Pass Plus

1. When do you take it?

As soon as possible after passing your Driving Test.

2. What is it?

A sort of six-hour condensed "Advanced Driving" course. The literature and the website explain these things far better than I [http://www.passplus.org.uk] but the individual modules cover such stuff as night driving, adverse weather, dual carriageway and motorway, urban and country driving.

At the end you get a certificate which says you've done it, and a hefty discount from your car insurance premiums in the first year - up to 30 % in some cases. There is no guarantee this will apply to your particular car, though, or make any significant difference to costs after the first year, so you should always check with your insurance company before you take Pass Plus - if you're only in it for the savings, that is..........

3. What is it to us?

Pass Plus is the chance to leave with a lesson instead of a Test - there is no test at the end of Pass Plus - and that's a much better way to finish your instruction. See it as a beginning of the process of self-instruction which comes with driving on your own.

4. How can the Pass Plus apply specially to your needs?

If you took hourly lessons for a Bishop Auckland Driving Test, you may have had little work on dual carriageways, for example. In Pass Plus you get valuable dual carriageway and motorway instruction as well as fresh perspectives on town driving. There is also freedom within the modules to use the country and urban driving for your individual benefit: for example, if a part of your regular driving activity will take you to Newcastle each morning, we can do a "dry run" together.... there are lots of different possibilities.

5. What Does it Cost?

With this driving school - £150:00. This figure is discounted by 5% if you took your pre-test lessons with me. The reason for the higher hourly fee, by the way, is the much higher mileage covered in a Pass Plus session!