About Me
I have held a full licence for 45 years and been an instructor for 6.
Driving Ability
Every 3 years I voluntarily take a driving test with a serving Traffic Police Officer, as the examiner, as this is a requirement of RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) in order to retain my status as an advanced driver. They have three standards of which Gold is the highest (see below). I am also an ‘Approved Car Tutor’ for RoSPA which means that I help other people to become advanced drivers.
Qualifications
I have completed a BSM examiners course which allows me to carry out ‘Mock’ Driving Tests on behalf of other BSM instructors and a Pass Plus assignment passed with distinction. I am DSA Grade 5 instructor, which is a measure of an instructor’s ability to teach. Grade 6 is the highest. I achieved my grade after just 1 year and hope to achieve a 6 at my next ‘check test’ which is now overdue.
Pass Rate
I am sometimes asked what my pass rate is but it is very difficult to compare figures, as there is no laid down method of calculation and therefore I am giving full details. In 2011, I took 22 people for their 1st test and 16 passed, which is a 1st time pass rate of 72.73%; I took 6 people for their 2nd test and they all passed a pass rate of 100%; I took 1 person who had had 5 attempts in previous years and she passed with me this year. Therefore, in 2011, 29 tests were undertaken by pupils that I had trained and the results were 23 passes and 6 fails, giving an overall pass rate of 79.31%. This is the highest I have ever achieved in a 12 month period.
Philosophy
I believe in teaching people to drive to the very best of their ability and that a driving test should not be attempted unless we both agree that a pass is the expected result. The driving test is just a hurdle on the way not an end in itself.
I am married with 2 grown up daughters and 5 grand children. I lived in Thurston, near Bury St Edmunds from ’83 to ’87 and again from 1994 when we bought the Post Office and Stores, we ran that for 9 years. We then acquired some land in Thurston and built a house, where we are still living today.
