Jonny Scott- Marchmont, Edinburgh.
It's with great pleasure that we can announce that Jonny Scott from Marchmont, Edinburgh, passed his test in Currie. Jonny put in a great performance with only 2 minors and was complimented on a good drive by his examiner. Well done again Jonny, well deserved and enjoy the new licence. Above all remember to stay safe out there.
Jonny Scott- Marchmont, Edinburgh.
Natasha De Fonseca- Granton, Edinburgh
We are delighted to say that we have set off February with a bang and it's all down to Natasha who today passed her test brilliantly in Musselburgh. A fantastically confident drive saw Natasha bring home her licence and also allows her to start her new business, Honeycomb hair design, on the road to success. Well done again Natasha, thoroughly deserved and remember while out cutting all that hair with your new business, to stay safe out there.
Natasha De Fonseca- Granton, Edinburgh.
Brian Dormido- Gorgie, Edinburgh.
A huge congratulations to Brian Dormido from Gorgie in Edinburgh who today passed his test first time in Currie with only 1 minor! An outstanding achievement especially with the short timescales we were working with. Well done again, enjoy the new licence and remember to stay safe out there.
Brian Dormido- Gorgie, Edinburgh
Kirsten Ballantyne- Granton, Edinburgh
We round off January with a last minute pass and it's a huge congratulations to Kirsten Ballantyne who today passed her test in Musselburgh. It was all a rush as Kirstens test was changed unexpectedly to today which was just before she leaves on her new career as air crew with Easy Jet. Well done again, you did brilliantly keeping composed during the test and enjoy the new freedom the licence gives you. Above all though remember to stay safe out there.
Kirsten Ballantyne- Granton, Edinburgh.
Robyn Rhind- Livingston
What a fantastic way to end January. Huge congratulations to Robyn Rhind of Livingston who today passed her test with minimal minors in Livingston. The examiner commented on her positive drive today and as such passed her brilliantly after a lot of hard work. Congratulations Robyn, enjoy the new licence and being able to take your wee boy anywhere and everywhere. Above all though be safe out there.
Robyn Rhind- Livingston.
Laura Thomson- Broxburn
Another day another pass from Compass and it's with delight we can announce that Laura Thomson from Broxburn has today passed et test first time with minimal minors in Livingston. This was a great achievement as Laura managed it quicker than she had anticipated and as such has opened up new opportunities for herself. Well done again Laura, enjoy the new licence and all that it brings to you and remember to above all stay safe out there.
Laura Thomson- Broxburn
Phil Turnbull- Gorgie, Edinburgh.
It's with great delight that we can announce that Phil Turnbull from Gorgie, Edinburgh, today passed his test in Currie with only 4 minors! A great composed drive saw Phil walk away with his licence and a hugely positive debrief from his examiner. This new licence will no doubt make life so much easier for Phil from here on in. Well done again, enjoy the new licence but above all stay safe out there.
Phil Turnbull-Gorgie, Edinburgh.
Finding the Right Driving Instructor in Edinburgh
If you’re hoping to sit your driving test soon, you’re also probably looking to book some lessons. It can be a daunting process finding an instructor who is qualified, experienced and approved, because not all are. In a large city like this, finding trustworthy driving instructors in Edinburgh can be like looking for a needle in haystack.
With this in mind, we’ve come up with a guide for finding the right driving instructors in Edinburgh, and we hope you find it’s a great help. Read on to find out what you should be looking out for.
Take a Look Online, Shop Around
Learning to drive can be expensive, but booking the cheapest isn’t necessarily the best way forward. You’re looking at least around 30 hours of driving lessons, so you need to choose carefully and find someone you can trust. The first port of call is to take a look online and see if you can find any local driving schools that seem trustworthy.
What should you look out for on their website?
Their website should give clear indications as to what they offer for what they are charging. The type of courses on offer should be clearly sign posted, whether they’re hourly weekly lessons taken as and when you need them, a full intense course, or short blocks of lessons you can book for maybe a few days or weeks ahead. There should be clear indications as to how long each one of their instructors have been in their jobs, and whether they’re fully qualified, they should have a green licence if they are. Do some of their driving courses offer discounts if you book in advance?
Recommendations and word-of-mouth
What are their pass rates like, and do they have recommendations, has someone recommended this firm to you before you looked online? Recommendations are always a good sign, if people are recommending them word of mouth, then they’re obviously good. Listen out for any recommendations then as well as utilising the internet.
Assessment Lessons, Techniques and Methods
You’ll need an assessment lesson before you start. This is to see how much you know already and to ascertain how many lessons you’re going to need to pass. It’s also an important time for you and the instructor to see if you’re a best fit. From your point of view, you want someone who makes you feel comfortable because you’re bound to feel nervous. It’s also important you find someone who has a good understanding of techniques and methods and that they’re able to convey them to you in a clear and concise manner. If they become impatient or rude, then it’s time to find someone else. A good driving instructor should be aware from the start that a new driver is going to be a little bit nervous and they should be able to take this into account.
Is your instructor patient, helpful and communicative?
A good driving instructor should be kind, helpful with good communication skills and above all - patient. If an instructor is constantly addressing failures and mistakes and never focusing on the positives, giving you gentle encouragement, then you need to find someone else.
Compass Prodrive – Premier Driving Instructors in Edinburgh
We can get you through your test, we’re a team of qualified and experienced driving instructors in Edinburgh and we’ve got a lot of drivers through their tests over the years. Get in touch if you’d like to know more about us before deciding.
Lily Waterton- Marchmont, Edinburgh.
We are delighted to announce that Lily Waterton from Marchmont, Edinburgh, today passed her test in Currie with minimal minors. This is especially good as Lily actually leaves to Australia in a couple of weeks and a licence is going to make life a whole lot easier. Brilliant result Lily, well deserved and we wish you well in your big adventure. Enjoy the new licence and remember to stay safe out there.
Lily Waterton- Marchmont, Edinburgh
Joe Stewart- Drumbrae, Edinburgh.
Keeping up with our fine pass rate for 2017 we would like to offer a massive congratulations to Joe Stewart from Drumbrae, Edinburgh, who today passed first time in Currie with only 4 minors. Joe has worked tirelessly on this and reaped the rewards with a brilliant pass. Well done again Joe, really enjoy the new licence and above all remember to stay safe out there.
Joe Stewart- Drumbrae, Edinburgh
Graeme Morrison- Broxburn
A huge congratulations to Graeme Morrison from Broxburn who passed his test in Livingston first time with only 3 minors. A fantastic achievement and thoroughly well deserved. Graeme is also Compass ProDrives first pass of 2017 already! As a personal aside I'm delighted as I went to School with Graeme and am proud that he has worked so hard and got his licence. Well done again, enjoy the licence and remember to stay safe out there.
Graeme Morrison- Broxburn
When to Signal Whilst Driving
In today’s post, we’re going to be taking a look at how you can signal better when driving. There’s so much to pick up when you’re learning to drive that it can seem like a minefield at times. When is the best time to indicate without causing confusion to other drivers? When should you signal and when should you not?
When drivers are unsure whether to signal, it can cause an accident, and although it may seem like such a small thing to consider, it has the potential to be lethal. Hesitation can be the difference between driving safely or causing an accident that could lead to injury or death. Therefore, it’s important to know when you should signal and when you should not.
We’re going to go through some scenarios when it’s appropriate for you to signal. Not only will it help when sitting your test, it will also prove useful for all your driving life, helping you to become a more competent driver.
Pulling Off
Always remember that when you’re pulling off you should signal, unless there’s a driver behind you and you’re waiting for him to pass, in this case not signalling could cause confusion to the drive behind you because he’ll slow down or stop behind you.
If you’re parking up, then the rules for this should be the same as they are for moving off. Signal what your intentions are before you park up. If there’s no one around, then there is a need to signal.
Cyclists
When overtaking a cyclist on a road wide enough for you to overtake, then signal so other drivers know what you’re doing. If the road isn’t wide enough to overtake you’ll need to slow down behind the cyclist, sometimes a signal on your right side will allow other drivers behind you to realise there’s a cyclist in front. Assess each situation before you signal for overtaking a cyclist, it won’t be necessary to do this each time as it could cause confusion, with drivers thinking you’re turning down a road.
Signalling Around Parked Cars
If you’re near parked cars you may be wondering whether it’s best to indicate. There is no need to do this normally, however, there may be the odd occasion when you should. One such situation would be when you’re driving along a narrow road with a car behind you but there are parked cars ahead. You may need to wait behind them before moving on, signalling drivers behind you lets them know what’s going on. Indicating around parked cars will always require assessment of each situation to decide whether or not you should.
Overtaking
When overtaking a roundabout, you must indicate which direction you’re going in, whether it’s to turn left or right. If you’re following the road straight at a roundabout you don’t need to indicate, but if you’re going right you’ll need to apply the left signal just after the exit you pass before the one you’ll be taking. When you’re leaving a roundabout, you’ll need to make sure you’ve switched off all your signals. You will have to indicate at mini roundabouts in the same way as you would with a normal sized roundabout, but you won’t have to provide a second exit signal. You won’t have to signal when you’re turning in the road (3-point turn) unless there’s a cyclist or another vehicle which might be affected. When reversing round a corner, it may be a good idea to signal to other drivers depending on the situation, otherwise there’s isn’t any need to do this. If you’re parallel parking, then signal left (as you’ll be parking on the left), but otherwise there’s no need to signal.
Merging With Other Traffic
Always indicate right when you’re building up speed to join a dual carriage way or motorway slip road. You should do this around halfway down the slip road and once you’ve merged successfully, cancel your signal.
Changing Lanes
If you’re leaving a motorway or a dual carriageway, then you should always indicate at the 300-yard marker.
A Turn in the Road
If you’re about to turn in the road, then you should signal around 100 feet in advance of turning right or left. But if there are other turns off the one you’ve just taken you may need to signal again. If you have high speed roads, then the distance increases to around 900 feet from your exit, if you’re on a 70mph on dual carriageways.
It’s Important to Know When to Signal
As you can imagine, it’s very important you realise when to signal and when not. A lot of this will be learnt on your driving lessons, and you’ll gain in experience once you’ve passed your test. Once you’ve got over the hesitancy of being a first-time driver after your test, you’ll get better the more you drive and be able to make sensible judgements on when to signal based on what you’ve learnt with your driving instructor and what you’ve learnt on the road. When you’re on the road learning to drive, you’ll learn a lot about other times when you should signal, such as at junctions. Knowing when and the appropriate timings to do so is something you’ll learn easily and quickly with your teacher.
Get in Touch With Questions For Our Driving Instructors Edinburgh
We hope this post has been of use to you, if you’d like to ask us anything about this or any other topic, then please get in touch with us here at Compass Prodrive, and speak to our premier driving instructors Edinburgh.
Glen McKinlay- South Queensferry
A huge congratulations to Glen McKinlay from South Queensferry who today passed his test first time in Currie with only 3 minors. This was a fantastic effort from Glen especially as he had a target of passing before Christmas and he managed it with aplomb. Well done again Glen, enjoy the new licence and remember to stay safe out there.
Glen McKinlay- South Queensferry.
Ryan Steven McDougall- Edinburgh
It's an exciting announcement today. Steven McDougal today passed his test in Musselburgh first time, 30 hours and with no minors! 'Perfect' drive. An incredible achievement and thoroughly well deserved. Congratulations again, enjoy the new licence and remember to stay safe out there.
Steven McDougal- Edinburgh
Clean sweep!
Graham Kidd- Granton, Edinburgh
Very happy to announce that Graham Kidd from Granton, Edinburgh, today passe passed his test with only one minor today at Currie test centre. Graham produced a very impressive drive today which was highlighted by his examiner. Well done again especially managing it before Christmas and remember to enjoy the new licence and stay safe out there.
Graham Kidd- Granton, Edinburgh.
Andrew Monaghan- Murrayburn, Edinburgh
A massive congratulations to Andrew Monaghan from Murrayburn in Edinburgh, today passed his test with only 1 minor in Currie. Andrew did extremely well especially as this was the first time he had driven in the dark! This is another tick in the win column for his instructor Laura Jackson who has yet another pass and maintains that exceptional pass rate. Well done again Andrew, enjoy the new licence and remember to stay safe out there.
Liam Jablonski- Westerhailes
It's with great delight that we can announce that Liam Jablonski from Westerhailes, Edinburgh, has today passed his test in Currie with only 2 minors! This pass helps maintain our Laura's pass rate at over 80% alone. It was a big requirement for Liam to pass today as he has a new job in Glasgow and in subsequently moving there as well. Well done again Liam, thoroughly deserved, enjoy the new licence and remember to stay safe out there.
Liam Jablonski- Westerhailes, Edinburgh
Abi Potter- Livingston
It's with great delight that we can announce that Abi Potter from Livingston (Privet Drive) passed her test at Livingston test centre (Hogwarts) with minimal minors. Abi put in a tremendous amount of work in a short amount of time to get through this for her starting her new job (Auror, Ministry of Magic). Great result today Abi and thoroughly deserved. Enjoy the new licence and remember to stay safe out there.
Holly Buchanan- Fountainbridge
Ladies and gentlemen I give you Holly Buchanan from Fountainbridge, Edinburgh, who today passed her test first time in Currie with only 4 minors. A very good drive saw Holly walk proudly away with her licence and is now about to raid Arnold Clark. Congratulations Holly, enjoy the new licence and remember to stay safe out there.
