You can call us FREE from any land line on 0800 132181.
Calls to this number from a mobile will normally be charged at a rate determined by your network provider. Alternatively, you can call 01487 843275.
New enquiries can e-mail go@greenlight-driver.co.uk
Or you can text GO to 07814084225, and we will call you back as soon as we can.
Naturally, we will not use mobiles whilst working or driving, so your reply may take some while.
If you are with us already, please contact your instructor directly using their e-mail and 'phone numbers on the front of your appointment card.
By 'steady' courses, we mean one or two lessons a week of either one or two hours duration.
The advantages are that you can take your time and it needn't cost a lot per week (although you can still buy in blocks to get a discount). The disadvantages are that you will spend more time each lesson 'catching up' with the previous week, and it will take you longer to reach your target, but be assured you will get there eventually.
If you are a complete novice an hour at a time is fine to learn the basics, which can be done locally, although you will normally need a two hour lesson to start with because there is a lot of explaning to do. Once the basic control, safety and manoevring skills are mastered then the cities are a must to make further progress, which will need two hourly lessons.
'Intensive' courses can be anything from 10 to 50 or more hours, usually taken two or three hours at a time in one, two or more weeks according to your availability and our diary space.
These are popular with learner drivers who want or need to get their licence quickly, in which case courses will finish with a Practical Driving Test. To arrange such a course we recommend an assessment (normally 2 hours charged at our standard rate) to estimate how many hours you will need. Alternatively, you can choose the number of hours, but remember that you must reach a safe driving standard or you will not be able to take the Test. You will also need to have passed the Theory Test. Such courses must be paid in full in advance and are charged at our block discount rates plus Test Fees as necessary.
The attraction of a quick licence has to be weighed against your ability to cope with the pressure of having so little time before taking your Test, especially if things don't go as smoothly as hoped. Also bear in mind the risk of learning to pass the Test without really learning how to drive!
A 'concentrated' course is somewhere in between the steady and intensive courses, usually consisting of two or three two hour sessions a week, a popular alternative since it avoids the 'plod' of a steady course and the pressure of the intensive.
For a new driver, it is not necessary to pass the Theory tests before starting a concentrated course, and it can often help Hazard Perception and make better sense of the Highway Code if you have had some practical experience.
Neither would you need an assessment before you start since there is in-built flexibility in a concentrated course, and continuous assessment and adjustment is a natural part of the process.
And, given that there is usually a delay between booking and taking your tests (often a two week wait for the Theory, and six weeks for the Practical), you may find that you pass your test just as quickly as if you had booked a full blown intensive!
Courses are available for a variety of purposes, and are usually tailored to suit individual needs.
A learner driver will want to reach 'test standard' so the structure will be 'progress based', moving on from one level to the next once the necessary skills have been developed. The length of the course will naturally depend on an individual's capabilities.
A PassPlus course is normally six hours, as determined by the DSA, with no 'pass' or 'fail', the certificate being gained simply by attending.
A refresher course for a qualified driver often revolves around regaining lost confidence, and it is usually the pupil who decides that they have acheived their target.
Courses are also available to prepare for advanced tests such as ADI Part 2, RoSPA or the IAM, or for Insurance Assessments.
All courses can be arranged as 'steady', 'intensive' or 'concentrated' and each have their 'pros' and 'cons'. For details please use the headings above.
You must pass your Theory Tests before you can book a Practical Test.
As most people now know, there are two computer based theory Tests which have to be passed at the same 'sitting':- the Multiple Choice Question Test and the Hazard Perception Test.
The Multiple Choice Question Test currently consists of 50 questions where you choose one answer from a possible four. The current pass mark is 43.
The Hazard Perception Test consists of 14 driving video clips in which you have to identify hazards by clicking the mouse, the sooner you spot the hazard, the more marks you score. Thirteen of the clips contain one hazard, one contains two, with a maximum score of 5 per hazard making an overall test maximum of 75. The current pass mark is 44.
To prepare for the Multiple Choice Question Test there are many books, CD Roms, and DVDs available both 'official' and commercial. The most common mistake is to practise only on these CD roms or to try and learn all the questions (900+ of them!) in the official 'question bank'. The fact is that all the questions are based on information given in The Highway Code, possibly the cheapest publication of all, and if you know that well enough, it won't matter if you've never seen a computer before, you will still know the answers!
Preparation for the Hazard Perception Test is, however, probably best done using CD Roms or DVDs on a computer or DVD player, since the test in it's current form is more of a computer game than real life! Otherwise, look for situations that you might click your mouse at when you are either driving yourself or as a passenger, but if you are the driver, don't forget that it is real life and not a computer game!
If you need it, remember help is always available free from your Greenlight instructor.
The fact is, every learner driver is nervous when they first get behind the wheel, and everybody will be nervous on Driving Test day, unless they really don't care about the result (who are they trying to kid?)!
How well you cope with your nerves can seriously affect how quickly you learn and how well you perform on your driving test. In training, the lucky few, usually those who take to driving easily, will lose their nervousness quickly, the unlucky few will be nervous throughout and everyone else will be somewhere in between. On the driving test it can work in reverse. Those who learnt with little interference from nerves may find it difficult to cope with them when it matters most, and those who have been nervous in training will not be so troubled because they're used to them.
Yet, surprisingly for something so vital to a learner driver's progress and performance, understanding the effects of nerves is not part of an instructor's training. Each is left to their own devices once they are qualified, and most end up with some kind of 'calm you down' approach which isn't all that effective. After all, if it was that easy, there wouldn't be a problem!
So, what do we do that's different? You'll have to book a lesson to find out, and one lesson is usually all it takes us to know if your nerves are a problem, and what you can do about it! You'll find that our's is a completely practical, common sense approach (no 'driving angels' required here!), offering solutions and coping strategies that have been developed from years of experience and form an integral part of our teaching practice.
We can't promise to stop you feeling nervous (nor can anyone else) but, whether your nerves affect your training or just your driving test performance, we can help you understand what happens to you when you are nervous, and, as with most potential problems, if you know what to expect, you can do something about it! If you can cope with your nerves during training you are more likely to enjoy your lessons, learn quicker and save money. If you can cope with your nerves on Driving Test day you are more likey to pass with fewer attempts and save even more money. Everybody needs to know how to deal with their nerves, and we are the experts!
Our current basic hourly, 'pay as you go' rate is £22 for manual, £25 for automatic.
Our block discounts are:
| Manual | Automatic | |
| 5 hours: | £105 | £120 |
| 10 hours: | £200 | £230 |
| 20 hours: | £390 | £450 |
Fees are normally payable in advance, or at the beginning of each lesson at the discretion of the instructor.
Block payments are due before each block commences.
Intensive course prices are based on these discount rates, plus any test fees. A deposit may be required at the time of booking, and the course paid in full 7 days in advance.
These prices and discounts also apply to Pass Plus courses with the addition of a small administration fee (to cover DSA charges and postage) at the instructor's discretion.
You can pay cash or by cheque directly to your instructor, or blocks can be bought on line via PayPal using your debit or credit card or your Paypal account.
Pass Plus is a Government backed scheme for newly qualified drivers to obtain significant discounts on their insurance by taking a course of lessons to further enhance their driving skills and road safety awareness.
The course consists of six 'modules', covering such subjects as night, town, country and motorway driving over a minimum six hour period under the supervision of a registered Pass Plus instructor. All Greenlight instructors are Pass Pluss registered.
Throughout the course your training will be recorded and form part of a report sheet which is completed and sent to the Driving Standards Agency by your instructor. This report is simply a document to show that you have attended the course and there is no pass or fail.
You will then be sent a Pass Plus certificate which entitles you to a discounted insurance premium, often worth hundreds of pounds, from participating companies. A list of these companies is published on the DSA's web site: www.dsa.gov.uk.
To book your course, simply call your Greenlight instructor.
The 'Accelerator', our latest project, is being developed as an aid to smarter, faster and, therefore, cheaper driver training.
The aim is to cut down on explanation time during the normal course of driving lessons by providing the pupil with 'breifings' on a CD-Rom to prepare them for each new phase in their progress as a driver, as well as providing an invaluable reference source.
It differs from other training aids by using 'web browser' technology and graphics to offer the user a clear path through essential information with the option of more detail should they need it.
For example, a novice driver's first lesson should include an explanation of the controls which, if it is to be done properly, can take up to an hour depending on the pupil's prior knowledge. By using the 'Accelerator' the majority of this time can be spent on using the controls rather than talking about them.
We have already had a positive reaction to the first module, 'The Controls', from several of our pupils. Although it needs further refinement, it is available now, free of charge, without committing to lessons with us, to anyone within our area who has never driven before and we will be interested to know what you think of it. Either call or email us with your name, address, telephone and driving licence number and we will send you a copy!
Both manual and automatic cars are available, but which should you choose?
Traditionally, manual has been the preferred option, for two main reasons. First, if you pass on a manual car, you are also entitled to drive an automatic, but if you pass in an automatic, you will have to take the test again if you want to drive a manual. Second, most cars (in this country, anyway) are manual drive.
However, with an automatic there is no need to worry about the clutch or gears, making it easier and quicker to learn, and being restricted to only driving automatics after your test is far less of a drawback these days with most manufacturers offering automatic versions of all their models, many of them small and relatively economical.
So, if you are struggling with clutch control or gear changing, or in a hurry to pass your test, an automatic can be a sensible alternative.
