Learning to Drive During Coronavirus: Update on 14th June 2020

  • Do you want to know when you can take your theory test?
  • Do you want to know when you can start your driving lessons again? 
  • Do you want to know what you can do now to help you stay in touch with driving and prepare you for your tests? 

Today I want to give you a full update regarding what’s happening with learning to drive, and getting through your theory and driving tests and the coronavirus crisis 

THEORY TESTS 

All theory tests are cancelled until 21st of June, unless you are an essential key worker. If you have a theory test booked, to take place prior to 21st June, the DVSA will contact you to rearrange.

Tests can be booked, and I would recommend that you book your test, but save it for a time that you feel that it won’t be cancelled due to coronavirus, not that any of us can be sure of that of course. 

I recommend you use this time to prepare thoroughly for your theory test. 

Once that theory tests are up and running again there could be extremely long waiting lists. This is due to the fact that thousands of people have missed out on taking their theory test since lockdown.

Once theory tests are up and running again, the DVSA will not be able to take as many students in the test centre at one time. Therefore, I imagine less tests will be taking place each day.

You want to make sure that when you go to take your test you do pass it. People fail their theory test because they are either unprepared or because they are anxious. Although Apps are excellent for practice, they don’t teach you the facts you need to know to answer questions and keep safe. If you know the facts, then you can easily answer the questions, however they are phrased. 

My Online Theory Workshop will fully prepare you for your theory test and help you get rid of any anxiety you feel and help you feel confident when you do go and take your test.

I am absolutely confident that it’s got absolutely everything you need to pass the test.

The overall theory test pass rate is 47%

The pass rate of students who have completed my workshop is 100%

Don’t be one of those people who fail it, it may take a long time for you to get a new date! 

DRIVING LESSONS 

At the moment only essential key workers are allowed to have driving lessons 

We cannot be certain as driving instructors when this will change. In a driving lesson you will spend 2 hours in very close proximity to another person who is not from your household. You will have to sit in the seat your instructor has sat in. You will have to touch the controls that your instructor has touched. Therefore, we are one of the last professions to get back to working during this coronavirus crisis.

Many people will compare our profession, in regarding coronavirus, to hairdressers or nail technicians. Meaning, if they can go back to work then surely Driving Instructors can go back to work. There are many differences though – well obviously there are differences, but what I mean is differences in possibly passing a virus to another person. When we visit the hairdressers or go to a nail technician, we don’t actually have to touch anything. We enter the establishment and sit in a chair. We don’t need to touch any of the hairdressers and manicurist’s equipment. We don’t have to have a drink or touch the magazines. We simply have to sit and be attended to. As you know, this is very different in a driving lesson when you do have to touch the same equipment. And instructors often have to put their hand across to correct a dangerous steering fault which could result in hands touching as well. 

WHAT CAN YOU DO NOW? 

There is something you can do now though. Learning to drive is not just about controlling a car, it’s about managing varying road situations and conditions and varying traffic conditions. It’s about understanding processes is that will keep you, your passengers and other road users safe.

When you first start to learn to drive, controlling a vehicle may seem like the hardest thing to do. There is so much to think and about and focus on. But after a few weeks, controlling the car becomes the easy part of driving. You will start to develop muscle memory; you won’t have to think about what your hands and feet are doing. Muscle memory refers to your body simply knowing what to do without having to think about it. You can now focus on the other aspects of driving.  

The other aspects or harder part of driving is knowing when to position yourself, where to position yourself, how to deal with other road users, how to navigate junction’s safely and so on.

All of this information is in our Online Driving Workshop. If you join, you can go through every part of the Learn to Drive Syllabus. That will take you from moving a car and developing clutch control skills, to driving on motorways and parking in multi-storey car parks.

When a driving instructor and a learner driver is sat in a car at the roadside, they are often discussing how to manage situations safely and effectively. 

At Spot On we have always encouraged learners to:

  • research
  • read some notes
  • watch some videos
  • have discussions with other family members
  • complete Mind Maps 

to encourage them to learn and prepare for their lessons.

We do this because preparing for driving lessons means that you will spend less time talking and more time actually practising driving. We also do it because it develops a learner’s confidence; if you know what you’re going to do and how you will do it, you can feel much more confident in practicing that skill. 

There is no reason why you cannot complete this workshop now and get the knowledge you need so you can put it into practise in your driving lessons when you can get back to them.

The workshop includes:

  • notes 
  • videos 
  • audios 
  • quizzes

However you prefer to learn, the workshop has something for you! There are also sections on managing your anxiety and building your confidence, if this is something that you need. 

DRIVING TEST 

At the moment only essential key workers can take driving tests. All driving tests were cancelled for three months on 20th March 2020. 

At this moment in time, Driving Instructors are unaware of whether this date will change or not. But as it stands at the moment, driving tests are allowed to recommence before driving lessons will be starting again.

Therefore, if you have a driving test booked at the end of June or beginning of July, you should consider the point that if you have not had any driving lessons in the last few weeks, whether you are actually ready to take a test? You should really consider whether you want to change the date so that you can be fully prepared to pass but, most important of all, that you are a safe driver.

At the moment you cannot book a driving test. When you are abvle to start booking test again and you want to book yours, you should book it for a time that you know you can be safe and test ready. And at a time when you will go to your test knowing you have covered the whole syllabus and are fully confident that you will pass first time.

As I mentioned earlier regarding theory tests, there will certainly be a massive backlog of tests as people have been unable to take their driving test for the last three months. If you fail and need to re-take your driving test, it will cost you more money and a new test date may be a long way in the future. You should want to prepare to pass on your first attempt, and this can be done.  

Most Spot On pupils will pass their driving test on their first attempt with very few driving faults! They go to test fully safe and test ready, and have always completed the whole Learn to Drive Syllabus. They all have access to my Online Driving Workshop to help prepare for lessons and revise prior to their test. 

In the same way, you can start to prepare for your driving test even though you cannot have driving lessons. 

I mentioned earlier that my Online Driving Workshop covers the whole syllabus; everything from moving a car up to motorway driving and parking in multi-storey car parks. It also covers techniques and tactics to pass your driving test with confidence. The Bonus section has a hypnosis audio track for you to listen to in the days leading up to your test, to help you stay confident.

If you’re training to be a driving instructor you may find that my Online Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 Workshops help you to start your journey. As a Grade A Instructor and an ORDIT registered trainer, I’m confident that my workshops are fantastic value and will help you to pass at your tests.

I hope the information in this blog has helped update you on where you are with learning to drive. Let me know where you are up to in the process and how you get on. 

This video was recorded on the same day as this blog was written:

Other things you can do to stay in touch with theory and driving are:

Watch videos on my YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/spotondrivingschool

Follow me on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/spot_on_driving/