VALLEY DRIVING r


he nan ucto


r


about starting learning to drive, writes driving instructor Chris Peacock.


T


he universities are closing down for the summer and this is the time of year when I get telephone calls from parents and students contacting me


They also want to have passed th e ir driving


te st before the summer holidays are over and they disappear back to th e ir studies. It is a


popular time to s ta rt learning to drive with th e lig h te r nights


■ Choosing a driving in stru ctor is an impo r­


ta n t decision - will he o r she be rig h t fo r you? Are th ey fu lly qualified? You will be spending a lo t o f time sitting in close proximity to this person, so you will need to feel comfortable around them and they should put you a t ease.


; If you are a parent thinking o f picking an ; in stru cto r fo r your child, it might have been


a long time ago since you had your driving lessons and are not sure who to choose - who is good, how many lessons will they need,- ■


through the process o f choosing a driving instructor, whether this is fo r yourself o r a family member who is coming back over the summer period.


• Most people pick a driving in stru ctor


through word of mouth and reputation, they may have taught an older bro the r or sister, o r a frie n d from college. This way you can ask wha t th e driving in stru ctor is like as your friend /sibling will be able to give some honest


. feedback about this person. If you like what you are being told then why no t book a driving lesson, and see if you agree? If you s till like the driving instructor, then at this point you are likely to commit to th a t instructor. Most driving instructors o ffe r a discount if


you book and pay fo r a block o f driving les­ sons, normally 10 o r more if you can afford to


do so, so why not save yourself some money and take advantage of these discounts? What if you do not have somebody to ask? All driving instructors need to be trained


and registered with the driving standards agency (D.S.A.). You will know if they are regis­ tered w ith th e D.S.A because they must display a licence in the fro n t of the car, in a similar way to how we display a tax disc. There are two coloured licences - green and


pink - so what's the difference? An in stru ctor with a green licence is fu lly trained and quali­ fied; while th e pink licence holder is partially trained and cannot operate th e ir own driving school, so most work fo r larger multi-national schools. The pink licence is operated by the


; D.S.A. so the potential driving in stru ctor can gain more teaching experience before taking th e ir th ird and final exam. All D.S.A. registered


: d riving instructors have had a criminal record check.


: y ilA n o th e r consideration is whether the driv-


.. ing in s tru c to r can f i t you in; no t all driving in stru cto rs work fu ll time, some f i t it in around


■ o th p r jobs, you might need to have yo u r lesson on a c e rta in day o r time, can a particular driv- ! ing in s tru c to r f i t in to your plans?


iValiey page 4 Most people s ta r t learning to drive by hav­


ing a lesson a week, some people do one hour, some do an hour-and-a-half, o r two hours, until they reach th e point th a t they are ready to take the driving test, and some way along this journey, you will need to have passed yo u r hazard perception and theory test. • Intensive driving courses You might be considering doing an intensive


driving course and there are a couple o f op ­ tions th a t most driving instructors can o f fe r and these normally last between one and six weeks depending on the instructor's availabil­ ity and your needs. There are a couple o f ways th a t you can plan


your intensive driving course. The firs t is to t ry and pass your driving test in one week; th is will require you co-ordinating with your in s tru c ­ tor, and booking yo u r test in advance, th e re is normally a fo u r week waiting list from booking to taking your driving test. So a t th e beginning o f the week you w ill s ta rt learning to drive, and by the Friday you will need to be ready fo r y o u r test, but what if you are not ready? You are not leaving yourself much room to pu t in extra training and, if you have sat in a car all week


AGE


17-19. 20-30 31-40


41-50’fr


OUTSTANDING 26-29 29t35 3 5-4 3 4 0 -5 4


FAST


30-34 35-41 44-55 55-69


AVERAGE


^ 35-40 42-48 56-65 70-82


learning to drive, do you want to be having a driving test on the Friday? The second way is to spread out your les­


sons over a number of weeks, between fo ur and six. Again you will need to co-ordinate


with yo u rd rivin g instructor. If you have passed your hazard perception and theory test then - aim fo r fo ur weeks, if you have not then aim to have passed in six weeks. Start your driving and aim to have passed your hazard percep­ tion and theory te s t with in the firs t two weeks


Your driving in s tru c to r will be able to assist ' ’


you with the hazard perception and theory ■ test. Then book yo u r driving test. You can then plan your training hours up to the test date


and If you need to get some extra training in ' - there IS plenty o f time to do so


• ' Whichever way you plan to do an intensive


driving course, th e quickest you can normally pass your driving te st is within four weeks un­ less you can get a practical driving test earlier.


, • How many lessons will I need? This is a question th a t is asked by most of


however I can give a guide to what I think they hnu,o fiard to give an exact answer 'earning to drive,^


BELOW AVERAGE SLOW 41-50 4 9 -6 0 6 6-78


51-76 61-81


83-100


79-100 101-119


will need, from th e progress made in the first couple o f lessons.


Everybody learns diffe re n tly - 1 have people


who have passed a fte r nine hours tuition, while others needed many more lessons. Tbe D.S.A. website states: Those who pass


th e ir driving te s t have had, on average, about 4 5 hours o f professional tra ining combined with 22 hours o f private practice. Learners who prepare th is way, w ith a combination of plenty of professional tra ining and plenty of practice, do b e tte r in the test.


' • To summarise: , Ask around fo r a recommendation o f a good


driving instructor. Are they registered with th e D.S.A.? Book a driving lesson w ith them and make


you own judgement. Start learning yo u r hazard perception and


th eory test as soon as you can. Know what you want, weekly lessons or an


intensive driving course. Ask fo r a discount fo r a block booking? Now have fu n learning and enjoy your driv­


ing lessons. • l E i S i


what will they need to do to get a fu ll driving licence? Here is some information to help you


Below I have tried to give a guide as to how many driving lessons somebody might need


-■k*. /


VALLEY ENTERTAINMENT truth is out there Cutting edge cinema comes to Clitheroe


screened at The Grand this month. Ribble Valley film enthusiasts are in fo r a


A


SERIES of award winning films from the UK's premier internation­ al documentary film festival will be


rare tre a t as the "Doc/Fest Tour" rolls into Clitheroe fo r three days in May, bringing with it th e op p o rtu n ity to experience some highly origin al and daring film-making from across th e world. Six screenings, to be held between Monday,


May 10th and Wednesday, May 12th, feature a selection o f th e best films from one o f Eu­ rope's biggest film industry events held every


November in Sheffield. The Grand Events Co-ordinator Matt Evans


says: "Doc Fest is the UK's showpiece event fo r documentary film-makers worldwide and we will have th e directors' picks from the 2 0 0 9 event, which was considered th e best


. ever a fte r 14 years." The in tern ationa l flavour o f the films is '


reflected by th e ir respective settings o f Viet Nam, Cuba, Slovakia, France, Kenya and USA. The opening n igh t features two short films prio r to the screening o f Sons of Cuba, a story following th e lives o f th ree young boxing hopefuls growing up in communist Cuba.


Travellers return to the scene of their album .,,


T


hot the band recorded and released it as their new album, entitled "Ar­ rears Not Careers". The Manchester six-piece


made th e most o f the Clitheroe venue's recording fa c ility and are now earning plaudits th roug ho ut the music in d u s try fo r th e ir live sound, captured brilliantly th a t winter's night. They complete a 10-date album to u r fittin g ly in the venue where th e album was cre­ ated and if th e atmosphere in th e Clitheroe venue reaches anything like it did th a t November evening then those in attendance are in fo r a special night indeed. A mixture o f good-vibe


folky rock w ith an unmistak­ able pop sensibility, this o u tfit is deservedly growing in c re dibility and can add fu ­ tu re confirmed appearanc­ es a t Glastonbury and the nearby Beatherder Festival as pa rt o f th e ir itinerary. .


-— The.Trave|ling Band appear at The Grand on Sat­ urday, May 22nd, as pa rt of an Acoustic Village night (7 p.m. doors, £ 8 .5 0 advance).


he Travelling Band's scorching set at The Grand last November was so


I _Hond^y^O^ Y 7.oops


3-P11bi S p e d i , DEPTHS: Eliza C a rth y 's la s t a lb um 'su rp rise d even her mo st avid fo llowe rs, i i ; ; ' x : c


I—®!is'3?y_nth ■ 7.30p1a


Hedne^a^ 12th 3.30pn Katini


izo- mokes‘her OOW-


T ic k e ts £5.00 per t i l n E‘1.00 {OAPs u l8 s NUS) £ 1 6 .50/£15.00 fo r f u t l s e r ie s


{ Vi REAMS of Breathing Underwater, ■ p \ ‘ I Eliza Carthy’s briliiant last album, ,'l 'A bewitching patchwork of bold and , ^ -


la i/i revealed depths to surprise even'u j her most avid foiiowers.


- ..


|3 imaginative singing and lyricism; th e record p received well-deserved acclaim and estab-fe;


. lished Eliza beyond th e description o f folk -^m u s ic artist, as she is often associated


18 York Street, Clitheroe BB7 20L | Tel: 01200 421 599 | www.thegrandvenue.c


York Street, Clitheroe. Tel: 0 1 200 4 2 1 5 9 9 www.thegrandvenue.co.uk


:i, A performer who has worked w ith a


sseemingly n um b e ro f musicians from Pau l; > Weller to the Wainwrights, from Nick Cave to Joan Baez, Eliza w ill be accompanied by cellist Barney Morse Brown (Imaginedi


■ Village) and pian ist Phil Alexander (Salsa Celtica) when she appears a t The Grand dnxx«


^Tuesday, May 2 5 th (7.15 p.m. doors, £14.50; sjk adyance)’.,-;


"There's a wonderful selection of films set


in locations th roug ho ut th e world. Although in some cases these films have been picked up by the likes o f the BBC and Channel 4, it is rare to see this kind o f film on the big screen fo r which they were made because documentary cinema so rarely gets air-time in the m u lti­ plexes."


- ------- --------- ------- ---- On th e evening o f Tuesday, May 11th, The


Blood o f The Rose'is a gripping film te lling o f the extraordinary life o f film-maker-turned- conservationist Joan Root and her campaign to save her beloved Lake Naivasha in Kenya. The series finishes w ith two films on


Wednesday, May 12th, The Kings of Pastry (3 p.m.); an a t times hilarious fly-on-the-wall look at unmistakably th e world's most intense food competition between France's most meticulous pa stry chefs and Ju n io r (7.30 p.m.); the film th a t won th e Audience Award fo r its touching and heart-warming portrayal of growing old, fe a tu rin g an 75:year-old Italian American Eddie Belasco and his 98-year-old mother Josephine. Following th e screenings. Doc Fest on Tour


will also welcome some o f the directors to The Grand to talk ab ou t th e ir films.


A


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