Nicky Hardy - Driving Instructor

30/08/2026

You can turn 17 and pass your theory test without ever having sat behind the wheel of a car.

You could have never changed gear, never approached a roundabout, never dealt with a pedestrian crossing, never tried to read a road while managing a car, yet you can pass the theory test and immediately go online looking for a practical test.

That theory certificate is not a golden ticket to the driving test centre.
It does not mean, “Congratulations, you’re ready to drive.”

The theory test is supposed to give you the knowledge that sits underneath the practical skill. Signs, markings, priorities, speed limits, stopping distances, hazards and the rules that allow millions of complete strangers to share the same roads without turning every junction into a game of dodgems.

If you learn the theory by memorising answers just long enough to pass the test, you’ve missed the entire point. You’ve learnt the answers to the exam without learning the subject.
Theory should become part of your driving brain.

When you approach an unfamiliar road, you shouldn’t need to have driven there before. You should be able to read what is in front of you and make a safe decision from the information the road is giving you.

Road signs and markings are basically a silent driving instructor sitting beside you. They’re constantly giving you information, warnings and instructions, but they’re about as useful as a chocolate sat nav if you don’t understand what they mean.

This is also why learning test routes by memory worries me so much.

You are not learning to drive if your plan is, “I remember this road, I turn left here, there’s a roundabout coming and I know which lane I used last time.”

Change the route, add some temporary roadworks, alter a speed limit, close a lane or send you somewhere you’ve never been before and suddenly the script has disappeared.

A competent driver doesn’t need the script.
They read the road.

If you have passed your theory test but still regularly struggle to recognise signs, understand road markings, identify speed limits or work out priorities, go back and study them. Passing the theory test doesn’t mean that knowledge should be packed into a suitcase and shoved in the loft with your revision notes.

You need it every single time you drive.

The theory test was never the problem. Treating it as a memory competition rather than learning the reasons behind the answers is.

The moment you sit behind that steering wheel, you take responsibility for far more than moving a car from A to B. Your decisions affect your passengers, pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and complete strangers you will never meet.

Get something badly wrong and the consequences don’t ask whether you’re 17 or 70, whether you’ve been driving six weeks or sixty years.

The steering wheel might only be held by two hands, but the responsibility sitting in those hands is enormous.

Learn the theory.
Understand the theory.
Then use it to learn how to DRIVE.

Share and tag your friends in 🫶🏾
Sheena Ahmed
Motorvation school of Motoring

25/08/2026

Congratulations to Kyle Knowles from Newmarket on passing his driving test first time today in Cambridge with only 2 drivers faults. What a great result and thoroughly deserved. Enjoy car shopping and drive safe 🚗😊

23/08/2026

You've decided it's time to learn to drive, now it's about finding the right instructor for you. 🔍

Our GOV.UK service makes it easy to search for approved driving instructors (ADIs) near you. 📍

ADIs choose whether to be on this service, so they won't all be listed. You can contact DVSA to check if a driving instructor who isn’t listed is qualified. ✅

Ready to begin your learning to drive journey? Find driving schools, lessons and instructors 👉 https://ow.ly/RTe450Zzpox

30/07/2026

Three weeks after passing her driving test, an 18-year-old driver had already been caught up in a pattern of dangerous driving.

The police investigation found she had regularly been speeding, using her mobile phone behind the wheel and filming Snapchat videos while driving.

One video reportedly showed her reaching around 100mph on a county road.
Another showed her driving onto the wrong side of the road towards an oncoming vehicle as her friends shouted at her to stop.

In 2022, Liberty Mitchell pleaded guilty to overtaking on the wrong side of the road and causing the head-on collision in Gloucestershire that killed two innocent people a teacher and a taxi driver.

She was originally jailed for six years and eight months, but the Attorney General referred the case to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.

Her sentence has now been increased by two years and seven months, meaning she will serve a total of nine years and three months in prison.

She was also disqualified from driving for eight years and four months and must pass an extended driving test before she can regain her licence.

Two innocent people lost their lives, and countless others have been left to live with the consequences.

The sentence has been increased, but one question remains… should someone responsible for this ever be allowed to drive again?

09/07/2026

“My mate passed after 20 hours.”
“My dad only needed 10 hours.”

You will hear comments like these throughout your learning journey, but they are completely irrelevant to your progress.

Imagine a classroom of 30 pupils. They all receive the same lesson from the same teacher, yet by the end, some will understand everything immediately, while others need more explanation, more practice, or simply more time. That doesn’t make anyone less capable. People learn differently, and that’s perfectly normal.

Think about a running race. Every runner covers the same distance, but they don’t all cross the finish line together. Some finish first, some finish later, but they all reach the finish in their own time.

Learning to drive is exactly the same.

Your instructor’s job is to guide you, challenge you, and help you progress at a pace that’s right for you. Comparing yourself to someone else serves no purpose because no two learners have the same experience, confidence, coordination, or way of processing information.

In my car, I will push you to achieve your potential, but how much I challenge you depends entirely on how quickly you are learning. Every lesson is tailored to the individual sitting behind the wheel.

Don’t worry about how many lessons someone else had.
You will hear comments like these throughout your learning journey, but they tell you nothing about your own progress.

Focus on building strong foundations, developing safe habits, and becoming a confident driver for life.

Take your time.
Learn it properly.

Driving is a lifelong skill, not a competition.

Sheena Ahmed
Motorvation school of Motoring

19/06/2026

Well done to Max Cutche on passing your driving test in Cambridge today. A well deserved result after all your hard work. It’s been my pleasure to help you and I look forward to seeing you out on the road. Drive safe 🚗☺️

18/06/2026

Many drivers know that the Highway Code recommends leaving at least 1.5 metres when overtaking a cyclist at speeds of up to 30mph, and even more space at higher speeds.
( A requested post )

What many people do not realise is that this does not suddenly stop applying just because there is a painted cycle lane on the road.
A painted line is not a protective barrier.
A cyclist still needs space.

They may need to avoid potholes, drains, debris, opening vehicle doors, pedestrians stepping into the lane, or unexpected hazards that appear in front of them.

Far too many cyclists tell me that their closest passes happen when they are actually using the cycle lane provided for them.
It is almost as if some drivers see the painted line and assume it gives them permission to squeeze past.

The Highway Code is very clear. If you cannot give a cyclist enough room, wait. Be patient. Overtake when it is safe to do so.

This is not about cyclists versus drivers.
Many cyclists are drivers.
Many drivers are cyclists.

The road does not belong to one group or another. We all share it.
Whether you are behind a steering wheel, on two wheels, on horseback, or simply crossing the road, everybody deserves to get home safely.

A few seconds of patience costs nothing.
A close pass can cost everything.

If you cycle regularly, what is the biggest misconception drivers have about sharing the road with cyclists?

✍️ Sheena Ahmed
Motorvation School of Motoring

10/06/2026

One of my followers sent me a message suggesting a post about something we do not talk about enough.

The learning does not stop when you pass your driving test.
In fact, for many people, that is when the real learning begins.

Passing a test simply means you have demonstrated that you can drive safely and independently to the required standard on that day. It does not mean you have experienced every road, every weather condition, every difficult junction, every near miss, or every challenge that driving can throw at you.
Experience takes time.

Every driver, no matter how long they have held a licence, will make mistakes. I certainly have. You have. The person reading this has. The difference is what we do afterwards.

Some people shrug their shoulders and carry on.
Others replay the mistake in their head for days.

Many conscientious drivers are far harder on themselves than they need to be. They make one wrong lane choice, miss a sign, stall, misjudge a gap, or have a moment of hesitation and suddenly start questioning their entire ability to drive.
Sound familiar?

The truth is that driving today is not easy.
The roads are busier than ever. There are more distractions, more information to process, more vehicles, more vulnerable road users, and more pressure than many people realise.

Yet we often act as though driving should be effortless and that mistakes should never happen.

Perhaps we would all benefit from a little more patience.
Patience with other road users.
Patience with learners.
Patience with newly qualified drivers and sometimes, patience with ourselves.

That does not mean excusing poor driving or dangerous behaviour.
It means recognising that human beings are not perfect.

The important question is not, “Have I ever made a mistake?”
The important question is, “What did I learn from it?”

The drivers who continue to improve are usually the ones who remain humble enough to reflect on their driving, learn from their errors, and adapt.

The moment we believe we have nothing left to learn is often the moment we become a worse driver.

Driving is a lifelong skill, not a one-off achievement.

The test certificate is not the end of the journey.

It is the beginning of it. ❤️

✍️ Sheena Ahmed
Motorvation School of Motoring

02/06/2026

12/05/2026

People are often shocked when they see the top reasons for failing a driving test.

Why?
Because most of them are not complicated manoeuvres.

Most are observation, awareness, positioning, planning and decision making.

👀 Effective observations at junctions
🪞 Mirror use
🚗 Moving off safely
↪️ Positioning correctly
🚦 Responding to traffic lights
🛞 Steering control
🛣️ Road markings
🚸 Traffic signs
📍 Road positioning
⚠️ Safe and reasonable speed

Look closely at that list.
Most of it comes down to one thing:
awareness.

This is why I constantly say driving is far more mental than physical.

The steering wheel is the easy bit.
The hard part is reading the road, anticipating danger, processing information and making safe decisions under pressure.

A driving test is not designed to catch people out.
It is checking whether someone can safely deal with real world situations independently.

Many faults happen because people rush.
They see a gap and go without fully checking.
They change direction without proper mirror use.
They follow sat nav instructions without reading road signs or markings.
They focus too close to the front of the car instead of planning ahead.

The roads reward calm drivers far more than hurried ones.

This is also why “just getting a test booked quickly” means nothing if the foundations are weak.

You can sometimes scrape through a 40 minute test.
You cannot scrape through years of solo driving safely without proper habits.

The safest drivers are usually not the most confident sounding people.
They are the ones constantly thinking:
“What have I missed?”

See one. Think two.

Learn to drive for life not just to pass a test 🫶🏾

✍️ Sheena Ahmed
Motorvation School of Motoring