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Collingwood Learner Driver Insurance


Welcome to the Pupil Zone


This is our pupil resource section, click on the links above for more information to help you with your theory and practical tests, as well as a some fun along the way.

 
** Caution when booking theory and practical driving tests**
There are a number of websites which book tests and charge commision, please be aware that you can book your tests directly through the DSA website without incurring additonal charges.


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Latest News




Drive Me Bananas has its first pass in Australia!


Au Pair Alice Partridge from Sydney completed an intensive driving course with Drive Me Bananas whilst working in Edinburgh,  she didn't have time to fit in a test in the UK but sent word from down under.

"Hey! Its Alice Partridge, just letting you know I just passed my driving test in australia, first time without extra lessons here... Thanks so much for putting up with me and teaching someone who had an aversion to all scotland road rules... Thanks a million! Alice."




Pre-Flight Checks

Before driving a vehicle it is important that the driver is sure that the vehicle is fully legal and roadworthy.  At the start of your practical driving test you will be asked a few basic questions about maintaining a car, beyond the test you remain liable for prosecution should you drive a vehicle which is not road worthy.

How to check?

Carry out a F.L.O.W.E.R. check.

F = Fuel

Do you know which fuel your vehicle uses? The majority of cars in the UK use petrol or diesel fuels, some cars use LPG gas, there are other sources of energy being experimented with but are less mainstream.
Do you know how to find out? At the fuel filling point on the vehicle there is normally a sticker indicating the type and grade of fuel to be used. In the past colour coding was used but this has largely been phased out. There are different grades of fuel it is important to check which is most appropriate to your vehicle. Using the wrong type or grade of fuel can result in expensive damage to your engine.

How much fuel do you have, is it enough for your journey? You will have seen the fuel gauge on the dash board, many modern vehicles also have fuel computers which can advise the average speed, fuel consumption and range in distance available based on the amount of fuel in your tank at that time. There will also be a warning light and buzzer to alert you that the tank is nearly empty. It is not advisable to drive with this light on as the engine may cut out at any time and you risk sucking dirt up from the bottom of the tank which could damage the engine.

L = Lights

Do you know how to operate all of the external lights on the vehicle? Are they all working?
Do you carry spare bulbs and know how to replace bulbs?
When did you last check your brake lights? Did you know you could be prosecuted for driving with defective lights?

See and be seen.

Side and tail lights, these are small white lights on the front of the car and red lights on the back of the car to illuminate the vehicle in the dark to prevent other vehicles hitting your car, it also illuminates the rear number plate and lights up the dashboard. This is the primary switch on most vehicles to use all other head lights and fog lights.

Headlights are spot lights which light up the road ahead, there are 2 modes, dipped which prevents dazzle for oncoming traffic and full or main beam which lights up the whole road. Dipped lights are angled down to the left and illuminate the pavement on the left, full beam are angled forwards in all directions so can easily blind oncoming traffic.

Front fog lights are high intensity main beam bulbs normally mounted lower than the bumper for use in thick fog, they can easily dazzle other road users and should never be used unless the visibility is severely reduced under 100m. You can be prosecuted for using these lights in clear visibility.

Rear fog lights are high intensity red lights mounted on the rear of the vehicle so that following traffic can see you in fog, again it is illegal to use these in clear visibility. As a rough rule, if you can see the car behind you turn off the fog light as it will dazzle the following driver, it also makes it difficult for other drivers to see your brake lights, as the fog light is brighter than the brake light.

Parking lights are similar to side and tail lights, they often don't illuminate the dashboard or rear number plate to conserve battery power, so you can leave them on all night. Legally you must use parking lights on roads which have a speed limit over 30mph or when there are no street lights. You must park on the left facing the direction of travel, unless in a marked bay or on a one way street. Drivers expect to see red on their left and white on their right in order to find the road ahead.

Warn others of your intentions.

Brake lights are red lights mounted on the rear of your car to alert following traffic that you have pressed the foot brake. Older cars have 2 brake lights, recent cars have 3 or more. Legally all the brake lights must be fully operational. If your brake lights are not working you run the risk of being hit by a following vehicle.

Indicator lights are amber, 3 on each side of the car and are operated by the indicator switch or hazard warning light switch.

O = Oil

There are 3 types of oil to check on most vehicles:

Engine oil. You are less likely to break down away from home if you check your engine oil before a journey, engine oil lubricates and helps cool the engine. If you don't have enough oil the engine can suffer long term damage and could seize, disabling the vehicle and destroying the engine. Check the vehicles user manual for the correct type and grade of engine oil to protect the moving parts of the engine.

Brake fluid is required to actuate the brakes when the foot brake is applied, if you don't have brake fluid the brakes won't work, so you won't be able to stop! If you notice the brake fluid level dropping, report the problem to your garage, don't drive if you suspect a problem with the braking system, it is dangerous and illegal.

Power Steering fluid, you may be able to check the level of this depending on the vehicle, some vehicles you cannot access this. It can be dangerous to operate a vehicle with defective power steering.

W = Water

There are 2 types of water:

Coolant. The engine on most vehicles is water cooled, you will have an expansion header tank where you can check the level. You may notice the liquid inside is coloured, the liquid has 3 main properties, firstly it prevents rusting of the inside of the engine, secondly it prevents the liquid freezing at 0'c and thirdly it prevents the liquid boiling at 100'c. You can top the coolant up with tap water when the engine is cold, don't attempt to do this when the engine is hot as you may be scalded, modern cars consume very little coolant, again if it appears to use alot take it to the garage as it could indicate a problem. If you top it up too much you will dilute the coolant removing the properties mentioned before.

Windscreen wash is a legal requirement, it must be kept topped up or you could be prosecuted as you will be unable to clean the windscreen to see properly, in winter use a screen wash with freeze resistant properties or you could damage the pump. Don't put engine anti-freeze in this bottle as it could take the paint off your car!

E = Electrics

OK we covered the lights earlier, but we still have the horn, windscreen wipers and washers, demisters and blowers, the radio for traffic and weather information. Also check the dashboard for any warning lights which may remain on when the engine is running, yellow lights indicate a problem, red lights are a warning to stop the vehicle and switch off the engine.

R = Rubber

Windscreen wipers, front and back, should be in good condition and clear the windscreen of water, if not get them replaced.





Tyres, rubber has a shelf life of around 7 years, old tyres perish, go brittle and can break apart in a similar way to elastic bands. Legally you must have 1.6mm tread but it is safer to replace tyres at around 3mm to retain good stopping ability in the wet.



New tyres should be put on the rear axle and part worn tyres moved to the front. Tyres should be properly inflated as per the user manual for the load to be carried, you may need to adjust the pressure depending on how you use the vehicle. Under inflated tyres can increase fuel consumption and over inflated tyres can adversly affect vehicle handling.


Your tyres are the only thing holding you onto the road so look after them.  If in any doubt about a tyre get it replaced, it is cheaper to replace a tyre than to replace the car or yourself! This is why tyre defects carry a £1000 fine for the driver.





driving in snow edinburgh

Winter Driving

Please be aware that lessons may need to be cancelled at short notice due to adverse weather, if the roads are icy or covered in snow your instructor may not be able to get to you, or may not be able to carry out a lesson. Whilst we will always do our best to provide a lesson we have to consider the safety of yourself, the instructor and other road users.

Unfortunately the Driving Standards Agency may cancel or terminate your driving test due to adverse weather also.





April 2009 Prize Draw

Harriet Scott won £100 worth of Driving lessons with Drive Me Bananas.


New Show Me Tell Me Questions from 1st July 2008

8 New questions are to be added to the show me tell me section of the practical test.

Q14. Tell me how you make sure your head restraint is
correctly adjusted so it provides the best protection
in the event of a crash.

The head restraint should be adjusted so the rigid
part of the head restraint is at least as high as the
eye or top of the ears, and as close to the back of
the head as is comfortable. N.B. Some restraints
might not be adjustable



Drive Me Bananas T Shirts available.

We have a limited number of "Speed Bumps Drive Me Bananas" T Shirts available, £12.50 each, ask your instructor for more details.



Funky New vehicle livery being brought out across the fleet.

driving lessons midlothian
Drive Me Bananas Epic Driving Lesson

Saturday the 17th of November 2007 we went to John O'Groats for Children in Need.


children in need driving lesson

The Team Ready for Departure on the Epic Driving Lesson

From Left.. Declan, Douglas, Jonathan, Adam, Suzanne




Role of Honour
Our 2008~2010 Graduates

We are proud to have helped the following people pass their driving tests.

Date
Name
Test Centre
Instructor
9/1/08
Mohammad Imran Malik
Currie
Lyn
10/1/08
Charlene Brown
Musselburgh
Jonathan
24/1/08
Douglas Urquart
Currie
Jonathan
25/1/08
Kirsty Roberts
Musselburgh
Jonathan
22/2/08
Nik Mustapha
Currie
Jonathan
22/2/08
Jessica Douglas
Currie
Dave
23/2/08
Grace Chen
Currie
Adrian
28/2/08
James Murray
Musselburgh
Dave
5/3/08
Louise Robinson
Currie
Dave
7/3/08
Daniel Forbes
Currie
Dave
11/3/08
Mohammad Abdus Sattar
Currie
Jonathan
15/3/08
Shah Ayop
Currie
Jonathan
8/4/08
Laura Fearon
Currie
Jonathan
10/4/08
Dafni Mouzaki
Currie
Jonathan
14/4/08
Rosanna Tulloch
Currie
Jonathan
14/4/08
Michael Macfarlane
Currie
Jonathan
15/4/08
Gillian Spinks
Haddington
Jonathan
16/4/08
Rory McAlpine
Currie
Jonathan
22/4/08
Steven Gunn
Musselburgh
Jonathan
22/4/08
Dhammica Desilver
Currie
Lyn
23/4/08
Hui Jing Charmaine
Currie
Jonathan
2/5/08
Natalie Reynolds Currie
Dave
8/5/08
George Kerbage
Musselburgh
Adrian
13/5/08
Sean McNeil
Currie
Jonathan
14/5/08
Cheryl Mason
Currie
Jonathan
15/5/08
Brian Dixon
Currie
Jonathan
15/5/08
Sriker Reddy Kondakalla
Musselburgh
Lyn
17/5/08
Dr Mahesh Marina
Musselburgh
Jonathan
19/5/08
Catriona Regan
Dunfermline
Dave
20/5/08
James Avery
Musselburgh
Jonathan
27/5/08
Jamie Thomson
Currie
Lyn
28/5/08
Debbie Thomson
Currie
Jonathan
28/5/08
Ramzi Nasri
Currie
Jonathan
30/5/08
Dean Robertson
Musselburgh
Dave
31/5/08
Hayleigh Robertson
Currie
Jonathan
2/6/08
Scott Saunders
Currie
Jonathan
7/6/08
Joanna Dearing
Musselburgh
Dave
10/6/08
Lesley Murphy
Musselburgh
Lyn
17/6/08
Malcolm Winning
Currie
Jonathan
19/6/08
Lesley Gibbs
Currie
Jonathan
20/6/08
Beverly Riddel
Currie
Lyn
30/6/08 Michael Neave
Musselburgh
Lyn
2/7/08
Dawn Smith
Currie
Jonathan
14/7/08
Steven Mcloed
Currie
Lyn
15/7/08
Dr Haroon Junaidi Ahmed
Currie
Jonathan
23/7/08
Scott Flockhart
Musselburgh
Lyn
23/7/08
Scott Treacy Currie
Jonathan
29/7/08
Hayley Thomson Currie
Jonathan
9/8/08
Linsey Wright
Musselburgh
Jonathan
16/8/08
Alison Locke
Currie
Dave
18/8/08
Emma Powell
Musselburgh
Dave
19/8/08
Archana Mohanty
Musselburgh
Jonathan
20/8/08
Jenna Meenan
Musselburgh
Jonathan
20/8/08
Samantha Fitzsimmons Musselburgh
Dave
22/8/08
Brian Clark
Currie
Lyn
17/9/08
Abigail Brown
Currie
Jonathan
24/9/08
Stuart McArthur
Currie
Adrian
24/9/08
David Burns
Currie
Adrian
24/9/08
Andrew Maguire
Currie
Jonathan
8/10/08
Shane White
Currie
Lyn
9/10/08
Andrew Lindsey
Musselburgh
Dave
9/10/08
Laurence DiSotto
Currie
Adrian
14/10/08
Scott Miller
Currie
Lyn
21/10/08
Jared Southern
Musselburgh
Dave
30/10/08
Aisling Rougan
Musselburgh
Adrian
19/11/08
Alison White
Musselburgh
Jonathan
22/11/08
Scott Cummings
Currie
Adrian
1/12/08
Simon Van Lieshout
Currie
Lyn
2/12/08
Ross Murray
Currie
Jonathan
4/12/08
Paul "The Stig" Hossack
Musselburgh
Jonathan
8/12/08
Kylie Smith
Currie
Dave
16/12/08
Patrick
Musselburgh
Lyn

2009


6/1/09
Michael Bush
Musselburgh
Dave
6/1/09
Melissa Davies
Musselburgh
Dave
6/1/09
Zeeshan Mundh
Currie
Jonathan
15/1/09
Jordan Sheperd
Musselburgh
Dave
21/1/09
Lesley McLean
Currie
Jonathan
21/1/09
James Reddington
Currie
Adrian
22/1/09
Terry Cattlin
Currie
Jonathan
3/2/09
Jonathan Asante
Currie
Jonathan
5/2/09
Hassan Assaliih
Currie
Adrian
6/2/09
Ciara Doherty
Musselburgh
Adrian
10/2/09
Katrina Barry
Currie
Adrian
11/2/09
Laura Bold
Musselburgh
Jonathan
20/2/09
Michael Baird
Musselburgh
Lyn
25/2/09
Carmel "Oh my GOD!!!" Thompson
Currie
Jonathan
25/2/09
Malcolm Smith
Currie
Adrian
26/2/09
Dr Ai Wain Yong
Currie
Jonathan
2/3/09
Elizabeth Rutherford
Currie
Jonathan
3/3/09
Sarah Gale
Musselburgh
Dave
7/3/09
Ben Gordan
Musselburgh
Dave
11/3/09
Craig Jolly
Currie
Adrian
2/4/09
Graham Macfarlane
Musselburgh
Jonathan
2/4/09
Stuart Thomson
Currie
Adrian
7/4/09
James McQueen
Musselburgh
Dave
7/4/09
Lesley Bolen
Currie
Lyn
15/4/09
Steven Pritchard
Currie
Lyn
18/4/09
Kiri Burji
Musselburgh
Jonathan
20/4/09
Douglas Brown
Currie
Adrian
21/4/09
Ryan Bridgeman
Musselburgh
Lyn
23/4/09
Natalie Summers
Musselburgh
Dave
24/4/09
Barbara Barron
Musselburgh
Lyn
24/4/09
Sharon Laird
Currie
Adrian
28/4/09
Aiden McGlinchey
Currie
Adrian
16/5/09
Christopher Cummings
Currie
Lyn
23/5/09
Jonathan Cockcroft
Musselburgh
Lyn
26/5/09
Gareth Gunn
Musselburgh
Jonathan
28/5/09
Oliver Tulloch
Currie
Jonathan
30/5/09
Sarah McFadgen
Musselburgh
Lyn
2/6/09
Jodie Marriot
Musselburgh
Jonathan
8/6/09
Matthew Spencer
Currie
Jonathan
10/6/09
Griere Cox
Currie
Jonathan
11/6/09
Jennifer Docherty
Currie
Adrian
12/6/09
Jade Ross
Currie
Adrian
13/6/09
James McGratton
Currie
Jonathan
16/6/09
Sarah Trainer
Currie
Jonathan
17/6/09
Gavin Hogg
Currie
Adrian
30/6/09
Nim Tibler
Currie
Adrian
2/7/09
Cairan Canning
Currie
Adrian
3/7/09
Kim Robertson
Currie
Adrian
13/7/09
Fiona Mellor
Currie
Jonathan
13/7/09
Navin Isaiah
Currie
Dimitris
15/7/09
Claire Black
Haddington
Dimitris
30/7/09
Claire Lamb
Currie
Jonathan
31/7/09
Connor
Musselburgh
Lyn
3/8/09
Steven Cormack
Musselburgh
Jonathan
13/8/09
Thembie
Musselburgh
Jonathan
19/8/09
Dean Millar
Musselburgh
Lyn
26/8/09
Emma Lipp
Currie
Adrian
2/9/09
Neil Campbell
Musselburgh
Dimitris
3/9/09
Allen Henderson
Musselburgh
Dimitris
3/9/09
Alison MacGruer
Musselburgh
Dimitris
4/9/09
Richard Wood
Musselburgh
DImitris
9/9/09
Simon Sawers
Musselburgh
Jonathan
23/9/09
Gary Duplex
Currie
Adrian
30/9/09
Jamie Bain
Currie
Dimitris
3/10/09
Stacy Andrews
Musselburgh
Lyn
5/10/09
Linda Gargan
Musselburgh
Jonathan
8/10/09
James Richardson
Galashiels
Adrian
9/10/09
Douglas Strachan
Musselburgh
Ben
9/10/09
Danny Abraham
Currie
Dimitris
11/10/09
Paul Bennett
Currie
Adrian
14/10/09
Denise Nasri
Musselburgh
Lyn
15/10/09
Darren Kinsey
Haddington
Jonathan
20/10/09
Leanne  Bowers
Currie
Jonathan
20/10/09
Maria Gutierrez Blanco
Musselburgh
Dimitris
3/11/09
Alistair Kay
Livingston LGV
Jonathan
4/11/09
David Ramos
Bathgate
Ben
6/11/09
Jan Richardson
Musselburgh
Lyn
9/11/09
Hannah Simmonds
Musselburgh
Lyn
16/11/09
Jim Hammond
Musselburgh
Dimitris
19/11/09
Craig Wilson
Currie
Jonathan
19/11/09
Fiona Ripley
Musselburgh
Jonathan
23/11/09
Charlie Johnson
Currie
Dimitris
26/11/09
Tilde Jurkeviciute
Musselburgh
Dimitris
27/11/09
Lilly Conn
Currie
Adrian
7/12/09
Laura Mackenzie
Currie
Adrian
15/12/09
Amy Scott
Livingston LGV
Jonathan
15/12/09
Will Thomson
Currie
Dimitris

2010


7/1/10
Alice Partridge
Corrimal (Australia)
Jonathan
15/1/10
Jessica Shaw
Musselburgh
Jonathan
18/1/10
John Mills
Currie
Jonathan
20/1/10
Alice Meaden
Livingston LGV
Jonathan
21/1/10
Rowan Risby
Musselburgh
Jonathan
25/1/10
Michelle Monkhouse
Currie
Jonathan
30/1/10
Jeremy Murray
Musselburgh
Dimitris
30/1/10
Grant Anthony
Currie
Adrian
2/2/10
Julie Evans
Musselburgh
Jonathan
10/2/10
Brendan "Ice Man" Aherne
Livingston LGV
Jonathan
15/2/10
Matthew Thomson
Currie
Jonathan
17/2/10
Uwyemisi Doherty Currie
Jonathan
6/3/10
Rajvir Singh Janjua
Musselburgh
Dimitris
11/3/10
Tom Reid
Currie
Dimitris
6/4/10
Joe Berresford
Livingston LGV
Jonathan
12/4/10
Euan Hamilton
Musselburgh
Jonathan
14/4/10
Mei Jung Lee
Musselburgh
Jonathan
14/4/10
Mashood
Currie
Adrian
16/4/10
Mhairi Law
Currie
Jonathan
19/4/10
Craig Hatch
Currie
Dimitris
20/4/10
Alex Biggaly
Musselburgh
Dimitris
22/4/10
Michael Wren
Musselburgh
Dimitris
23/4/10
Astor Vidal
Currie
Dimitris
26/4/10
Semei Seruwagi
Musselburgh
Dimitris
27/4/10
Peter Swain
Currie
Adrian
28/4/10
Joe Taylor
Currie
Jonathan
29/4/10
Marta Wierzbinska
Currie
Jonathan
1/5/10
John Hannah
Musselburgh
Dimitris
6/5/10
David Korankye
Musselburgh
Jonathan
8/5/10
Gillian Salmond
Musselburgh
Richard
10/5/10
Ruchir Shah
Musselburgh
Dimitris
10/5/10 Dyane Dewar
Currie
Adrian
13/5/10
Claire Edwards
Currie
Jonathan
14/5/10
Graeme Lilly
Musselburgh
Dimitris
14/5/10
Morlin Thomson
Currie
Dimitris
18/5/10
Maninder Singh
Musselburgh
Dimitris
22/5/10
Kenneth Morrison
Musselburgh
Jonathan
26/5/10
Gemma Smith
Musselburgh
Dimitris
27/5/10
Christopher Edmunds
Livingston LGV
Jonathan
2/6/10
Jordan McCabe
Musselburgh
Jonathan
2/6/10
Krishnaswammy Sampata
Kirkcaldy
Rab
3/6/10
Scott Quinn
Livingston LGV
Jonathan
4/6/10
Alfonso Leal Del Ojo
Musselburgh
Dimitris
23/6/10
Ben Roberston
Livingston LGV
Jonathan
29/6/10
Calum Callachan
Musselburgh
Jonathan
29/6/10
Gunjan Shah
Musselburgh
Dimitris
1/7/10
Andrew Mackay
Currie
Adrian
1/7/10
Victoria Lloyd Adams
Musselburgh
Dimitris
5/7/10
Lucas
Currie
Adrian
7/7/10
Katherine Ferguson
Musselburgh
Michal
12/7/10
Soumjo Roy
Currie
Jonathan
13/7/10
Jenny Borthwick
Musselburgh
Tracy
21/7/10
Vivin Suchita
Musselburgh
Jonathan
21/7/10
Christopher Marshal
Musselburgh
Dimitris
23/7/10
Chris Finlayson
Musselburgh
Dimitris
26/7/10
Sean Gray
Currie
Dimitris
31/7/10
Stewart Gay
Kirkcaldy
Rab
2/8/10
Mark Young
Kirkcaldy
Rab
3/8/10
Kim Beaton
Musselburgh
Jonathan
5/8/10
Gavin Hunter
Currie
Jonathan
5/8/10
Claire Davidson
Musselburgh
Dimitris
6/8/10
Ryan Cassels
Kirkcaldy
Rab
6/8/10
Lewis Reynolds
Musselburgh
Dimitris
11/8/10
Mike Macfarlane
Musselburgh
Dimitris
16/8/10
Michael Clark
Musselburgh
Jonathan
17/8/10
Amjad
Currie
Adrian
18/8/10
Amy Stirling
Musselburgh
Jonathan
18/8/10
Hannah Landels
Currie
Jonathan
19/8/10
Cara Reynolds
Currie
Jonathan
24/8/10
Laura Crosbie
Musselburgh
Jonathan
26/8/10
Peter Eccles
Livingston LGV
Jonathan
1/9/10
Holly Murphy
Currie
Adrian














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