Learn Smart Driving School

09/09/2026

Well done to Alex on a stressful but ultimately successful test pass in Grantham yesterday. Battling through the test day nerves to get the deserved result! 🚗🏁

08/09/2026

🚗 The sat nav isn’t just for telling you where to go…

I often encourage my learners to look at the sat nav, rather than simply listen to it.

There’s actually quite a lot of useful information there:

🗺️ The map
➡️ The direction of the next instruction
📍 The type of junction coming up
📏 How far away it is
🔎 The little advance notification showing what’s coming next

So when you’ve just left one junction, you can already start thinking:

- What’s coming next?
- How far away is it?
- What am I going to need to look for?
- What lane might I need?

For me, that turns the sat nav from something that simply gives you an instruction into a forward-planning tool.

And this is something I actually do myself.I use CarPlay with Apple Maps and, when I’m heading to a pupil, quite often the route is already there because I have the pupil’s address as an appointment.

I can see the route and get an idea of what’s coming before I arrive.

But I don’t necessarily have the spoken instructions running, or even all the detailed turn-by-turn information. Sometimes I just want the big picture.

And it got me thinking about learner drivers.

We often talk about reducing information overload, but perhaps sometimes the answer isn’t simply:

“Less information.”

It might be:

“The right information, presented in the right way, at the right time.”

For some learners, constantly having a voice telling them what to do could be another thing they have to process while they’re already dealing with traffic, mirrors, signs, positioning and decision making.

Whereas being able to LOOK ahead at the visual information might allow them to prepare themselves.

And there is another possibility worth exploring:

🔇 Using the sat nav with the sound turned off.

Not because the learner doesn’t need the information, but because they may find the visual information easier to process than having spoken instructions competing with everything else.

Of course, every learner is different. Some may find the voice reassuring and useful. Others may find it distracting.

So perhaps the question is:

“How can this learner use the sat nav in the way that best supports their driving?”

I’d be really interested to hear from learner drivers, experienced drivers and instructors:

Do you find it helpful to see what’s coming on the sat nav?

Do you prefer the spoken instructions, the visual information, both, or perhaps the sound switched off?

And have you thought about using the sat nav as a forward-planning tool, rather than simply something that tells you where to turn?

28/08/2026

A little more about me

Some of you will already know that I’m an autistic driving instructor. What you might not know is how much my own lived experience of autism influences the way I teach.

I’ve written a new article about my experience of discovering that I’m autistic, how I think differently, and how that has changed the way I understand and support my learners.

If you’re an autistic or otherwise neurodivergent learner — or a parent wondering what difference an instructor’s own experience might make — you might find it interesting.

Different thinking. Better driving.

Meet Mike, an autistic driving instructor who teaches the person, not the label, using clear explanations, diagrams and practical experience to build confident, independent drivers.

10/08/2026

Well done Ruby on passing your automatic driving test today in Lincoln. A good drive overall and it’s good that you recognised that you were driving more cautiously than normal. Hope to see you driving your own car soon.

04/08/2026

It’s a fantastic first time pass today for Darija. A great drive with only 3️⃣ driving faults being recorded. We hope the air conditioning helped her to keep cool 😎

31/07/2026

What an awesome drive for Lucy today as well as coping with a minor incident on the way, she has passed her driving test on the first attempt with just 3️⃣ driving faults being recorded. Keeping cool under pressure and driving well and passing the driving test is a great achievement.

24/07/2026

What an awesome result for Emily, passing her automatic driving test with 0️⃣ driving faults at the first attempt today. What a fabulous Friday.

23/07/2026

Well done to Simone on a lovely test pass today. First test attempt with me and a lovely drive with just the 3️⃣ driving faults (2 of which were at the test centre 🫣🤣) Enjoy getting to drive your own car at last! 🚗🏁

19/07/2026

Well done to Finn on a fantastic test pass today! Despite the test day nerves (and they were pretty bad ones 🫣), just the 1️⃣ driving fault, plus there was a lovely comment from the examiner about the quality of the parallel park . Really well deserved Finn! 🏁🚗 Finn Rogers

08/07/2026

🚦 A Green Light Doesn’t Always Mean Go

One of the things I teach my learners is that a green light is not a command to drive through a junction or crossing. It is permission to proceed if it is safe to do so.

In this real-life clip, we approached a pedestrian crossing on a green light. Two pedestrians unexpectedly stepped out into the road, directly in front of the vehicle.

My learner did exactly the right thing: they recognised the developing hazard, reduced speed, and stopped safely.

What makes this a useful hazard perception example is that many drivers assume:

🟢 Green light = road is clear

In reality, safe driving means constantly asking:
- What could happen next?
- What haven’t I seen yet?
- What if someone makes a mistake?

As learner drivers, many of us like clear rules and predictable systems. The challenge is that roads are full of humans, and humans don’t always follow the rules.

A good driver doesn’t just respond to what should happen.
They prepare for what might happen.

Watch the clip and think:
- When did you first notice the pedestrians?
- Were there any clues they might cross?
- What would you have done with your speed?
- How much time did the learner create by slowing early?

Sometimes the safest decision is not the one that matches your priority. It’s the one that gives everyone the best chance of getting home safely.

Real Life Hazard Perception – Green Light, Pedestrians Crossing Aga...