Winter Driving Tips
If you’re taking driving lessons in Edinburgh, then you’re probably learning to drive in all sorts of different traffic situations, and this is great because it will help you to become a better driver. You’ll also be dealing with all sorts of weather conditions during your time with your Edinburgh driving school (hopefully that’s us!).
We know how deceptive and treacherous winter weather can be, and today we’re going to talk about winter weather and give you some tips on driving safely. Keep in mind that the more practice you get on the road, the better your driving will get.
Prepare Your Vehicle Before You Travel
It makes sense to make sure your vehicle is ready for the road in winter, so it’s a good idea to make sure you have your vehicle fully serviced beforehand. You can also do your own checks in preparation for winter:-
Make sure your battery is in full working order
Check all your lights
Check the condition of your tyres, thickness, pressure, tread
Check that your brakes are working
Check that all fluids are topped up.
By doing this you are preparing your car for bad weather, and making sure that should you be caught out in hazardous conditions, your car is more than ready to deal with it.
Anti-Freeze
Your anti-freeze is important for freezing weather, and if you don’t bother to invest in some, you could end up shelling out for new engine which will cost you a lot more.
Visibility is Crucial
When you’re dealing with poor weather, you need to make sure your visibility is as good as it can be. Make sure your lights are clean before you start off on any journey. Clear snow from the lights as well as the rest of your car. You’ll need to use your headlights and fog lights once visibility is poor, but always remember to switch them off once the visibility improves or you could blind other drivers on the road.
Emergency Kit for Bad Weather Conditions
When there’s snow or torrential rain, it’s possible that your car may break down and you’re unable to continue with your journey. If this does happen, then it’s crucial that you have an emergency kit in your car. Here’s a list of the type of things you should have in your car should it breakdown:
Shovel
Boots
De-icer
A torch
Blanket
Flask with a hot drink
Fully charged mobile phone
First aid kit.
Experienced and Qualified Driving Instructors Edinburgh
Here at Compass Pro Drive we believe in a thorough grounding in winter weather driving, so we’ll talk to you about that when you have your driving lessons with us. If you’re yet to start your driving lessons in Edinburgh, then get in touch and start your driving future with us.
Experience Winter Weather With Reliable Driving Instructors in Edinburgh
If you need a reliable, trustworthy and fully qualified driving instructor in Edinburgh, then you’ve find a whole team of us at Compass Pro Drive that are all qualified and experienced in teaching people how to drive, so you’re in safe hands. If you want to ask us about driving lessons, or anything that you’ve read in our post on winter driving tips, then get in touch, we’ll be happy to answer all your questions.
Clanger of the Week- Kirkliston
We all know that when an emergency vehicle is approaching, that vehicle has priority and as such vehicles move. However when you are stuck in traffic in Kirkliston and decide to do a U turn when emergency vehicles are approaching, perhaps this is what not to do.
Iain Burton- South Queensferry
Its with great pleasure that I can announce that Iain Burton passed his test first time today at Currie. An excellent drive with minimal black marks saw Iain claim that elusive free car space at Adecco. Well done again and remember to stay safe out there.
Clanger of the Week- Marchmont
This demonstrates the continued strained relationship with motorists and cyclists. This highlights a complete disregard for their personal safety and safety of others with no helmet and putting gloves on whilst cycling. Perhaps a reintroduction of cycling proficiency or road awareness should be explored?..
Clanger of the Week- Livingston
A rogue mobility scooter seen on the loose in Livingston. Though amusing it does highlight some of the challenges that these things can create....
Clanger of the Week: Craigmillar
This incident was filmed in the outskirts of the Craigmillar area in Edinburgh. The young driver had followed the learner quite close and when the road straightens out decides to accelerate over the speed limit and over take faster than the designated 30mph and on tinge outside of a traffi Island. Driving like this by young or old demonstrated why there is a greater need for road safety awareness as well as the greater need for driver skills development. Something that Compass is working on with one of our driving school partners. Stay tuned.
Clanger of the Week- Currie
Latest Clanger of the Week which was filmed in Currie, demonstrates why checking your right Blindspot before pulling away saves lives.
Angelos Athanasakos- Craigmillar
Congratulations to Angelos Athanasakos of Craigmillar who this morning passed brilliantly with only 2 minors An excelent drive saw Angelos walk away with his new licence. Well done again, just shows what hard work will achieve. Enjoy your new opportunities and remember to stay safe out there.
Alex Jones- Leith
A massive congratulations to Alex Jones Of Leith, who today after an intensive course passed his test with only 3 minors. It's been 4 years on and off in the making but he did it. Congratulations again and remember to stay safe out there
New Instructor Joins Compass
We are delighted to announce that as of the second week of November 2015 a new instructor will be joining the Compass ProDrive family. Laura Jackson will start her new career with us and will offer a new dimension to the company for anyone who may prefer a female instructor. This allows Compass to offer a far wider service to prospective pupils.
Please feel free to share this post with anyone you think may be interested in learning to drive
Clanger of the Week Debut- Livingston
Our first ever 'Clanger of the Week' has been released. A light hearted look at some incidents that could have gone bad but thankfully never.
Hazard Perception Test Guide
How Should You Approach the Hazard Perception Test?
The Hazard Perception Test has been around since 2002 and is always taken at the same time as the Theory Test. There’s 15 minutes to sit this part of the test and you must identify at least 15 hazards as quickly as you can from around 14 video clips. You can’t go on to your practical test until you’ve passed this part, so you’ll find it’s quite important to get it right.
Here at Compass Pro Drive we’ve managed to get many drivers through their test and we will help you through this too. We can give you advice and guidance on how to pass this part of your test and help you to be as prepared as you can be. We are the premier driving instructors in Edinburgh so you’re in safe hands.
What Can You Expect From the Hazard Perception Test?
Once you sit down you’ll have a short video which will tell how the test works and what you will need to do to pass. You can play the video again before starting the test, it’s entirely up to you.
You’ll see a freeze frame at the beginning of the video and then there’ll be a countdown from 10. At the end of this, the video will start and you’ll have to click, with your mouse button, every time you see a potential hazard about to occur.
Red Flags
A red flag will appear once you’ve clicked, and this will be the same for your all your hazard clicks, you’ll always get a red flag for each one. At the end of this particular video clip all the red flags will go.
Spot the Hazard Before it Materialises
You will only score if you manage to spot a hazard before it materialises, when it does materialise, the driver will have to then take action such as slow down, or swerve. The point is to spot it before it happens.
Your ability to recognise the hazard quickly before it develops into something more serious will determine your score.
The hazard perception test is about testing your ability to recognise a potential hazard before it happens and this is essential once you become a fully-fledged driver.
Time Segments – The Quicker You Recognise a Developing Hazard, The Better
You will have 5 segments of time. If you click quickly before the developing hazard gets any worse you will score the highest of 5 points. The second time segment warrants 4 and so on. The slower you are at spotting a developing hazard, the lower your score. If you don’t click at all, you score nothing.
You can click quite a few times within a particular timeframe, but the computer will take the highest score and record that for the clip you’ve been watching.
Don’t Cheat!
Whatever you do, don’t click over and over again in the hope of just getting it about right, the computer will be able to sense this. It will only be the first click anyhow.
You are only allowed so many clicks per clip, and if it senses that you are doing more clicks than average in an attempt to cheat, you’ll get a message saying just that. This will result in no score for that particular clip.
The screen will turn black between each clip, so you’ll recognise when you’re going from one hazard clip to another completely different one. You’ll get a count down until the next one starts and this will be the pattern, until all 14 of the video clips have been played.
After you’ve completed the test, you’ll leave the room and then collect the score for both parts including your theory. To pass your theory test you must pass both parts of the test. If you fail either, the theory or the hazard perception, then you’ll need to take the test again, both parts.
Edinburgh Driving Lessons With Compass Pro Drive
If you have any questions about the hazard perception test, or you’re worried about it at all, then speak to us here at Compass Pro Drive. We are professional, qualified driving instructors in Edinburgh.
Our Edinburgh driving school is one of the best in the city and we pride ourselves on getting all our students through their test. Come and talk to us here in Edinburgh and we’ll do all we can to reassure you and talk you through each test and each lesson until you’ve passed. That’s what we’re here for.
Helen Nugent-Granton
A huge congratulations to Helen Nugent who today passed her test in Musselburgh. A positive drive saw Helen manage to walk away with her new licence with relative ease. Enjoy the new licence and the opportunities that come with it. Remember to stay safe out there
Compass Gets Mention in Press
Following a request from www.scotlandsworstdrivers.com to comment on an incident that was caught on camera, we received a mention in the Daily Record through our quote. Have a look and watch the incident and let us know your thoughts.
http://www.scotlandsworstdrivers.com/reckless-driver-overtakes-multiple-cars-and-a-tractor-1-6930/
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/watch-impatient-van-driver-speeds-6560572
Competition Time!
This month Compass ProDrive have teamed up with Scotlands Worst Drivers and one lucky winner will win a 'Two hour driving lesson'.
Entering this competition couldn't be easier, all you have to do is LIKE the Compass ProDrive Facebook page and share this post or Follow us on Twitter @cprodrivemedia and retweet the post
Terms and Conditions can be found here: http://www.scotlandsworstdrivers.com/competition_rules/
Not Much Change-Currie and Misselburgh Tests
Latest DVSA statistics for the mid part of the year has revealed that there has not been much change in the national average. Across the country including Currie, Musselburgh and Livingston, reveals that the national average is still around 47% for practical tests and 49% for theory tests.
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/459698/drt-q1-2015-16.pdf
New Twitter For New Media Communications
Due to new avenues of communication and media options we will soon be delivering to new and existing pupils, we have changed our Twitter account to facilitate this. As such our new Twitter account will be:
@Cprodrivemedia
From here as well as all our other social media streams, we will keep you informed of all new developments and news about Compass and the surrounding industry as a whole. So if you have not already follow us on
@Cprodrivemedia
@Cprodrivemedia
YouTube Channel Launched
Welcome to our new YouTube channel. Here we will be posting new tuition videos, WebAds and of course a new exciting and fun feature entitled 'Fail of The Week'. Before there are any concerns about test fails, we can confirm that's not the case. It's everyday observations that we as driving instructors get to see first hand and have a bit of fun with them. Enjoy, subscribe, rate and share as Compass continues to add new avenues for you to enjoy and learn from
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaSzln-yU_zSd0l2uSovUww?view_as=public
We Are Now On Google+
With frequent advances in social media use, we at Compass ProDrive are committed to ensuring you can always contact and access us about services. If you are on Google+ then add us and keep up to date with all our news.
Becoming The Family Chaffeur
Congratulations to Coreen who today passed her test in record time and with only 2 minors! The examiner commented how good a drive it was. Well done again, stay safe out there and remember to share our BAFTA winning WebAd 😉
