Possibly the scariest memory of my entire life was when, on the first lesson, my Driving Instructor stopped the car in a lane just off a main road and turned off the ignition, saying `okay we`ll swap over and now it`s your turn to drive`. I was nearly twenty years of age and had enjoyed almost two decades of absolution of responsibility in the driving department. This was a crossroads. With shaking limbs and constantly rising blood pressure, I occupied the driving seat, completely clueless. I was aware of what the steering wheel would do but completely unaware of the functions of any other controls. Moreover, I was in total fear of my Driving Instructor. He was an ex regimental sergeant major and, since leaving the army, had become a Driving Instructor for none other than the police. I had no chance. Under the RSM`s orders, I duly chose neutral gear, switched on the ignition, depressed the clutch pedal, selected first gear, generated some revs, released the clutch and….nearly shot us both through the windscreen. I looked over to him on the verge of tears and….he laughed. `That was a xxxxxx awful start`, he said. `You can`t get worse than that`. He had a sense of humour after all. The RSM got me through my lessons and my test by being a wonderfully sympathetic Driving Instructor. Phil Brown, who is the proprietor of Safeway UK, says `Skills in driving develop and more confidence is gained`. I know this from experience. It took a wonderful Driving Instructor to guide me from such a disastrous start to thirty years of prang free motoring.

Driving Schools can differ in size between a national organisation, which may employ several hundred instructors, a regional driving school which may have a dozen or more instructors to a one man operation which is very much a local concern. Driving Schools of all sizes must have one thing in common however and that is Department of Transport approved instructors. One should not pre suppose either that the larger the driving school, the less personal attention the learner receives. A driving lesson is very much a one to one affair regardless of the size of the business operation behind the scenes. Phil Brown is a hugely experienced instructor who is the proprietor of one of the most successful Driving Schools in the shape of Safeway UK. He is quoted as saying `My aim is to ensure that the standard of instruction is kept high, giving a professional and caring approach through lessons.` The assessment process has changed in recent years with the addition of the theory and practical aspects of the driving test. It must surely be a good thing to encourage more than just a basic understanding of the highway code. Phil Brown adds `Our objective is for you to become a safe and confident driver of the roads today.` It used to be a commonly held theory that a driver only started to learn once he or she had passed their test and finally let loose on the roads, implying that Driving Schools had failed to prepare the learner for the harsh realities of driving to the highway code while `experienced` drivers chose to disregard it. As long as Driving Schools like Phil`s strive to create `safe and confident` drivers of today`s roads, that theory can remain in the past.

These days our time seems to be at more and more of a premium, likewise our need to be mobile. One solution is to cram what would normally be a series of weekly driving lessons into one Intensive Driving Course. Some driving schools can now offer the learner who needs to pass his or her test in a very short time an Intensive Driving Course which lasts for one week or a semi Intensive Driving Course which lasts two to four weeks. Phil Brown is the proprietor of one of the most successful providers of Intensive Driving Courses in the United Kingdom in shape of his driving school, Safeway UK. He states that is his school`s aim to ensure that `the fastest possible progress is made to driving test standard and to pass first time.` Taking such an Intensive Driving Course does not mean that corners are cut and the learner`s suitability to then be let loose on our busy roads is compromised. Phil states that `Our objective is for you to become a safe and confident driver of the roads today.` So what are the logistics of undertaking such a course? Well, a typical Intensive Driving Course takes up each day Monday to Friday but some schools can offer midweek to midweek by arrangement if that would suit your schedule better. Each day, a fully qualified and Department of Transport approved instructor will meet you either at home or at a pre agreed place of collection. Your lesson for the day then lasts for four hours. So, over a five day period, your total time under instruction will be twenty hours.

When I was sixteen I leafed through my local paper and found a driving instructor I liked the sound of. I phoned up Harvey, as the driver instructor was called, and promptly booked in my first driving lesson for my 17th birthday. I wanted to drive so badly that I couldn`t wait to get behind the wheel and after a few Driving Lessons I was put in for my test. Aged 17 I proudly passed my test and have enjoyed driving ever since. I was lucky in a way because I know that it`s not always that easy for some people to pass their tests first time. If I were one of those folks I`d book myself on a Driving Lessons Course and take part in some intensive training. One of the intensive Driving Lessons modules available is located in Blackpool. It`s a fully inclusive Driving Lessons that has hotel accommodation thrown in and it`s a great way to pass a driving test. Studies have proved that an intensive Driving Lessons is more suitable for some people and this type of course benefits from having a high pass rate. The level of the tuition is fabulous and the course lengths vary depending on what the learner wants. A typical Driving Lessons course can run from anywhere between 4 to 10 days, it all depends on the ability of the learner driver. I`d definitely book myself on one of these courses if I were struggling to pass my test.

When you are seventeen you can take a theory test and a practical test and if you pass both you get a full licence that permits you to drive a car on the UK roads. A mass group of eager 16 year olds are no doubt chomping at the bit to get their hands on the steering wheel of a learner driver car. Pupils can take lessons on a weekly basis and gradually build up their confidence and skills before being entered into one of the tests. Other types of courses include Crash Courses in driving that can unite provisional drivers with full licences a lot sooner. Crash Courses take place from anywhere between four to ten days and it all depends on individual pupil`s requirements. If the pupil has no prior experience then a longer course might be necessary but if the student has some driving experience short Crash Courses could do. The first time pass rates on the Crash Course are pretty high and that`s` all the encouragement some younger drivers will need. One-to-one tuition can be taken if a student wishes or shared tuition can be requested if they want to break up the driving time. People of all ages can take part in the Crash Courses programmes and they could pass their driving test a lot sooner than they imagined when these courses are completed.