January 2nd, 2012 Administrator
Happy New Year!!!
If you aren’t already learning to drive yet then make sure 2012 is the year that you start learning to drive & pass your driving test!
If you have any friends or family that have been ‘uming & arghing’ over it this passed year then give them the encouragement to go for it. It WILL definitely open up opportunities for you & will give you so much more freedom. No more waiting around for buses to school or rushing to catch the train to work….
Choose Txt-Drive driving school in Bedford & you will learn to drive in a BMW MINI car which is VERY VERY stylish!!! As well as taking driving lessons in a MINI you can also benefit from getting your 1st two hours of driving lessons at just £12 per hour. Txt-Drive driving school in Bedford offer block booking discounts PLUS student discounts – what more could you want? Txt-Drive is cheaper than many national driving schools – compare our prices & you’ll see.
Txt-Drive Driving School hopes to see you soon & may 2012 be a great year for you!!
Call to book driving lessons in Bedford with a fully qualified driving instructor from Bedford driving school Txt-Drive. FREEPHONE 0800 8600 983 or visit www.txt-drive.co.uk or text DRIVE to 80039.
Posted in BMW Mini, Bedford, Driving, Driving Instructors, Driving Lessons, Eco-Safe Driving, Special Offers, Txt-Drive | No Comments »
December 22nd, 2011 Administrator
A learner driver who crashed and killed a nine-year-old girl while on her first driving lesson has been jailed for two years.
Beatrice Mawamba, 34, panicked and careered down a narrow alleyway into a grassed courtyard while taking a lesson with her husband, Leeds Crown Court heard.
The court was told Mawamba, a mother of three who had not driven a car before, crushed to death nine-year-old Shamirah Grant and injured two other girls, one seriously.
Prosecuting, Michael Smith said: “The children describe playing in the early evening and saw a man and woman in a green Vauxhall car.
“The man was giving some sort of instruction to the woman. The children heard the engine revving and saw it stutter and come flying down towards them fast.”
The vehicle was earlier described as “bunny hopping” before Mawamba lost control and veered dangerously out of control, down the steps of a narrow alleyway and on to the grassed children’s play area near Leopold Grove in the Chapeltown area of Leeds.
“The defendant described the car going very fast and her husband telling her to brake but she did not know how to. Her husband also tried to stop the car but couldn’t.
“When challenged by the police she was unable to say which pedal was the brake,” Mr Smith added.
Sentencing, Mr Justice Openshaw said Mawamba was “profoundly ignorant” of the most basic driving skills, adding that setting off to drive when “so lacking the most basic driving skills” amounted to a “thoughtless disregard for the safety of others”.
“In my judgment a prison sentence is necessary to impress upon others that driving a car without having any idea how to control it is seriously anti-social and presents a substantial risk to the public and such behaviour must strongly be discouraged.”
Graham Parkin, for Mawamba who admitted causing death by dangerous driving in May this year, said his client was remorseful and remained “extremely distressed” by the tragedy.
“She wishes, of course, she could turn back the clock and that it never happened,” he added.
The victim’s parents, Gary and Jennifer Grant, issued a statement following today’s sentencing.
It said: “As the parents of Shamirah Grant, we have forgiven those present in the vehicle which veered dangerously out of control… unfortunately killing our daughter and injuring two of her friends.
“We appreciate that such a terrible event was not intentional… Nevertheless, Shamirah’s death has left a heart-rending gap within our family’s lives.”
Txt-Drive Driving School uses FULLY QUALIFIED driving instructors (approved by the DSA) & the driving instructors use the BMW MINI which is fitted with He-Man Dual Controls. The dual controls are for the safety of the learner driver, the driving instructor & any other road users. Should the learner driving get into any difficulty when driving the driving instructor can use the dual controls to apply the footbrake & bring the car safely under control.
Driving instructors are aware of typical errors which learner drivers may make & can tailor driving lessons to suit each learner driver.
Txt-Drive Driving School in Bedford offer cheap driving lessons in Bedford & special introductory prices of just £12 per hour. If you would like to book driving lessons with a fully qualified driving instructor in Bedford & learn in a dual controlled BMW MINI then call 0800 8600 983 (FREEEPHONE) or visit www.txt-drive.co.uk for more information.
Posted in BMW Mini, Bedford, Driving, Driving Instructors, Road Safety, Special Offers, Txt-Drive | No Comments »
November 29th, 2011 Administrator
Bedford driving school Txt-Drive is please to announce a deal to sponsor the Bedford Hockey Club’s Under 18s Girls Academy which will be known as the BHC Txt-Drive Academy.
The new deal will mean that the Girls selected for the BHC Txt-Drive Academy will be wearing the new kit featuring Txt-Drive branding.
The agreement came about following communication via Twitter between Txt-Drive propriator & driving instructor Chris Deverell and Kate Costin of Bedford Hockey Club’s Ladies 1st Team.
Txt-Drive’s Chris Deverell put out a request on Twitter to see if anyone wished to share a minibus from the Kings Of Leon concert in Coventry back to Bedford. This request was answered by Kate Costin (@BedfordHC_L1s on Twitter).
A few months later the new sponsorship deal was discussed & hopefully the deal will be beneficial to both parties.
The new deal also includes official player sponsorship of Jenna Maclaren from Bedford Hockey Club’s Ladies 1st Team.
Txt-Drive uses all forms of modern communication to make enquiries easier for customers. Txt-Drive Driving School in Bedford can be found on Facebook & Twitter. Customers can contact Txt-Drive about driving lessons in Bedford by calling FREEPHONE 0800 8600 983 or by texting DRIVE to 80039 or by visiting the website www.txt-drive.co.uk.
Posted in BMW Mini, Bedford, Driving, Driving Instructors, Driving Lessons, Driving Tests, Txt-Drive | No Comments »
November 16th, 2011 Administrator
YOUNG Premier League stars are learning how to tackle the roads with help from a former Hyndburn policeman.
Adrian Shurmer, of Great Harwood, has this week taken on the job of teaching Manchester City academy players how to drive, having already spent seven years at rivals Manchester United.
Adrian, 69, who served in Accrington’s crime squad before a decade teaching officers how to drive, said: “There’s a huge problem teaching young footballers because they have a lot of aggression and lots of money.
“They’re young lads who want to go fast and the clubs are telling them to get stuck in on the field.
“My job is to give them psychological training on how to deal with situations.
“They might be rich, but they have only got one life and they’re not above the law.”
Although for contract reasons Adrian cannot name the players he has taught, he said several of Manchester United’s first team players have been through his course.
Adrian said he would love to teach high-profile Premier League stars his way of driving.
He said: “These young men are role models and if they are driving well and calmly, then it’s a good example to all their fans.
“It’s very difficult for clubs when someone like Cristiano Ronaldo crashes his Ferrari, then goes home and gets in his Bentley.”
Adrian, who runs Driver Awareness Ltd – which visits schools and workplaces across the country, was approached to start working for Manchester United after club bosses watched one of his demonstrations.
Word then spread about his talks, which he says leave the stars high-fiving him.
He focuses on teaching young players theory before getting behind the wheel.
He said: “It’s all about how you communicate with a driver. If you start talking to footballers about stopping distances and the like, you’ve lost them automatically. So instead I use concepts they are familar with.
“I talk in terms of control and not mouthing off on the pitch or to the ref.
“As a protection driver you don’t trust anyone, you’re always expecting to be attacked. That’s especially relevant for the footballers who drive big 4×4s and wear Rolex watches.”
Adrian’s tips are now contained in his new book Mind How You Go.
David Bushell, of Manchester United Football Club, said: “Adrian stimulates the boys to think that, as in football, the physical and technical are important, but without good habits and awareness, the opportunities for success are less.”
Txt-Drive Driving School in Bedford does not teach any Manchester United or Manchester City players…..yet….. But Txt-Drive do teach many pupils from schools in Bedford such as Mark Rutherford, Biddenham, Bedford School, Bedford Modern, St. Thomas More, Wootton etc. You may not have a Bentley or a Ferrari to drive once you’ve passed your driving test but you can learn in a BMW MINI. Txt-Drive driving lessons in Bedford, with a fully qualified driving instructor, allow you to learn to drive in a new BMW MINI. The BMW MINI has loads of quality features to help you when learning to drive & to give yourself a little bit of luxury whilst learning. Features in the BMW MINI include alloy wheels, fully adjustable seat & steering wheel, colour changing mood lighting inside the MINI, air con, auto start-stop, gear change indicator, easy to read dials & displays etc. Why bother learning in another car when you can learn to drive in a BMW MINI.
If you are a Premiership footballer (or NOT!) & would like to learn to drive in a BMW MINI with a Txt-Drive driving instructor in Bedford then call 0800 8600 983 (FREEPHONE) or text DRIVE to 80039 or visit www.txt-drive.co.uk or www.txt-drive-bedord.co.uk.
Posted in BMW Mini, Bedford, Driving, Driving Instructors, Driving Lessons, Driving Tests, Pass Plus, Road Safety, Txt-Drive | No Comments »
October 29th, 2011 Administrator
Underage driver training at Goodwood promotes good practice for when youngsters are finally able to drive on public roads.
On the face of it, novice under-age drivers, sporty Minis and one of the fastest race tracks in the country doesn’t sound like a combination designed to promote road safety. But with the Mini Drivers scheme at the Goodwood Motor Circuit in West Sussex, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
As its name suggests, Mini Drivers is aimed at youngsters. And it involves them driving Minis. Thereafter, any notion of throwing juveniles into cars and watching as the carnage unfolds is a nonsense. The scheme was Goodwood’s brainchild and its aim is to fill the gap in educating children about driving before they actually take to the road. It’s already proved popular, with more than 800 young people taking part in the year the course has been running.
When Goodwood circuit director Mark Featherstone starts throwing out some facts about young drivers it sounds almost absurd that school-age training isn’t taken more seriously. There are four fatalities a day involving drivers under 21. One in five young drivers crash within six months of passing their test. And 50 collisions a day are caused by 18-year-olds at the wheel.
“We’re passionate about improving these statistics by changing the way young drivers are taught,” Featherstone says. “A driver can pass their test and they’ll never have driven on a motorway. They’ll never have driven at night. And they’ll probably never have driven on a country lane. That has to change.”
To enrol for Mini Drivers, age isn’t a factor. The scheme has had participants as young as nine. Height, however, is vital: so that drivers can reach the pedals, they must be more than 4ft 10in tall. With that box ticked a couple of months ago, Jasmine, my daughter, aged 11, was signed up to see how Mini Drivers works in practice.
The course is split into seven “Missions”, with each costing £99, apart from the seventh, which is free if drivers complete the whole programme. They go from an introduction as complete beginners to driving a manual car in a mock road set-up and experiencing driving in the rain.
Mission One is called “Seating and Steering”. It sounds basic but when you think about it, why would a child be able to adjust the driver’s seat or know which side the indicator is on? Equally, why would they know how to steer? And how do they learn how much pressure to put on the brake pedal when their only experience of such things is based on amusement arcades?
Although this is the only course of its kind in Britain to be held at a racetrack, absolutely no expectation is created about it being a performance driving course or race school. From the outset the emphasis is on the youngsters being introduced to the car and all the things adult drivers take for granted. So Jasmine, who appears instantly to age five years with a steering wheel in her grasp, sets off with instructor Neil Sugarman next to her.
Initial movement is slow, painfully so. But there’s no stalling for the young drivers because the three introductory missions are carried out in Mini One automatics, and there will be no losing control either because the instructors have a brake pedal in the passenger footwell.
Neil has the demeanour of the most patient teacher in the school, and with words of encouragement Jasmine is swiftly going through a slalom without clobbering the cones. Next is a braking test. “Imagine there’s a balloon on the pedal and you don’t want to push it too hard in case it bursts,” Neil coaxes.
By the end of her 35-minute lesson, my daughter, who has never controlled anything quicker on its wheels than a bicycle, is able to reach 45mph and complete a lap of the 2.4-mile circuit. More interestingly, her instructor doesn’t have to use his emergency brake or grab the steering wheel once as he encourages her to look up the road and spot corners in advance.
For Featherstone the dream is to encourage more backing so it’s not just children whose parents are prepared to put their hands in their pockets who benefit. The scheme already has the support of the AA. Now Featherstone is keen for a major insurer to get involved. “When kids pass their test, insurance is so expensive very often parents can only afford a cheap old car, which doesn’t have the safety attributes of a modern model,” he says. “If the kids who have early training were to get cheaper insurance, that could change.”
That’s one major reason for embracing the scheme. But what did our pupil make of it? Jasmine explains: “I was worried that I was going to crash before we started but as soon as I was behind the wheel I forgot that. There’s an awful lot to think about when you’re driving and I wasn’t even having to change gear. Adults make driving look very easy. Now I’ve tried it and found out it’s fun, I want another go.” That’s Christmas and birthday presents for a few years, then.
If it’s a success with the participants, what does Mini Drivers’ host and Goodwood Motor Circuit’s owner make of the scheme? Lord March says: “I wish there’d been something like this when I was a youngster. I first drove a car at eight and I used to race around the estate. Then I remember when I was about 16 I took the keys to my mother’s MG 1100 – awful car — and stuck it in some trees which resulted in a period in hospital. I could definitely have done with the experience these kids are getting.”
From boy diver to boy driver: Olympic prospect takes the plunge on the track
Being an Olympic prospect has many advantages. I’m reliably informed by my daughter and her friends that world champion diver and 2012 gold medal prospect Tom Daley is “hot”. He’s also a Mini ambassador and as a result received a free car on his 17th birthday in May, even though he couldn’t drive. To help him pass, Tom underwent coaching on the Mini Drivers course.
“Being able to drive means freedom,” said Tom when we caught up with him back in August. “At the moment my mum has to come with me. I think she gets quite scared.”
The trouble for Tom was a lack of time: “I have driving lessons here and there but I had to stop because of the World Championships. Then I was on holiday, so I reckon I’ve only done about 20 hours and they say you need to do 30 to 60 to be able to rip up your L?plates,” he said.
A month later, Tom passed. So does his day job help when it comes to driving? “I think the spatial awareness helps. Knowing where you are in the air when you dive helps with judging things like when you need to brake.”
From diver to driver, then.
Txt-Drive Driving School in Bedford offers driving lessons to learner drivers in the Bedfordshire area. Txt-Drive driving instructors give driving lessons to many pupils from the local schools in Bedford such as Mark Rutherford Upper School pupils, Sharnbrook Upper School pupils, Bedford Modern School pupils, Bedford School pupils etc. Driving lessons in Bedford with a fully qualified driving instructor from Txt-Drive Driving School cost from just £12 per hour. If you book driving lessons in Bedford with Txt-Drive then you will learn to drive in a new BMW MINI. The MINI has loads of luxuries & features that you wouldn’t find on your standard driving school car!!! Call FREEPHONE 0800 8600 983 for more information & to book a driving lesson. Special offers are available to learners with student & block booking savings!!
Posted in BMW Mini, Bedford, Driving, Driving Instructors, Driving Lessons, Special Offers, Txt-Drive | No Comments »