Drive with Mark WJ

What a great start to the weekend for Claire Prempeh, who earned herself a pass in her driving test. Well done Claire! I look forward to seeing you again for some motorway experience. Stay safe out there!

Success today for James Campling in Banbury, who bagged a test pass with only 2 faults and at the first attempt... well done James! Keep an eye on your indicators. Stay safe!

For some, a full license is a rite of passage, for others it's a means of opening different doors. Today I was very pleased to be able to help James Holt achieve a pass in his driving test. Well done James! I expect to see you around in that Mini very soon.

It was a great weekend for Remy Gaertner as she started it off with a pass in her driving test! Well done Remy, keep an eye on your neighbours at roundabouts, you'll be fine. Take care out there!

And today Alex Watson passed his driving test! A Covid-induced break from driving was no deterrent and an intensive course quickly polished up those 'skills for life'. Well done Alex, stay safe out there!

Today we have a belated 'Congratulations!' to Conor Melhuish who did the good deed last week and passed his driving test at the first attempt! This was depite the current pandemic trying to put the kybosh on it all. Well done Conor, it was well earned.

What a great end to the year! Freya Harber earned herself a most excellent Christmas present and passed her test at the first attempt! Well done Freya en Ik hoop dat u het leuk vindt om in Maastricht te wonen!

And finally for today, it's a pleasure to say that Emily Edis passed her test! What a great result to earn yourself after a year of uncertainty for everyone! Well done Emily.
Emily is also a very talented artist... here is a link to her page
Emily Edis Art
Do have a look!

Having persevered through a multitude of set backs brought on by 2020, this weekend Alice Broome took her test and passed first time! Really well done Alice. The wipers have behaved themselves since!

It's been a rubbish year for people trying to keep up with lessons, frequently having tests cancelled, but in early November a smallish window of opportunity presented itself to Thomas Heath here, who took his test and passed! Well done Thomas.

I am sure that no one will fall for this type of email because of the poor grammar and lack of personal information (it's addressed to an email address rather than an individual).

Nonetheless, watchout! There's always someone out to get your money or personal information..... I'm not including driving instructors here, although they are but that's a for legitimate reason!

Today it was the turn of Miriam Deane to have her driving skills examined and she passed! Well done Miriam, just keep the observations up along with all the other good habits you developed.

So after hospitalisation (me), self isolation and a long lock down, Katie McLean finally got to show off her driving skills to an examiner and passed her driving test. Not passed but aced it! Well done Katie, training in Watford will be so much easier to get to and good luck to you and the team Watford FC Women this season!

Lesson Safety Precautions
6. If any viral infection symptoms are experienced, they must be reported and the lesson will be cancelled without penalty. Follow government guidelines.

Lesson Safety Precautions
5. I shall be wearing freshly laundered clothes for each lesson. I want to make the polite request that my pupils do so too.

Lesson Safey Precautions
4. The number of pupils will be limited to 2 per day to allow time for venting and cleaning the car between lessons.

Lesson Safety Precautions
3. The windows are to remain open as much as possible for the duration of the lesson.

Lesson Safety Precautions
2. Face masks are to be worn inside the car for the duration of the lesson. I have disposable ones if required. Hand sanitiser will also be available.

Lesson Safety Precautions
1. The controls and door handles will be wiped with antiviral sanitiser both before and after each lesson.

The government announced that driving instruction was able to restart in England from 4th July.
I have returned to work but I have decided to put several safety precautions in place.
I will outline these over several posts to make for easier reading.
In the meantime, thank you all for your patience and I will be in touch with all of you who contacted me over the last few weeks.

Like many others in our industry, I have come to the decision that the right and safe thing to do is to stop all lessons for the present. Any credits outstanding will be honoured when we are given the all clear to start up again.

To all of you, stay safe and I hope to see you soon!

Mark

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Hello everyone

I just thought I would update you on what I am planning to do regarding driving lessons.

At the moment I am happy to continue with lessons that have been prebooked. However, we need to be as safe as we can and help each other.

I have disinfectant wipes which I will use on the steering wheel, gearstick, handles, buttons, switches etc before and after the lesson. The car will also have the soft surfaces wiped down daily.

Also, may I politely request that you wash /sanitise your hands before and after the lesson, as will I. I have some hand sanitiser which you may use but this is limited.

If you are unwell, have a new onset of a cough or raised temperature (as per government guidelines) please let me know as soon as possible. I am more than happy to accept all late cancellations without levying any cancellation fee. We can rearrange lessons for a mutually convenient day in the future.

In the event that I develop any of the symptoms, I shall immediately inform all pupils, postpone all lessons and self isolate in accordance with government guidelines.

In the mean time, good health to you, your family, friends and loved ones.

Mark

And the second, well done to Nick Downing who passed his driving test at the first attempt. Congratulations Nick! Im not convinced that it was scarier than leaping out of a plane with a parachute on but you'd be the better judge. That was a good drive all the same. Be safe out there!

The first of two this week. Congratulations go to Roma Fielding for passing her driving test. Well done Roma! Stay safe out there

Today it's congratulations to Jade Johnson who successfully converted her auto license to a manual license at her first attempt. Well done Jade and good luck with the potential new career that the license will bring!

So we arrived at the test centre, only ones there and thinking 'Oh no, have we got the wrong day?'. But no, one examiner left, one test out and one more test pass gained. Congratulations Ross Thompson! Use the right speed for the right occasion and plan well for hazards. Be safe!

And today, bright and early, Rebecca Smith only went and aced her driving test! Congratulations Becca! About 7 in 1000 tests are aces...you join the ranks of the 1%. No other words needed!

This week we saw Jordan Finnemore pass his driving test in Oxford. Well done Jordan! Knowing what's behind can be as important as knowing what's in front, keep watching those mirrors and stay safe.

Ok, so a few statistics for people. I can only obtain driving test pass rates for last year from April to September but it will help to paint the picture...
National pass rates
Male 49.9%
Female 43.0%
Overall 46.3%

Oxford Cowley
Male 50.5%
Female 46.4%
Overall 48.3%

Banbury
Male 49.5%
Female 49.9%
Overall 49.7%

In the same period, I was running at a rate of 62.7% and had a total rate for the year of 64.7%. Perhaps it's a bit of trumpet blowing but may be useful information for some.

One more for this week, as Eamonn Feeley delivers the goods and passes his driving test at his first attempt. Well done Eamonn, just watch those following distances, 2 seconds or more!

Lilly Norton had a go at her driving test today and passed with only three faults! Well done Lilly. Keep up the good habits with all the mirrors and keep driving the way you do!

And the second, Dan Anthistle also made the grade by passing his test at the first attempt. Well done Dan, I'm glad the unscheduled cancellation didn't put you off!

The first of two today, well done Liam Marshall. A pass in your driving test and at the first attempt! Keep looking for those spaces at junctions.

And to kick off the new year, Noah Tiffen passed his driving test with an almost faultless drive, and at his first attempt. Well done Noah! Keep planning ahead for a relaxed drive.

So into the new and just to tidy up 2019, I owe a hearty congratulations to Jonathan Eni who passed his test at the first attempt. Well done Jonathan! Stay safe out there.