Andrea’s School of Motoring Basingstoke

11/06/2026

11/06/2026

Lovely by name, lovely by nature 💕

Huge congratulations to Lovely from Rooksdown, on her 1st Time Driving Test Pass this morning here in Basingstoke.
Super proud of you for working so hard over the past few weeks to get everything together and make your dream come true. (I hope your mum was happily surprised by your news of learning and passing your Test)

“Dreamers are Doers”

🏁🚗🌬️🥇🏆☔️💕🇵🇭💭💤

Take care and mind the roads x

09/06/2026

New test swap restrictions in place from today.

Changes to driving test booking happening today. ⚠️

From today (9 June), if you move your driving test, you can only move it to one of the 3 nearest test centres to where it's currently booked.

This is the remaining change we committed to make by the end of Spring 2026:

📅 31 March — test changes limited to 2 per booking

🔒 12 May — only learners can book, change or cancel their own test

📍 9 June — test moves limited to 3 nearest centres

Since 12 May, we've suspended 3605 accounts for breaking the rules and reported apps to app stores for removal. We're not stopping there.

Find out what today's change means for your booking 👇 https://ow.ly/JRQr50Z9eCk

03/06/2026

One drive at a time.

THE LESSONS DRIVING TEACHES THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH DRIVING

Most people think learning to drive is about clutch control, steering, manoeuvres and passing a test.
Some of the most important things you learn are not in the Highway Code at all.

⭐ Patience

Learning to drive has a way of teaching patience whether you want to learn it or not. You wait for safe gaps at roundabouts, sit through traffic lights that seem to take forever and sometimes need several attempts to get something right. Progress is rarely a straight line. Driving teaches you that improvement comes from staying calm, taking your time and trying again.

⭐ Resilience

Every learner makes mistakes. Every learner has lessons where nothing seems to go to plan. There will be wrong turns, missed opportunities, stalls, hesitation and moments when you wonder if you will ever get there. The real achievement is not avoiding mistakes. It is getting back in the car, having another go and refusing to let one bad lesson define you.

⭐ Awareness

At the beginning, most learners focus on what is directly in front of them. As their skills develop, they begin to notice much more. The pedestrian waiting near a crossing, the cyclist approaching from behind, the vehicle emerging from a side road and the brake lights several cars ahead. Driving gradually teaches you to see the bigger picture and anticipate what might happen next.

⭐ Confidence

Real confidence does not arrive all at once. It builds quietly over time. It comes from dealing with situations that once felt intimidating and realising you handled them. One day you find yourself driving independently, making decisions without help and managing situations that used to make you nervous. That confidence is earned, and it stays with you long after the driving test is over.

Perhaps the biggest lesson of all is this.

Learning to drive teaches you that you are capable of far more than you think. It shows you that progress does not require perfection and that growth often happens when things feel difficult.

If you are struggling, feeling nervous or wondering whether you will ever get there, remember that every confident driver you see today once sat where you are now. They made mistakes, doubted themselves and had lessons they wanted to forget.

The difference is they kept going.

One day you will look back and realise that you did too.

✍️ Sheena Ahmed
Motorvation School of Motoring

14/05/2026

Read the road, look ahead, plan and scan. Respond sooner rather than reacting late!

One of the most misunderstood Highway Code changes in recent years.

Since the 2022 update, the Highway Code now says that drivers, riders and cyclists should give way to pedestrians who are crossing OR waiting to cross at junctions you are turning into or out of.

That includes:
🚶 Side roads
🚶 T junctions
🚶 Junction exits
🚶 Entrances to car parks, petrol stations, retail parks etc.

If somebody is clearly waiting to cross and it is safe to stop, the updated guidance says you should give way.
Now here is where the confusion starts.

Many pedestrians still assume cars always have priority turning into side roads because that is how people drove for years.

Many drivers still do not realise the rule changed.
Some drivers stop suddenly.
Some wave pedestrians across unpredictably.
Some pedestrians step out assuming every driver knows the update.
Others stand there waiting while cars continue turning across them.

This is why awareness and judgement matter.
The Highway Code change was designed to improve pedestrian safety and create clearer priority for vulnerable road users.

But real world driving still requires common sense.

🚗 Drivers should approach junctions slower and actually expect pedestrians to be there.

🚶 Pedestrians should never assume every driver has seen them or will stop.

Good driving is not about forcing priority.
Good driving is about reading situations early enough that nobody feels pressured, rushed or endangered.

Personally, I teach learners to approach every junction already prepared for somebody to cross.

If the pedestrian is clearly waiting, visible and it is safe to do so, give way calmly and early rather than braking harshly at the last second.

The biggest problem is not the rule itself.

The biggest problem is millions of people passed their test years ago and never reopened the Highway Code afterwards.

What are your thoughts on the update?
Do you think enough drivers and pedestrians actually understand this rule yet?

✍️ Sheena Ahmed
Motorvation School of Motoring

12/05/2026

Well let’s see how this pans out 🤦🏼‍♀️

From today, there will be more changes for learner drivers.

Only you can book or manage your car driving test. This means your driving instructor won’t be allowed to book it for you.

30/04/2026

Huge Congratulations to Aiden K (one of the Chineham Lads, of which there’s been so many in the past few years) on following them all with 1st Time Driving Test Passes with me, with just 5 Driving Faults. It’s been a pleasure working alongside you to reach your goal. Keep enjoying your adventures with the CCF and your time working in Shakeaway (I’m going to try that Peppermint one soon 🥛)

Take care and mind the roads x

🏁🚗🏆🥇🎉👏💦☀️🎊👋🏻🎉🎊👏