WHY AN ADI?
APPROVED DRIVING INSTRUCTOR
The benefits of using an ADI
You may be confident with moving a car on the road but... do you check your centre mirror when approaching green traffic lights? Who's affected when you increase your speed for a new speed limit? Stay on this page if you're a little confused!
"Driving is easy!"
Let's be honest... with a bit of practice, it's not rocket science to find the biting point, begin moving and then stop. You may be able to drive your car from home to the local supermarket but how many times did you unknowingly cause a hazard to the other road users and pedestrians around you? Did you brake abruptly in front of the close-following car when the traffic light turned amber? Did you know you contributed to a potential head-on collision for two other road users when increasing your speed for the new speed limit zone? Where did that cyclist disappear to as you took a left turn in front of them? These are just a small taster of the thoughts and awareness a qualified instructor will build in to your mindset when on the road.
Preparing You for all eventualities
During a professional driving lesson, your instructor will work alongside you to build up your knowledge of risks and danger points, not caused by just you, but also other road users. This will help you to make all the correct observations to ensure you have the best control in every situation, resulting in a safe and confident journey for all.
There are only 3 mirrors on a car but they are used for many different scenarios. 1 example of mirror use would be to know who is behind you and the characteristics that they are showing, as a road-user. This will influence the decisions you make, such as:
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When to begin using your brake
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If or when to signal your intentions
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How you will position yourself at a junction
...and the list goes on!
It's not just about mirrors though. Your instructor will encourage you to reflect on your decision making whilst taking in to account what the outcome of that action may have been on another day. A successful drive from A to B wont always guarantee your safety when you're on the same route next time. An ADI will have spent many hours out on the roads before you join them for lessons. They will have a wealth of experience that they will be able to incorporate in to your mind, which will be of great importance as you improve throughout your journey to becoming an independent driver. Be aware of your surroundings and be prepared to take control of any challenge thrown your way. Don't rely on luck. Rely on your ability.
Watching You, not just the journey
Crashes and collisions occur when one or more road users come into physical contact with someone or something, but an incident always stems from a root cause. Your observations or the way you control a car is usually the biggest factor. Having an instructor sat next to you will mean you are always being closely observed. Whilst it is very easy for an accompanying supervisor to look out of the front windscreen at how the journey is going, it's just as important to keep a close eye on exactly what processes the learner driver is undertaking whilst in control of the vehicle.
It's hugely important to learn how to use the controls, whether that's the clutch pedal, the hand brake, the steering wheel or anything else. What's more important, is that these standards are maintained throughout each and every lesson. Your ADI will always strive to identify and address the misuse of any control to ensure no bad habits grow and positive development can continue.
It's not all about control however, as your observations also play a critical part in keeping everyone in one piece. You may have checked to your right and entered the mini roundabout smoothly but what if that fast-approaching car from the left wasn't prepared to stop? Exactly where your eyes are focussing will be monitored at all times and when a learning opportunity is presented, the professional sat next to you will give value for money by encouraging you to reflect and consider any further risks that may have also been worth taking into account.
Encouraging independent learning
It may be a 'Driving Instructor' you are looking at hiring but you wont just be getting what it says on the tin. Once your learning journey to independent driving begins, you may surprise yourself at how much you already know or can work out! A driving instructor will not just simply instruct, instruct, instruct. Why would they help you with a decision that you may already have the knowledge to answer yourself? Instead, you will be encouraged to evaluate the scenarios presented during your drive, with the idea of resolving the situation with your own thoughts and instincts. Of course, this may not always be possible (and relevant assistance will be given) but you will soon start to realise that your road-sense can at times, lead you to make safe decisions and assessments of your own! In time, this will really boost your confidence and give you the tools you need, to think outside of the box when that next new challenge is presented to you.
Lessons with a purpose
Next time you drive from home to the shop, like you did last week and also the week before, ask yourself which skills you are specifically intending to develop?
Lessons with an ADI are bespoke to the learner's needs and goals. You will be actively encouraged to think about the progress you made during your lesson. We will reflect on what skills you had achieved and developed along the way, along with any aspects of the drive that you feel you still need some continued development.
The following lesson is then the time and place to continue to grow as a driver and set some revised goals. The goals at times can be very specific but too much of a general drive around can take away the focus of what really needs building upon during that lesson. For example, you may be fantastic with your decision making at the busiest of roundabouts but unfortunately to make that decision, you happen to be stopping the car every time. Your instructor will then delve very deeply into the root cause of the stopping, encouraging you to reflect on why this may be the case. Are we regulating our approach speed in a timely manner? Are we even regulating it enough? Are we observing what's going on with enough time to adapt our driving to suit? Are we lacking the confidence or spatial awareness to take advantage of an appropriate opportunity to join the roundabout whilst still moving?
These are just a small pinch of the many reasons a particular learning opportunity could arise but its the continued focus on this subject which will ensure you come away from your drive that day, knowing you have gained new skills that you may have ignored had you just driven to a particular destination and back. The final benefit to this is if you do have your own private car, you can then practice these particular skills between your lessons to really maximise your potential to pass the driving test sooner and ultimately, spend less money!
Learning to drive is a life skill. Just like anything in life, it may not seem cheap....BUT professional driving lessons do provide value for money and many safe years of driving ahead for you, your friends and your family.
Realistic driving test experience
Many driving test candidates feel a completely new type of pressure during their driving test. As you can imagine, this can have a significant negative impact on a learner's concentration and performance. When you have someone from the DVSA sat next to you, watching every move you make, you are bound to feel heavily scrutinized.
Driving Instructors know exactly how driving tests are structured and can deliver a full taste of the real experience, allowing you to acclimatise to the environment and become familiar with the way your body may react on test day. You will also be given a detailed debrief at the end of your mock test so you are left in no doubt as to how your result may look after the real thing!
Several mock tests with your instructor will ensure you are able to identify any areas of your driving that need improving. with this information, your instructor can give you additional support to resolve any faults, resulting in you being as fully prepared as possible to achieve a first-time pass.
Learning to deal with your nerves in test conditions should also become easier too, with the more mock tests you do. With the current waiting times to book a test in Exeter, it's so vital that you do everything within your control and grab any opportunity given, to ensure you are successful.