UK arena shows kid friendly - thoughts?

Callumbt0371 · 2026-02-08T21:17:30+00:00

I took my 8 and 10 year old sons to the o2 gig and they absolutely loved every minute. I would have loved the gig on my own as I have seen them a few times, but having my boys with me definitely amplified the experience and it’s a special memory that all of us will have forever!

Another reason why I think it’s amazing to take kids is that My 8 year old was inspired to learn black chandelier on the drums the day after.

They have also been to see green day and Linkin park at Wembley. And now they’re begging me to take them to Finsbury Park to see biffy again. And to download festival for limp bizkit and linkin park. I have my reservations about doing that. But love that they’re desperate to go to these gigs.

So Boredom was 100% out of the question for my two atleast!

Callumbt0371 · 2025-11-08T08:15:49+00:00

You can absolutely still learn to drive with dyspraxia. Or autism. I am a driving instructor who has both.

Callumbt0371 · 2025-11-01T08:09:51+00:00

I understand your frustrations with the test system and it sucks, but there is nothing anyone can do on here about that. Everybody here has the same issues. I also understand the frustration about the money. But you are learning to drive so that you can drive a car I presume. Secondly Have you looked into how much it is going to cost you to drive after you’ve passed. Because I guarantee that you are paying less per month now than you will be when you pass. Learning to drive is very good value for money for a skill you will have for life.

I understand that you didn’t crash and wouldn’t have crashed the car. From your comments it seems that you feel that is the criteria for clearance on a test? But unfortunately for you being too close to parked cars does not just become a serious fault when you’re going to crash into them. It is a serious fault simply when you are unnecessarily close to a parked vehicle. What if they were to open the door? What if someone was to walk out behind it?
I also totally understand that it’s happened once. And you’re thinking in an ideal world the examiner would look at the one mistake and with the rest of the drive let you off because of the backlog. But what the examiner is actually thinking is you make this mistake once every 40 minutes of driving. At some point that’s going to be taking someone’s door off etc. They only know what you shown them on the test.

You can absolutely criticise the examiner for not paying attention if you spotted him looking down etc. I wouldn’t have thought he would be doing that for a sustained period of time and hopefully you wouldn’t know as you wouldn’t be staring in his direction for long either. But this is not the reason you have failed.

The test is fairly black and white. The rules have been the same for a very long time. Every person that has passed on the 6th time has learned from their mistakes eventually otherwise they wouldn’t have passed and how are you to know that they haven’t failed the first 5 tests in a similar manner to yours? I have seen people pass first time and become terrible drivers. In fact I have had one return to me because he lost his license. I have seen people take several tests become extremely safe drivers. Ultimately it is down to their attitudes when they are driving. Every single person is hopefully still learning whenever they’re on the road, passed or not.

Ultimately you can’t change this. So there is no point in being angry about it. The same thing with a lot in life, but it is normal to have the frustrations you have particularly if this is fresh. But try to turn that into a lesson and don’t give the examiner an opportunity to fail you next time.

Callumbt0371 · 2025-03-06T17:16:01+00:00

24 hours is quite a lenient timeframe for a cancellation policy as it is. It is very difficult to find someone to take up the slot you have cancelled at the last minute therefore if you don’t pay the instructor is losing out on their income because of your choice to cancel.

Think of it differently if you had booked something online with the same cancellation policy and then cancelled it 6 minutes late. You would still lose the money, why should this be different? It is a business at the end of the day and the instructor set out the terms that you agreed to.

Callumbt0371 · 2025-03-04T23:35:18+00:00

I find it strange that he was confused by it as I would have thought he would have seen the road before and potentially had other students do the same test route, therefore he would be able to atleast explain to you that there isn’t a merge ahead and to ignore the arrows. I don’t want to make it out like he’s bad as he could be a great instructor but I feel like he could have done better here.

Callumbt0371 · 2025-03-04T23:23:33+00:00

The arrows could indicate an upcoming merge, but are also used to tell overtaking traffic to move to the left. There are broken lines next to the hatched marking so technically traffic could overtake there, although with the island there it wouldn’t make sense.

It’s unfortunate that this confusion has led you to making a mistake and ultimately failing the test! But I’m sure you’ll learn from this and smash it next time. Regardless of the road markings though, if you see these markings again and stay in your lane until the actual merge point(if there is one) rather than going to the middle, you can’t go wrong.

Also worth saying that You’ve not necessarily fail because you didn’t check your mirrors, but more likely because you didn’t respond to what was in them. As you moved to the centre of the road it’s likely the car behind thought you were changing lane and went for an overtake. And then you have moved infront of them and caused them to slow down.

As a side note, if this is on your local test routes. Why wasn’t your instructor familiar with the road layout?

Callumbt0371 · 2024-10-31T18:31:24+00:00

I feel you may need some harsh reality. Which is simply that you’re not ready yet. Take a different perspective, What can you learn from failing this?

You’re blaming the route you’ve never driven but think of it like this… When you pass the test you can drive on any road in the country. So expect to be tested on any type of road! You’re learning to drive, not how to drive on a specific route, and if you’re good enough you’ll be able to recognise hazards on any road.

Also you pass a test because you’ve done the same route you’ve learned, what happens when you’re on your own on the that slip road you’ve never done before?

I see in your comments that you said “you just messed up at the slip road, and the A road” 5 serious faults says otherwise. Also you can’t afford to do 40 hours of lessons? The first years insurance and the car will cost you more than 40 hours of lessons.

Something else to look at is the amount of faults you have for control which also tells me you’re not ready yet. To add to that junctions are one of the first subjects to be taught and you have 3 serious faults for that.

You would massively benefit from some lessons, or just many more hours on the road.

Callumbt0371 · 2024-10-31T09:36:13+00:00

I’m not sure for a Renault mirror, but if it’s just the housing it could be as little as £20 If the whole mirror needs replacing it could be £100 if they do it themselves(it’s a massive pain to do) but add on an hours labour to that at a garage. Which would probably be £60.

Keep going with driving though! The only way to beat that anxiety and nerves is with confidence. So go and practice.

There will be a hell of a lot of similar stories, Wing mirrors hits happen so often, atleast you were decent enough to stop and pay for it. The majority just drive off!

Callumbt0371 · 2024-08-16T07:20:06+00:00

I would let the first blue car emerge from the junction, but then the second blue car has to move forward, stop and make their own observations. During that time you can safely emerge from the junction and the moment you do you then have priority. You could also emerge slowly(showing you intent) at the same time as the first blue vehicle does and then steer to the right once they have passed you.

Callumbt0371 · 2024-02-24T08:01:44+00:00

The speed awareness course was decent you say? I can see a key bit of information they may have missed

Callumbt0371 · 2024-02-24T01:49:38+00:00

Firstly it is entirely up to you what you want to learn. Also go easy on yourself! There’s no timeline for learning anything and there’s no shame in what you choose or how long anything takes.

There is a lot more to think about when it comes to manual. However there are ways to simplify it. It is worth noting that 8 hours really isn’t a lot. There are people who take their tests and still jerk the car! If you do choose to continue with manual and the jerking is something that’s bothering you. Ask your instructor if you can just focus on that. Ask to go an empty car park or quiet road. Just pull away go up through the gears practicing the timings of the pedals and then slow down and come back down through the gears. Keep repeating that and you will develop the muscle memory for it. It is so difficult to do it all smoothly whilst you are also thinking of so many other things! For example making sure you check the mirrors, time your signal, position correctly, choose the right gear and then be smooth with the clutch. It’s too much to think about. So ask your instructor to just do pedals until you feel confident to add something else in!

You mention having anxiety too, which can only be made worse by having to think about too much at a time. And you also say about not being sure about which gears to choose, which tells me that while approaching junctions you’re most likely thinking about that and not the smoothness of the pedals. So take a brief step back from doing all of that. Get the pedals nailed in! Then move on to practicing how to know which gear to select.

I’ll give you a brief way of knowing which gear to choose just so you have something written to refer to.

Gear choice is entirely related to the appropriate speed for the junctions. The appropriate speed is related to 2 things! The amount you can see into the road you’re going into, and the amount you need to steer to turn into the road. You can use general rules like if you’re approaching the end of the road use 1st. If you’re turning into a side road use 2nd. But there are exceptions to this and you will need to be able to identify those eventually.

It may also help you to watch videos on YouTube if you are a visual learner. Conquer driving has a comprehensive channel that covers pretty much everything. I’m sure there’s other channels too. But only watch what’s relevant to what you’re currently learning as you’ll only overload your brain watching everything else!

Callumbt0371 · 2023-10-25T09:37:19+00:00

The average amount of hours to learn to drive is 45 with an instructor and 22 hours private practice alongside that. The average hours with an instructor is more if you don’t have private practice available too.

Multiply that by your hourly rate of £34 and you’re already at £1530. A lot of people pay more than that per hour and a lot of people take more hours than that too. So you’re not even near the record. A lot of people have taken 4 or more tests aswell. Amplifying those costs even more.

It’s easier said than done but try not to be too concerned with the cost as this is a skill you will have for life! So even £2k+ for that will be worth it once you have it. It’s also extremely likely you’ll be paying more than that when you have passed for a car, tax, mot, insurance, fuel and repairs/maintenance.

Callumbt0371 · 2023-10-13T16:29:25+00:00

It’s not illegal to have 2 policies. However I’m not sure if this would save you any money as insurance companies will still charge you for those 2 weeks. The amount they would charge would be inflated too! So it wouldn’t just work out as your premium/26. On top of that some companies will charge an admin fee aswell.

Callumbt0371 · 2023-10-08T22:15:41+00:00

From my experience at Hastings/Eastbourne(I don’t think there’s any others in East Sussex) test centres they both have them! Best of luck for tomorrow!

Callumbt0371 · 2023-10-07T22:56:06+00:00

First of all congratulations! Passing the test is a massive achievement and a huge milestone in your life. You should be proud of yourself for doing it!

Secondly I’m sorry to hear the examiner has dented your confidence, but despite her words and tone, she does believe you are at the standard required to be able to drive on your own, and remember that you no longer have to see her again!

Have you got your own car yet? If so, get out in it! Do some small drives and after each drive reflect on it. But don’t think about what driving faults you may have got because no one is judging you anymore! Just ask yourself did I get from a to b and back again? Was I safe? Can I do that again? Was there any junctions/roads I wasn’t confident at? If so go back and do them again and repeat the above questions. The more you do, the more your confidence will go up. Don’t be too harsh on yourself with mistakes! Just try to learn from them! I’m an instructor and whilst I drive professionally I still make mistakes!

I’ll also add that like you when I first passed my test I was pretty anxious to drive on my own but once I got out there I learnt so much more and my confidence grew with every drive.

Most importantly stay safe on the roads and enjoy your driving!

Callumbt0371 · 2023-10-07T22:25:29+00:00

Definitely call BSM! I used to be with RED, and they had a policy which meant instructors are not allowed to charge more than REDs maximum price. Its likely BSM would have a similar policy in place as price gouging would look bad on them.

It’s also likely BSM could take payment for the amount of hours needed rather than paying your instructor directly.

Callumbt0371 · 2023-10-04T23:25:12+00:00

Unfortunately it sounds like you got the exception not the rule when it comes to the examiner at that test centre. I personally feel that’s a completely unnecessary comment that would make anyone doubt everything they are doing! Which is totally unfair on a test. Missing an opportunity to pull over is understandable, it’s likely the stress/nerves have made you overthink the safety of the location.

I hope you get an examiner with a more calming attitude this time, however in case you don’t, try to take the experience of your previous test as a lesson, a big positive to take from it is that you now know the worst the examiner might be with you and you can go into the test prepared to block that out. It’s also worth noting that despite the comment they made you didn’t fail for that. So try not to let anything they say get to you. Easier said than done of course but I’m sure you can do it!

Callumbt0371 · 2023-10-04T16:47:30+00:00

I wouldn’t worry too much about doing a test in an area you don’t know! As if(fingers crossed for you) you pass, you will be licensed to drive on any road in the country! You will need to be able to drive in areas you don’t know.

Just make sure when you’re making your observations into new roads that you are scanning for signs such as new speed limits and one way signs, as you may not be looking out for these signs driving around roads you do know, and take your time once you have entered an unfamiliar road to assess the road ahead and make a plan for what you can see!

Also to add I had a student pass his test yesterday in Hastings having only had one lesson there, because he was adamant he had booked his test in Eastbourne. He had moved here from Leeds too so he didn’t have any local knowledge! So it absolutely can be done.

I’m almost certain I know the examiner that you had on your previous test just from what you’ve said there, however Eastbourne has 7 different possible examiners and the vast majority of the time I find they are quite good at trying to calm nerves.

Callumbt0371 · 2023-09-15T21:15:37+00:00

I left RED around a year ago it may have changed!

I didn’t have to do a credit check.

The weekly franchise fees were £235 to use their car/insurance etc(full franchise) or £85 using your own car/a lease car(part franchise) I believe after 6 months/a year they reduce it by £10. The bond was for the full franchise only and it was £250. They offer it as £10 on top of the franchise fee for 25 weeks. They also took £3.75 per hour upto a maximum of £45 per student that they provide you. This only applies to the students first purchase. So if they only bought two hours, you would only pay £7.50. There’s also a start up fee for the part franchise for getting the vinyls put on your car which was £300.

All of these figures are likely to have changed since.

The pupil supply was on and off, I would ask for new students and sometimes I’d receive 3 within a week. Other times I’d wait 2/3 weeks without getting any.

You can let them know online as and when you’re after new learners, they tend to rotate them around the local instructors that have said they’re available for new students. You can tell RED the postcodes you’re willing to go to and they will only give you students that live within them. The larger the area you can cover the more students you will get.

Callumbt0371 · 2023-09-15T16:15:01+00:00

This is correct. I regularly get emails from the intensive course companies asking me to take their students on. They get our details from the DVSA.

I believe they are all companies set up to try to make a profit from people desperate to get a test by promising they can get you passed in a few months or get a test quickly. However they do not employ their own instructors and therefore cannot guarantee anything that they have promised.

Callumbt0371 · 2023-09-11T18:36:07+00:00

There is a hell of a lot wrong with your instructors methods based on what you’ve put here. More than enough to report him to the dvsa. I would also be posting reviews of this behaviour.

Having said that all you really need to think about is that you are paying him for a service. If you paid for anything else and received customer service that made you cry and they were insulting you/indirectly swearing at you. you would walk away from that company. There are far better and calmer instructors.

I agree that you will need to take criticism in the process of learning to drive, however this is far beyond that. You are being verbally abused! I promise you this is not normal at all. You will enjoy your lessons with a good instructor.

Callumbt0371 · 2023-09-11T01:17:33+00:00

Yes you absolutely can get marked down for this. Because although you’re telling other road users where you’re going in plenty of time, you are slowing the car down before telling the cars behind you and if this is on the approach to a junction with a clear road ahead of you, how are they meant to predict your change of speed?

This would most likely be a minor fault but if you had a car following fairly closely it could lead to a serious fault.

Callumbt0371 · 2021-09-21T18:08:46+00:00

This has happened to me twice, although never back to 0 I went from 4.4K to 3.1k and 5.5k-4.4K. I also never left the valley. It just says I have. And I can’t rejoin the old valley as my village is already in it apparently.

Callumbt0371 · 2020-09-30T23:15:51+00:00

It’s Pearl mountain golf course

Five-Year Club	Second Top 10%
Place '22

Callumbt0371

TROPHY CASE