 292229 Mariee

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