Learner Drivers come in all shapes and sizes and with often pre-conceived ideas as to what is required and how long it might take to get up to speed so to speak! For many, getting up to speed is no problem at all; after all, all you gotta do is press like blazes on the gas pedal and hope that nothing gets in your way!

By the way while we tend to call the gas pedal the Accelerator in UK. and Ireland, which is where this treatise is coming from, most Driving Schools now use the term “Gas Pedal “ since it is short, sweet and to the point! It is so short in fact that if your Instructor is out of breath, reading the paper or talking about the weather, all he or she has to do in order to maintain some forward motion is to bellow just the one word. GAS! Very economic and an instantly recognisable command!

“Get on the Gas” …”Get off the Gas”…” More Gas” …”Less Gas” or preferably just …GAS! These will be phrases that the Learner will become attuned to frequently while being trained by the friendly neighbourhood Driving Instructor. Knowing when and more importantly, when not to step on the Gas is an integral part of Learning to Drive. It is going to become even more important from now on due to the ever increasing cost of fuel and the ever increasing time spent in traffic jams!

While there have been many myths about Learning to drive and the need or otherwise of Driving Lessons, perpetuated over the years, one such myth does ring true however. And that is that taking lessons from Mum or Dad (Mom ‘n Pop outside of Europe!) is the quickest way to create an Ice Age and a Nuclear Winter scenario in the normally tranquil environment of today’s 2.2 Litre Nuclear family.