Your Car or Mine - DrivingCoach Instructor Stories

We received this awesome letter this morning. It came in very handy as I have been suffering from writers block for some time now. This letter therefore came in very handy. Thanks to the writer, your letter is a real inspiration and something that we strive towards everyday.

“To Whom It May Concern: The Driving Coach CC

Good day,

My name is Bryan Smith, and I am a student who has recently moved to Cape Town to begin to study towards a Bachelor of Arts degree. Having acquired my learner’s license earlier in Durban in 2011, I undertook driving lessons with your coach, David Arnott, from December 2011 through to late January of 2012. 

I write this letter to express my sincere gratitude to David Arnott, and the Driving Coach, for all the excellent service bestown upon me during the course of my lessons with the company.

David is a truly exceptional coach and is a one-of-a-kind mentor. Kind, patient and armed with an excellent sense of humor, David’s tutoring has taken me from being a nervous and overly-cautious driver to a relaxed and confident one who can handle any situation with ease.

Having failed my driver’s test twice (once with a prior firm in Durban) and once in Cape Town whilst taking lessons through the company, David displayed exceptional resolve, dedication, and professionalism in ensuring that I could book, practice for, and ultimately one day achieve my driver’s license.  David always went the extra mile in any endeavor during our lessons and took every opportunity to either praise or constructively comment upon (and recommend excellent improvements politely) my driving methods in order to maximize the time spent in my lessons and quickly become a far better driver.

Each and every single one of David’s suggestions had exemplary merit, and when taken into practice, I was truly amazed at the results I could achieve.

Having driven with prior coaches in Durban, I can say with confidence and ease that David is easily the most professional and organized coach I have ever encountered, and is more so a person who approaches any task with ample responsibility and energy.

I am truly grateful to be able to call myself one of David Arnott’s students and I am very thankful to both him, and the Driving Coach.

I can fully (and have already) recommend David to any learner driver (s)seeking an experienced coach and would be happy to provide a testimonial. David is a truly dedicated tutor who brings out nothing but the best in his students, and any who employ his services are very fortunate to do so.

I would like to express my thanks for all that has been done for me throughout my tenure with David Arnott and the Driving Coach.  It is exceedingly difficult to find such such fantastic service in this modern world, but I am thankful I found such a professional driving school and coach in Cape Town.

Many thanks, and kind regards,

Bryan Smith

*If the Driving Coach or David himself wishes to make use of any of the content within this letter for any purposes, I hereby grant full permission to do so without my disclosure or discretion – it is the very least I can do in thanks of the wonderful service I have received.”

This time of the year I like to ponder on months gone by. Are you also like that?? It was a blessing this year, some really trying times and great times… J

Where I am from we do not get snow. But somehow I always sing that song…’’Let it snow, let it snow…let it snow” And I see myself in front of a toasty fire, eggnog in hand just like in the movies… come on I cannot be the only one work with me J…

I would also like to make use of the opportunity to thank all of you who have supported me during the past year. It means a lot and you have no idea how blessed I am feeling, to one and all who commented on my blogs… My heart is smiling J… To me it’s means my wish is coming true and that this movement I had in mind to “Change the world one driver at a time” is paying off .It means Your way of thinking when getting into your cars is shifting from me, me, me to my ‘’neighbor’’ fellow road users and that I am taking the lead of the responsible one out there… You have become a consciences driver… Please give yourself a pat on your back , You did well… J

We at The Driving Coach are very excited about 2012 and we already started planning for next year. It is going to be bigger, better pretty exciting stuff. And we hope to see you all back next year with awesome stories to tell on how you did out on the roads and that you also have started a movement in your own communities, we are super excited to hear each and everyone’s story… J

Please be kind to yourself this silly season and to your liver take it easy with the liquor and PLEASE DO NOT DRINK AND DRIVE..!!! No one wants to be sorry after the accident, sitting on the side of the road with your hands in your hair because one thought he/she was not drunk and got behind that wheel and killed an innocent family who was minding their own business…It just is’nt worth it….

And lastly I want to thank all those brave women and men who will ensure our safety this festive season on the roads… To the police women and men, the traffic officers … men and women, we applaud you for working over this festive season and offering up your time with your loved ones to keep all of us safe. We know it is not easy but yet you get up every morning, put on your uniform and go out and protect. You risk your lives for us and I think it is only fare that we help you guys fight the good fight by being just a little more aware on the roads… I speak for everyone, we are humbled and we applaud each and every one of YOU …THANK YOU J

So folks this will be my last blog for this year…So I bow down to each and every one of you and send out a warm virtual hug… J J J

Parents who do not strap in their children have been warned: the provincial government is planning tougher legal penalties and huge fines to make sure kids are properly buckled up.

Transport MEC Robin Carlisle told the Cape Argus on Tuesday: “It’s almost incomprehensible to me… that people take the most important people in their lives and expose them to the greatest risk they will ever face in their lives.

“More children are dying prematurely in car accidents than from any other cause.

“It also gives me my first indication about how absolutely clueless South African drivers are. If they had any idea of what happens in an accident – about the horror that goes on inside and eventually outside their cars – they would never do that,” Carlisle said.

He said the Red Cross Children’s Hospital had sought to verify reports that 85 percent of parents did not strap their children in.

In its own survey the hospital had found the percentage even higher, at 87.

“In Australia, for example, it’s around 2 percent,” Carlisle added.

He added that the problem stretched across the socio-economic spectrum, “from the very poorest, to the very richest”.

“It’s quite clearly not a racial or cultural thing – it’s a South African thing.”

Currently, SA law only made provision for fines of about R200 for failing to use seatbelts, Carlisle said – and children were not differentiated from adults.

He said the provincial government wanted this increased to between R4 000 and R6 000 per child, which was in line with countries such as Britain, the US and Australia.

The legal remedy Carlisle planned, in a new provincial road traffic bill set to become law next year, would also address the fact that the law was “silent” on whether children aged three and younger had to wear seatbelts.

He said he planned to introduce compulsory car seats for these children.

“The price of children’s car seats is reasonable. We hope to be able to ensure that they are available for as little as R275,” he reported.

His comments on Tuesday came after the launch of the province’s child safety festive season plan in the city on Monday.

During the briefing Professor Sebastian van As, the head of the trauma unit at the children’s hospital and the president of Childsafe SA, said road accidents remained the top non-natural killer of children in the country.

Many had died as a result of being run over or not wearing seatbelts.

Car accidents, drownings and burns remained the top three non-natural killers of children.

Van As said that out of between 200 and 300 children treated for trauma at the hospital every year, between 70 and 90 percent had been injured in car crashes.

There were no statistics available for child road deaths in the Western Cape, but Van As said that nationally, about 8 000 children died each year on the roads.

About 89 percent of those taken to the hospital for treatment had not been wearing seatbelts at the time of the crashes, Van As said.

Many were thrown into the road from the back of bakkies, while others had been standing or sitting unrestrained inside cars.

Most of these children sustained upper-body injuries, with more than half of them sustaining head injuries including concussion, fractures and abrasions to the head and face.

My prayer has been answered. Hopefully now people will wake up and do the right thing. If you can drive that smart car or wear that name tag clothing, you can buy a car seat or booster seat and if they too old for that buckle them up with the back seat belt… You have no excuses anymore…

Love your children, we do not get 2^nd takes in life and there is no way we could ever replace that child… Do not get that wakeup call when it is too late.

Love life, yours and the ones you claim to love…

Arrive Alive!!!!

After reading a story on one of our online news sites… I had to give my 20c worth on this subject.

I am saddened by what is happening on our roads these days. I get everyone is stressed out, the cost of living, personal issues, finances and the list goes on. But how does that give any of us the right to take it out on someone else on the road… HOW??

Would it really kill us to let it go if someone cut us off whether it may be an intersection, circle est. Is it the end of the world? Or are we just looking for some poor innocent victim to take our anger est. out on…Are we so blinded by our own personal issues we cannot even think clear of the long run consequences and the damage we do unto our fellow road users… I copied the following part from that article; the names have been changed to protect the victim because he is so afraid the person who did this could trace him….

Liam was travelling from Greenside after picking up his boss’s car, just after 6pm, when he came to a traffic circle on his way to Pankhurst. After failing to turn on his indicator as he turned out of the circle, he noticed a white BMW X5 behind him. The driver was hooting and mouthing something that Liam presumed were obscenities directed at him.

He ignored the man. But as he came closer to Pankhurst, he noticed that the X5 had followed him.

As Liam approached the intersection of Cambridge and Bedford avenues in Pankhurst, the man tried to force him off the road, coming past him on his right side and bumping the front driver’s side of the car.

Liam said he had stopped a short distance ahead of his pursuer.

Before he got out of his car, Liam said he’d noticed the man had already left his X5, had adopted an aggressive stance and appeared to be enraged.

“I should have reversed, or driven away or something, but I thought I could talk to him – calm him down,” said Liam.

Before the now-upset Liam could get out a full question, the man had begun running towards him.

“Listen, man, I don’t want to fight,” he told his assailant, just moments before the man’s fist knocked the right side of his face.

“I expected him to say something… I was expecting him to swear at me at least,” said Liam. “But it looked like he just wanted to fight.”

The punch coming from the left shocked Liam, who was the far taller man at 1.9m, and sent him into a rage of his own. He hit back, knocking the older man square in the face.

Liam said he had stepped back, telling the man again he didn’t want to fight.

“He just looked so angry to have been hit. It was then that he reached into his left pocket,” said Liam.

The man removed what appeared to be some sort of blade, possibly a scalpel, and ran towards him, aiming for his head, said Liam. One or two slices later, the younger man said he felt no pain, just the wetness as the blood began pouring from his face.

Seconds later, he saw his attacker’s face change as he registered what he’d done. He sped off in his X5 and left Liam calling for help.

I only decided to write this blog because the Festive Season is almost here. And if I can reach out to one person anyone who is reading this and knows they have a temper problem, anger problem est. This might just be that wakeup call we need…. Look I am far from perfect, I make mistakes, and I get angry at my fellow road users from time to time. But I am getting better I let go, I do the Smile and Wave and go on my merry way… J

I think it is time we take of those old specks and put new ones on, it can save life’s…YOURS to…

Car’s of today has become nothing more than a fashion statement. It has become an extension of your personality. It has become an accessory, like that Gucci handbag or that iPhone4 in your hand.

Allow me to make an example. The Mini was built in the UK somewhere in the early 1970’s as a cheap means of getting from point A to point B. There was a time back then when fuel was expensive and those big V8’s and straight 6 cylinder fuel guzzlers was just not economical anymore. The Mini was a big success and your average Joe could afford one. The same can be said for the VW Beetle back then , That air cooled flat 4 cylinder was cheap and even I could afford to buy one when I started my first real job.

It was functional and allowed me to get around. I think it was a real chick magnet even thou my now wife did not think so back then. ..perhaps it was because she at times had to push the car to get it going again when stuff broke. Best about these cars was that it was cheap to maintain and economical to run. Cars back then had soul.

My dad bought his first car brand new back in those days. It was a Chrystler Valiant, blue one with hard wearing vinyl seats and a straight 6 engine. It was heavy and was made of real steel, not the coke cans they use today. Back then he was a blue collar worker and that means he had to do lots of manual labor. Yet he could buy a new car because cars back then were cheap.

Today however, things are very different.  New cars are priced above what the average Joe can afford. Even second hand cars are expensive. Are car manufacturers taking us for a ride?

The Mini Cooper of today is no longer for the masses. It is marketed as a “must have” item. It has become a fashion statement to show others that you have style.  The same can be said for the new Beetle. It is no longer the student run about. That and the Mini now matches your Jimmy Choo shoes and Prada outfit.

I tend not to follow trend. I consider my car a mode of transport that must be both reliable and cheap to run. I need not be fancy, just functional and easy to use. Perhaps it is time for me to change my perception and embrace the future.

But be it as it may, I love cars, all kinds of cars. I just have to ask why they are so expensive. Even your entry level car starts at about R100,000 and then the radio/cd player is optional.

“Dear Santa, I have been good this year..think I can finally get that Porsche 911 I have been writing to you about for the LAST 7 YEARS?”

Happy motoring !

How many of you guys/girls out there still have nerves packing up when you have to get into your car and drive somewhere anywhere J … Come on it cannot just be me…can it??

Well just between me and you I have my licence 2years going on 3years. And until two weeks ago I was still driving with my L sticker on my back window…Why you might be wondering, that was my safety net, yes you heard me my safety net. It made me feel safe and confident to get into my car and drive on the roads with ease and some sort of clarity… So say my car switched of or I was at a hill or intersection, and for some reason my confidence leaves me I knew the person behind me would take it easy on me or think argg!!  Not another learner or shame I know what that feels like. They either go round me or give me time to pull myself together and drive on J I know clever aren’t itJ…

If all else fails always carry bubblegum with you I do I put one into my mouth before getting into my car. It helps immediately… or maybe it is just a psychological thing but who cares bottom line it works. Then I put on my favourite cd or radio station and I whale away. My fellow road users sometimes look at me funny but who cares it’s my car, my space and I pay for it so I can howl away… J… Try it next time your nerves get’s the better of you. BUT keep your eyes open; keep the volume at a reasonable level so you can still be fully aware of your surroundings.

But I am happy to share with you guys/girls that my L sign is gone yes I’ve decided to fly the coop J so proud of myself I did the slide dance. Ok let me be honest here I did not remove it myself it was ripped of whiles taking out our beach chairs (sign feels good getting that part off my chest)

It might sound like something small to some of you but to me that is a BIG step J

Hope this bit of information could ease some of your problems out on the roads…

After reading through all your comments. I felt so over whelmed and humble.

I saw a few of you questioning the authentic, from most of my blogging.  I can assure each and every one of you, most of it is. In the world we live in these days I find too much ‘’plastic’’ and not enough honesty. And almost all my blogs is written from what I observe around me when on the roads or people talking about it. That motivates me to write and I try my best to keep it real and as close to the point and truth. That much I owe to YOU my loyal readers, and I believe what you put out there in the universe comes back ten folds.

I find with so many fellow driving schools not all I do not like generalising …but I know what I am talking about. Before I joined forces with a driving school I was tossed between a few of these schools and I just felt I am a hard working person and the little money I had was taken from me without any returns on my investments.

And I took it on myself to educate people like myself and do you know what..?? I am still learning each day even while writing this blog. Like I say in most blogs I have this huge passion for people and if I can help just one person make the right decision before picking up that phone to book a driving/learners lesson my job is done. And if I can pave the road forward and take out all the mistakes I made and let downs I personally experienced I’ll do it for YOU. J

The last subject I want to address… is the blog about that guy that broke the speeding record. That I found on some U.K news site and I wrote it down word for word J the rest was my 2c worth… Thuy Lueras hope this helps some what

 Next time you get into your car or scooter/motorbike take in your surroundings, wave to your fellow road user (they might think you went bonkers) but hey you might just make that persons day. J

Keep it REAL J

Two British traffic patrol officers from North Berwick, east of Edinburgh, were involved in an unusual incident, while checking for speeding motorist on the A1 Great North Road.

One of the officers (who are not named) used a hand-held radar device to check the speed of a vehicle approaching over the crest of a hill, and was surprised when the speed was recorded at over 300mph. The machine then stopped working and the officers were not able to reset it. 

The radar had in fact locked on a NATO Tornado fighter jet over the North Sea, which was engaged in low-flying exercise over the Borders district. Back at the police headquarters the chief constable fired off stiff complaint to the RAF Liaison office.

Back came the reply in true laconic RAF style. ‘’Thank you for your message, which allows us to complete the file on this incident. You may be interested to know that the tactical computer in the Tornado had automatically locked on to your ‘hostile radar equipment’ and sent a jamming signal back to it. Furthermore, the Sidewinder air-to-ground missiles aboard the fully- armed aircraft had also locked on to the target. Fortunately the Dutch pilot flying the Tornado responded to the missile status alert intelligently and was able to override the automatic protection system before the missile was launched.’’

Jeepers I wonder if they caught up with this guy and if he was fined…Thought I’d share this with you guys/girls. Hope for his part his wife was in labour and he had to drive that fast…

Shaking my head and shhh…  between you and me I have to tip my hat (if I had one) and bow before this chap, he had the guts while I drive Miss Daisy. J

Till next time have a lovely week ahead.

While driving yesterday I had pleasant thoughts about the big days ahead of us. Parties and lots of festivities , as well as spending most of our days on the road going to and from our destination.

And it got me thinking about so many accidents that can be prevented. We all know of someone driving without a legal license and worse, no learners at all. They are a huge danger on our roads and contribute to our high accident rate especially this time of the year.  It has become an epidemic of sorts and I feel for all traffic offices as they the ones who have to deal with this. These are the men and women who sacrifice the whole of the festive season away from their loved ones.

I care about people I have a passion for living, and so should YOU. Do yourself a favour,  if you know of someone driving without license/learners talk to them. Perhaps persuade them to at least try and obtain their learners license and maybe even a few driving lessons. Book enough to get you thru the festive season.

The last thing on anyone’s mind now is driving lessons. However, you would be better off spending money on a driving lesson then some expensive item of clothing.  So invest in yourself and give yourself the gift of living, peace of mind, and knowing you are being responsible.

Remember there will be ZERO tolerance on the road this silly season; YOU do not want to be stuck at  a road block without a legal drivers/learners license and smelling of alcohol.

Give yourself the GIFT OF LIFE. Your best time is yet to come.

Till next time, keep it real and play it safe. We only have one life… live it well.

IOL

“Fake learners and driving licences are being sold across Joburg for anything between R800 and R4 500 – and some take as little as three minutes to print out.

A Star investigation found that at four of the five City of Joburg testing centres, fake licences were available for those willing to pay.

Mostly, these fake licences come with a licensing centre’s stamp, official signatures and the holder’s fingerprints.

And those selling them are car guards and instructors from fly-by-night driving schools who hang around the city’s driving licence test centres and admit to colluding with the examiners.

It has become such a problem that a six-year probe by the Special Investigating Unit into corruption at a driving licence testing centre uncovered 11 175 invalid (fake) licences.

The Star’s investigation involved ordering fake licences and telling corrupt officials involved that they would return later for the forgeries.”

News24

Johannesburg - The process of getting a driver’s licence may take up to four years if a new proposal is given the go ahead, the transport department said on Saturday.

From the age of 16, a person could apply for a learner driver’s licence, which would force them to be accompanied by a fully licensed driver and stick to a maximum of 80km per hour.

 You may ask why I’ve decide to quote and unquote these news papers? Well today I was shocked to see just how bad people really can drive on our roads. No one seems to indicate when they about to turn left or right. This causes a lot of confusion and at times, huge accidents.

So which leads me to believe the problem is much bigger then I initially thought regarding fake licences. Yes I know how hard it can be obtaining the legal licences, but don’t you owe it to yourself to get your licence the legal way? Yes, K53 is hectic I know, but do you realise the importance of that. Yes we do not apply that much K53 in the real world but it can save your life and  in return can save someone’s life by thinking for that person or predicting what the person in front or two cars ahead of you may do next.  You can then react calmly and in time before danger strikes. Think about that one, ponder on it….

 Now about that 4 years wait to obtaining your licence. I am actually having a little chuckle and shaking my head. When I read the article two weeks ago I went…WHAT..??This is pure madness and this will make the fake driving business flourish. I reckon this team of people had nothing better to do then suck this out of their thumbs. Then again I must eat humble pie and rolling my eyes with tongue in cheek say I WAS WRONG. In fact, I would say it is a good idea. I am afraid to drive on the roads these days and only drive when need be. I think that must have been one of the reasons I associated myself with a driving school. I have this passion to at least try changing one driver at a time. And to my relief and in all humbleness I found there are so many people sharing my passion and they joined forces with our driving school.

All I am saying is we need to take responsibility for ourselves and do better out there on the roads. Remember,  do not speed .You will get to your destination even if you are a little just a late. Perhaps get up earlier and leave home earlier so there is no need to rush, don’t you all agree?

 Hope this blog got a few of us thinking…

Till next time…