Tag Archives: Bristol

driving instructors

How to be a better driver in Bristol

bristol IAM sflI’ve written before about my IAM Skill For Life Advanced Motoring course and how much I learned and have benefited since.

But I might have liked a choice of doing this on my own or as part of a group of like-minded others in the same boat.

And despite being happy with my 1:1 arrangement with a brilliant female Observer who has become a friend I might have chosen the latter for the camaraderie…

So I was delighted to meet Martin Evans at the IAM conference in Birmingham in October. Martin is the Secretary of Bristol Advanced Motorists where they organise precisely this group support for local motorists. And are catering for an equal spread of men and women as you can see from the photo.

Let’s start with the costs. The Skill For Life programme costs £149 and Club members get a 10% discount. This includes everything you need to take and pass the advanced driving test including as many 1:1 sessions with an Observer as necessary (usually 10-ish), local IAM support, 12 months IAM membership, the advanced test fee and the excellent ‘How to be a Better Driver’ handbook.

Bristol Advanced Motorists

Bristol Advanced Motorists organise courses where Skill For Life participants come together in a classroom situation to refresh and top up their motoring knowledge and driving skills. Having bought the Skill For Life package, this is free and here is how the group option works.

The course dates for 2016 MUST BE BOOKED IN ADVANCE and are as follows:
Wednesday 20 April
Wednesday 13 July
Wednesday 19 October

1/ Two seminars are held on a Wednesday evening in North Bristol.

2/ Skill For Life participants (called Associates from now on) are then allocated an Observer (from the gallery) to arrange as many drives as they need (within reason!) in preparation for the Advanced Test (which they may or may not take but will be encouraged to).

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3/ In a third seminar they ‘Meet An Examiner’ to get a better understanding of what is required and of course ask questions.

4/ In between all this most Associates arrange drives weekly or fortnightly and take between 6 and 12 observed drives spread over 3 – 6 months before they are ready for the test.

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With a 90% pass rate to be proud of and the recipient of the IAM Group Achievement award (out of 200 groups) at the 2015 conference this is a formula that works and is fun.

I wholeheartedly recommend this to this blog audience. And of course this option is equally available and beneficial to men and women alike.

FOXY

For more information

Visit the IAM main website to buy Skill For Life from the Shop. NB: FOXY Club members get a 10% discount which they should book from within the Members Area of this website.

And if you live in Bristol, you can then visit the IAM Bristol website and book onto a course to suit, well in advance.

women drivers

Bristol Mum wins Tesco taxi award

Bristol Mum Sharon Appleyard has won Tesco Cars’ inaugural ‘Parent Driver of the Year’ award – a nationwide competition to find the parent that goes above and beyond the call of duty in providing the ultimate ‘parent taxi’ service.

Winning the hearts and minds of the Tesco Cars’ judging panel, Sharon was shortlisted alongside three other finalists before being crowned the overall winner, receiving the very welcome £1,000 Tesco voucher prize in time for Christmas.

Sharon was nominated by her daughter Amy, for giving up endless amounts of time in chauffeuring her and her two brothers to an extensive range of after-school clubs and weekend activities.

Sharon said ‘I was shocked to hear I had won Tesco Cars’ Parent Driver of the Year competition because all the finalists were equally deserving. It’s natural for parents to want the very best for their children and driving the distances I do gives my little ones those important opportunities to grow and develop as individuals. Ultimately it’s something I get pleasure from, but it’s obviously fantastic to be rewarded this way.

I ‘d like to say a big thank you to everyone who voted for me; my friends, family, the general public! Also a big thanks to my daughter Amy for nominating me and to Tesco Cars of course for making this Christmas a bit more special!”

Rebecca Ryan, Marketing Manager of TescoCars.com said; ‘We were overwhelmed by the hundreds of heartfelt and impassioned nominations we received for this competition. There are some truly wonderful mums, dads and even grandparents out there, but unfortunately there can only be one winner. Congratulations to Sharon and her family from all of us at Tesco Cars.”

The Tesco Cars’ Parent Driver of the Year competition followed recent research that found thousands of parents are driving their children more than 200 miles a week, excluding the school run – almost a third of a London taxi driver’s weekly mileage. The extra mileage could potentially add around £1800 a year to the family fuel bill.

The study showed on average parents make three trips per week, covering 50.2 miles to transport their children to various events and activities. Dads will drive their children 10 more miles per week on average than mums and parents in Wales recorded the highest average mileage, around 65 miles.

And well done Sharon for being such a worthy winner too.

FOXY

FOXY Ladies in need of help running their cars or with motoring matters in general might do well to join FOXY Lady Drivers Club in 2012.  Think of us as a girl’s best motoring friend at times of stress or to save you money without sacrificing safety or quality…

buying a new car, women drivers

£2000 new car discount continues

Hyundai’s stylish cars, low CO2, low costs and depreciation and 33,000 new customers as testimony to all this during the scrappage scheme (which is rapidly coming to an end by the way)…

But never fear, Hyundai is continuing their own kind of scrappage scheme, offering £2000 in part exchange against seven to ten year old cars in Britain.

hyundairangeAnd all because they know that foxy lady drivers do not want to have to haggle for a good price when we go out to buy a new car. It’s to do with trust and Hyundai is busy building this relationship.

And they haven’t forgotten their recent customers either.

All the 33,000 customers will get a Hyundai voucher to give to family or friends to save money on a new Hyundai and if they themselves want to upgrade to a 10 registration they can do this for £499 for an i10, £599 for an i20 or £749 for an i30.

Once more, this is what women like to do; assuming feedback is favourable, they are natural networkers and happy to share their good fortune with others.

Women drivers in the Bristol area especially can also look forward to a visit to female friendly Hyundai dealership Berkeley Vale; they have signed the FOXY Promise to ‘never overcharge, patronise or sell customers anything they don’t need or want’ so that is an added bonus for women drivers looking for reassurance when they go to buy a new car.

FOXY

Find out more about a specialist motoring life assistance association for women drivers including information and advice about buying a new car in 2010…