There is a saying that practice makes perfect and, in the case of driving, this is very true, although safer drivers can be substituted for perfect. The challenge with this is you might not always be able to practise as much as you like, for a variety of reasons. This could be due to lack of funds for lessons, no car, no insurance or supervising driver to practise with. The current lockdown restrictions mean that practice can only happen with a supervising driver if your journey is regarded as essential, so the opportunity is very limited.
Despite this, there are a few things you can do to maintain your current driving skill, and in some instances improve on what you already know. This article will identify six suggestions that may help you in maintaining and potentially improving your driving skill and knowledge.
1. The Internet
There is no escape, there is a lot of information in various forms accessible and available on the internet 24/7. You can use this information to your advantage in order to help with your driving knowledge. A lot of driving schools publish tips and hints to help with driving and driveJohnson’s is no exception to this. We have a dedicated learning centre that anyone can access that provides a lot of useful hints, tips and other driving information. The learning centre can be accessed here if you didn’t know about it until now. New content gets posted in our learning centre regularly.
Social media platforms are also a great resource for information, whether it be Youtube, Facebook, Twitter etc. A lot of Youtube videos are posted about crazy road users which can be used to understand the consequences of poor decisions when driving. Facebook feeds are also very useful. driveJohnson’s regularly post and have recently published a daily tip covering 30 things to consider when taking your driving test. It’s well worth following us. The DVSA also has a Facebook and Twitter account to share their latest information. Discussion groups are also useful within social media, although please remember if using these posts, they are providing other people’s opinions and not necessarily facts.
2. Access your theory test practice app
As you know, you have to pass your theory test before you can book your practical test. To help prepare for the theory test, there are a variety of apps available to help with this. As a franchise, we can you give you, our pupil, free access to Theory Test Pro and there are other apps available if you prefer. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter which one you use, as they all do more-or-less the same thing.
Don’t be afraid to keep using whatever app you have to keep your road knowledge and, more importantly, your Hazard Perception test skills high. New videos are released through the app regularly to check hazard perception under different conditions, including hazards involving weather and animals. Even though you might have already passed your theory test, it doesn’t mean you can’t access your practice app to maintain your skill. You might even find you get better scores than you did in your theory test preparation or indeed your theory test, as you have extra road experience you didn’t have before.
Recently there was a government debate on the potential to extend the current Theory Test Certificate expiration of 2 years. The outcome was that no extensions are being considered as all test candidates need to have proven knowledge and understanding of hazards through the Hazard Perception test component.
3. Observe other road users
Even though you might not be practising driving, there are always other road users about. Take every opportunity to observe their behaviour and consider what decisions you would make if you were driving a car and were faced with their behaviour. This could be as a pedestrian, on public transport or as a passenger in car.
Another useful exercise is to spend a length of time, for example 10-15 minutes, observing the behaviour of road users at different junctions, roundabouts or whatever. There are always 1 or 2 junctions or road layouts that need care when driving them (Eye roundabout in Peterborough is our nemesis). You will find that different road users behave differently at the same location which will hopefully help your decisions if and when you drive at that same location.
4. Talk to other road users you know
We all know other people that are road users, either learning to drive like you are or full licence holders with varying years of experience, including your instructor. They could also be cyclists, motorbike riders or pedestrians/joggers. If they agree to it, spend some time talking to them and ask them questions about their road experiences. They will more than likely want to share their horror stories, which you can learn from. Remember to take these in the context of the particular situation and the fact that bad events only happen rarely. You might even surprise yourself and know more than they do, so they might learn something new.
5. Books
There are a number of books/ebooks available you can refer to when improving your driving knowledge. The obvious one is the Highway Code. It’s not the most interesting of reads yet it’s the legal reference point for rules and guidelines. Other recommended publications are:
- Know your traffic signs
- The official DVSA Guide to Better Driving
- The official DVSA Guide to Driving the essential skills
- The official DVSA Guide to Learning to Drive
- Roadcraft – the Police Drivers Handbook & DVD is also available
6. Reflect on your own behaviour
There is a lot of information available to you as learner drivers that can be used to improve your driving behaviour outside of formal driving lessons. The five mentioned above are some, yet this is not an exhaustive list. There may be other sources of information available to you that you can use to help you. Your instructor might have also provided a reflective log or another mechanism for documenting your lesson progress which you can refer to.
The important thing to remember is what you do with this vast information. There’s a very simple feedback model I use regularly than you can apply to your own reflection on your driving skill:
a) Start
What are you going to start doing that you’re not doing already? E.g. signalling in plenty of time.
b) Stop
What are you going to stop doing that you know you really shouldn’t? E.g. crossing your hands on the steering wheel.
c) Continue
What are you going to continue doing that you know you already are and can improve on? E.g. blind spot checks.
Don’t overload yourself with too many reflections at once. Focus on one start, one stop and one continue reflection each week. You will be amazed how sometimes one small change can make a big difference to your driving.
Imagine yourself driving – go on a virtual drive in your imagination. Go through your routines, physically change gear and turn the steering wheel. You might look a bit silly but you will be building up your skill. If you apply any of these techniques for maintaining and improving your skill as a driver, this will hopefully help you when you get back in the car for your lessons. Your decisions will be safer and more effective, and you never know, you may be putting in for your test sooner than you were expecting to.
