Driving in Bad Weather

As this winter is turning out to be one of the wettest and windiest on record it’s a good idea as a driver to be prepared before starting a journey. Even drivers that are experienced can have difficulty driving in adverse weather conditions, as it’s very easy to be caught out in a torrential downpour. For new drivers bad weather can be particularly daunting.

Road surfaces can be covered in standing water due to the effect of poor drainage, which is the cause sometimes of flooding. Rain and spray can also reduce visibility.

Driving too fast through standing water can cause aquaplaning which happens when due to excessive speed the vehicles tyres are not able to displace the water fast enough from beneath them so the tyres loose contact with the road surface which has an adverse effect on both braking and steering. In effect the tyres are travelling across the water in the same fashion as a water skier does.

If this happens the best course of action is to reduce your speed by easing off the accelerator allowing the vehicle to slow down gradually.

Never attempt to drive through water that you don’t know the depth of. If you do have to drive through water do it slowly at a constant speed to reduce the chance of creating a bow wave. If this happens water can be drawn into the engines air intake and could cause the engine to cut out. As a rule its not advisable to drive through water more than 30cm deep. Once you are through the flood carefully try your brakes as water can reduce their effectiveness until they dry out.

Make sure your windscreen wipers are in good condition and that the vehicles electrical system is kept dry.

A good source of information on bad weather driving can be found at;

www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/seasonal/floods-and-wet-weather.html

New drivers can benefit from extra training to help with driving in adverse weather conditions by taking a Pass Plus course after passing the driving test. Drivemark Driving School is Pass Plus registered check out our Pass Plus page at;

www.drivemark-drivingschool.co.uk/pass-plus-courses.php

100% First Time Pass Rate

Drivemark Driving School has achieved a 100% first time driving test pass rate between October 2012 and October 2013. During this period everyone that has taken thier driving test after being trained by us has passed thier driving test first time.
This gives us piece of mind that the training and coaching methods we use are helping our clients achieve a high standard of driving, making them safe and competent new drivers.
Below are some but by no means all of our statisfied customers that have passed thier driving test first time over the last 12 months.

As you can see a lot of happy smiling faces. Just a few satisfied customers who have passed their driving test first time with Drivemark Driving School.

You can see all of these and more at,

 

www.drivemark-drivingschool.co.uk/gallery/gallery-1.php

 

Drive Safe!

Cold, Cold Spring and Pass Plus

Well its official its been the coldest Easter since records began in 1960 and the spring is on the way to be colder on average than it was in winter.
As for driving, the cold weather brings with it problems for both car and driver. Its good practise to make sure all of the cars fluid levels are correct and that the tyres are inflated to the recommended pressures. This can prevent having to deal with problems on the side of the road during adverse weather.
Drivers need to plan their journeys in advance, check weather forecasts and traffic reports to help avoid traffic blackspots.
Learner drivers are taught to drive in all weathers if its safe to do so as this equips them with the extra skills needed when the become fully fledged drivers. It's very unlikely that you're going to be driving in glorious weather all of the time. Although the thought of warm sunshine seems a distant memory this spring.
To equip new drivers with the extra skills needed to drive in conditions that may arise after their driving test, PASS PLUS courses are offered by some driving instructors that are registered to do so by the DSA.
Here at Drivemark Driving School we offer Pass Plus courses to all of our newly qualified drivers which the can take if they so wish as its not compulsory, but those that do are given extra training that equips them to drive in adverse weather conditions such as snow and fog. They are if possible taken out to drive at night which in itself brings new hazards and they're also given motorway training which sometimes can seem quite daunting to a new driver.

The course is broken into 6 modules as follows,

1. Introduction and town driving
2. All weather driving
3. Out of town driving and rural roads
4. Night driving
5. Dual Carriageways
6. Motorways

The course should be at least 6 hours long, there is no test at the end, but the correct standard has to be achieved to satisfy the instructor before they can inform the DSA to issue the successful candidate with their PASS PLUS CERTIFICATE. Some insurance companies offer significant discounts to new drivers that have taken the course because they're regarded as being a safer more competent driver.

Full details of the Pass Plus Courses conducted by Drivemark Driving School can be found at,

 

www.drivemark-drivingschool.co.uk/pass-plus-courses.php

 

For information From the Driving Standards Ageny (DSA) about Pass Plus. Click below,

www.gov.uk/pass-plus

 

 

Until next time. Drive Safe.

Another First Time Pass

      Just a few words to welcome Aston to our long line of satisfied clients who've passed their driving test first time with Drivemark Driving School.

ASTON

THERESA

 

Aston was introduced to our driving school by his mom Theresa who also passed her driving test first time with us last year. 

 

Both Aston and his mom were concerned that they would have their test conducted by a certain examiner who's built up a reputation for being extremely strict. Both of them as if it was meant to be had their driving test conducted by the very same examiner that they were both hoping to avoid. On the day none of this was an issue as its important to put learner drivers at ease when conducting their driving lessons that in turn helps build confidence and makes for a more pleasant experience which at the end of the day produces the results above.

 

So well done once again to Aston and Theresa, mother and son both passing their driving test first time with Drivemark Driving School.

 

All of our recent passes can be seen at www.drivemark-drivingschool.co.uk/gallery/gallery-1.php

 

Drive Safe!

Drivemark Driving School's New Blog

Hi, and welcome to Drivemark Driving School's new Blog.
Over the coming weeks I shall try to add my experiences and tips regarding learning to drive a car.
The aim of Drivemark Driving School is to provide our clients with a relaxed and enjoyable experience when learning to drive, we find that if we can achieve this our pupils pick up the skills they need at a far quicker pace. Sometimes learning to drive can be quite a stressful experience but this can easily be contained and rectified if the correct approach to each individuals training is taken.

So to conclude my first post on our new blog lets have a look at our latest satisfied customer.  Callum who passed his driving test first time yesterday. Well Done and Drive Safe!

                                                          

Drivemark Driving School is Based In Worcester and all of our details including our current prices and special offers can be found at;    www.drivemark-drivingschool.co.uk   We look forward to hearing from you soon.