Driving experience day

If you have already passed your test or you are yet to get that far you can still try driving a supercar round one of the best tracks in the UK. Driving experience days are great fun for all ages although there are some age restrictions. Check out the experiences at http://www.experience-day-gift.co.uk/index.html/driving.html

Car Insurance, HOW MUCH?

Starting out as a new driver can be a very expensive thing to do. First you have to pay for a provisional licence, then you have to pay for lessons (see earlier blog,) then the tests and once you pass it does not cost any less you have to buy a car, get insurance and keep the car fit for the road. Insurance will be the most expensive part for a new driver and can seem to some like you are paying for nothing however getting the insurance company you use right can be one of the most important decision that you make. Yes the cost for young and first time drivers is increasing every year but some companies will help with this by offering monthly payments instead of a one of payment up front, again you need to be carefull what you are signing up for as there will be an interest payment if you chose to pay monthly and this can be quite high. There are other options you can go for such as the 10 month bonus accelerator, this will mean that you only have cover for 10 months instead of the usual full 12 months but at the end of the 10 months the insurance company will give you 1 years no claims bonus which will reduce you cover for the coming year. There are also other things you can do to reduce your insurance costs such as a Pass Plus however there are fewer insurance companies that accept this and offer a reduction, you also have to be awear of what discount you will get as the cost of a pass plus can be more expensive than what you end up saving.

Always check for reviews on insuracne companies and see what others say about their experiences but at the same time user reviews have to be taken with a pinch of salt. If you have a bad experience with a company you are likely to write a bad review as this helps release your frustration and anger, if you receive a good level of service you are far less likely to write a review and therefore you will find many more negative reviews on websites that positive reviews.

Other ways to bring down insurance costs can be to put another driver on the policy. You the car owner should always be the policy holder and the main driver but if you live at home with your parents and your car is registered to their address then if may be worth looking at adding one of them to your policy. This could be benificial in more than one way, not only will it bring down your insurance policy cost it will also mean that your parent will be able to drive your car, remember you have only just passed your test and may need some help driving in the near future. Always get your parents permision before adding their name to the policy and make sure with the insurance company that if you have an accident, their No Claims bonus will not be affected.

Finding a Driving Instructor

When looking for a driving Instructor or ADI there are many options that you need to consider. There are large companies such as The AA and Red Driving School but there will also be many small or indipendent Driving instructors in your area such as Andy Pass in the Hertfordshire area. One of the best ways to find a good instructor will be word of mouth. If you have friends who have been learning to drive then they will be able to advise you who they use and what they are like, there may even be discounts on lesson prices if they refer you. Remember that price is not everything, you may be able to get lessons from as little as £15 per hour but if the instructor is not any good then you will end up needing more lessons and costing you more money. A good average price for a lesson these days is around £22 an hour. You will also need to start revising as soon as possible for your Theory Test and you can purchase books which will help with this.

The Theory Test and Hazard Perception test have to be taken together and both have to be passed before you can take your Practical Test. Both of these tests have a farily high pass rate, the Theory Test consists of 50 multiple choice questions and you will need to get 43 out of the 50 questions correct in 57 minutes.

The Hazard Perception Test consists of 14 short video clips, 13 of these have one hazard and 1 has 2 hazards. As soon as you see the hazard forming you need to click the mouse button and the sooner you are to the begining of the hazard the higher you score, you need to score 44 out of 75 points to pass the test.