Oxford School of Motoring

So for those new to driving, some trepidation is inevitable. Some may be more nervous than others and Chris Smith, of the Oxford School of Motoring, has developed a strategy based on his studies in psychology to enable them to overcome their fears.

Mr Smith, who has been a driving instructor for more than 30 years, is aware of how important it is for new drivers to overcome these natural fears which can hinder their progression to becoming confident motorists.

He first taught pupils at the British School of Motoring before setting up his own business in 1985.

Mr Smith said: “You have to gear the lessons to the pupils, rather than the pupils to the lessons.

“You pick up on how they feel about starting to drive and begin to build their confidence.”

He added: “When they begin, they do not know what to expect, and look on the negative side.

“They don’t want to crash the car, they do not want to look silly in front of their friends and they don’t want to fail their test.”

Mr Smith has an honours degree in psychology from the Open University and he uses his expertise in his teaching methods.

He emphasises the importance of taking a positive approach rather than always fearing the worst in every situation, on the roads and elsewhere.

And he believes cognitive behaviour therapy — the way people look at situations and what they believe to be the truth— has an important effect.

Mr Smith has had a CD professionally-produced, entitled Pass Your Driving Test. It contains relaxation techniques and emphasises the positive approach.

It encourages listeners to feel confident and composed, to have the ability to focus their minds completely on what they are doing, to remain calm in unexpected situations and to handle each one in a positive way.

Mr Smith said: “Practice, experience, confidence are my key words — to help them move into their comfort zone, where my pupils feel good about what they are doing.

“When people fail, it is often due to those negative feelings. It is natural to be nervous — there would be something wrong if you were not — and I try to get my pupils to face this and teach them techniques to overcome it so they don’t go to pieces under pressure.

While this applies mostly to new drivers, it can also be relevant to those who need to return to making regular use of a car.

Although having previously passed their test, they may not have needed to go out much on the roads.

Mr Smith explained: “I receive frequent request for refresher courses. A couple of hours of lessons can help them and I can talk to them about techniques to build up their confidence again.

“I like to talk to people and find out what they need, and give them simple points on which to concentrate.

“One is to make a running commentary — on the traffic, the road, signs and weather conditions. This will help them concentrate and take the correct action.”

Two people who can vouch for the confidence which Mr Smith has helped them build are Susmitha Selvaraj and Neil Phipps.

Mrs Selvaraj came to England from India in 2000. New to driving, she began taking lessons while living in London, where she was studying.

She said: “In India, there are not really many women who drive. It is considered a man’s job. But things are changing and more and more women are taking up driving.

“When I came to London I passed the theory section of the test, but failed the actual driving. As I had a long break before I started lessons again I had to retake the theory.

“When I moved to Oxford, I started having lessons with Mr Smith. He was a very patient, knew how to give me confidence and was very encouraging.

“I did not pass the first time, but he said ‘you cannot give up’ and told me stories of people who had failed several times before succeeding. He was a real source of inspiration and helped me a lot,” Mrs Selvaraj added.

Neil Phipps is a recently-qualified driver who had no need to learn as a teenager, nor even until after his 20s.

“When I started driving lessons, I was quite nervous,” he admitted.

“I had never driven a car in my life. I had never had the need to do so. I found the lessons quite easy because of the way Mr Smith taught me. I passed my test first time. I was nervous, as everybody is, but Mr Smith managed to put me at my ease.”

From his many years of experience, Mr Smith has observations to make on the present testing system. He feels the Government’s recommended 40 hours of driving practice before taking the test is not nearly enough to learn to use the road safely and cope with various traffic conditions.

And he believes training should include motorway journeys and night driving, situations which the newly-qualified may encounter for the first time when they do not have a sufficiently experienced driver with them.

Name: The Oxford School of Motoring Founded: 1985 Owner: Chris Smith Number of Staff: One Annual turnover: Confidential

Contact: 01865 770771 Web: www.oxfordschoolofmotoring.com