Andrea’s School of Motoring Basingstoke

08/07/2026

For those of you who enjoy being out on two wheels 🛵🏍️

01/07/2026

Happy 30th Birthday to the Theory Test 🎂. Love it or hate it, it’s been getting pupils to study and hopefully understand some of the responsibilities that we as Drivers must bear.
How long since you last read your Highway Code and would you Pass the test if you took it now? Have a go and post your results on here…

🎉 The Driving Theory Test is 30 years old today! 🎉

On 1 July 1996, the theory test became a requirement for learner drivers in Great Britain.

Before then, if you passed your test, you’ll probably remember being asked a few questions about road signs and the Highway Code at the end of your practical test. Things have certainly changed!

Love it or hate it, the theory test has helped shift the focus from simply controlling a car to understanding how to stay safe, recognise hazards and make good decisions before they become emergencies.

But here’s the question…
🚗 Would you pass it today?
Be honest!
I’ve got a little challenge for you.

Take this FREE official DVSA practice theory test, link in comments

When you’ve finished, come back here and tell us:
✅ Your score
✅ When you passed your driving test

No cheating! 😄
I’m curious to see how today’s experienced drivers compare with learners studying for their test right now.

Let’s see who still knows their Highway Code! 👇

Tag your friends in , let’s see everyone’s results and mention how long you have been driving 🫶🏾

Sheena Ahmed

29/06/2026

NEW DRIVERS… THIS ONE IS FOR YOU 🚘

Passing your test is a huge achievement, but for many people, that’s when the real learning begins.

The first solo drive.
The first busy roundabout.
The first motorway.
The first time you have to park with people watching.
The first wrong turn without someone beside you to help.

Every experienced driver has been there.
So let’s help those who have just passed.
What was your biggest struggle after passing your test?

🚗 Roundabouts?
🛣️ Motorways?
🅿️ Parking?
😬 Driving alone?
💭 Confidence?
❓Or something else?

Share your experience in the comments. Your advice could be exactly what a nervous new driver needs to read today.

Let’s remind new drivers that confidence comes with practice, not perfection. ❤️

Tag your friends in 🙏🏾

24/06/2026

If it’s not the snow/ice/rain wrecking the roads…. It’s now the sun too !

Our highways teams are monitoring roads during this period of extreme high temperatures 🚗

During prolonged hot weather, road surface temperatures can become extremely high – often reaching the high 50s to low 60s (°C) – causing tarmac to soften and potentially melt, which may lead to uneven surfaces.

Our gritter fleet is ready to spread crushed stone on the most affected roads, helping to protect the surface and improve grip.

If you need to travel, please take extra care:

- Make sure your vehicle is fit for the journey and carry out basic checks before setting out
- Check the weather forecast for your route and destination
- Take plenty of drinking water with you for all passengers
- Allow extra time for your journey and plan for regular breaks
- Check travel conditions before you leave and during your journey where it is safe to do so
- Consider travelling earlier or later in the day to avoid the hottest periods

Dog owners are also advised to take care, as pavements and roads can become very hot. Please consider the most appropriate times of day to walk your pets 🐾

18/06/2026

How far ahead are you looking?

What’s going on around you?

One of the biggest differences between an average driver and a good driver is not vehicle control.
It is anticipation.

Most collisions do not happen because somebody could not steer, change gear or park. They happen because somebody failed to recognise a developing hazard early enough.

Good drivers are constantly asking themselves one simple question:
“What could happen next?”

When you see parked vehicles, are you thinking about a door opening or a car pulling out?

When you approach a junction, are you looking for vehicles that may emerge without warning?

When you pass a bus stop, are you considering that a pedestrian might step into the road?

When you see a cyclist ahead, are you expecting them to move out to avoid a pothole or parked vehicle?

When traffic begins to bunch up in the distance, are you already easing off the accelerator before the brake lights appear?

Anticipation is about spotting clues before they become problems.
It gives you more time to think, more time to react and more time to make safe decisions.
Many learner drivers believe driving is about reacting quickly.

In reality, the safest drivers rarely need to react quickly because they saw the hazard developing long before it became an emergency.

Driving is not just about what is happening now.
It is about what might happen next.

That simple mindset can make every journey safer.

Sheena Ahmed
Motorvation School of Motoring

11/06/2026

11/06/2026

Lovely by name, lovely by nature 💕

Huge congratulations to Lovely from Rooksdown, on her 1st Time Driving Test Pass this morning here in Basingstoke.
Super proud of you for working so hard over the past few weeks to get everything together and make your dream come true. (I hope your mum was happily surprised by your news of learning and passing your Test)

“Dreamers are Doers”

🏁🚗🌬️🥇🏆☔️💕🇵🇭💭💤

Take care and mind the roads x

09/06/2026

New test swap restrictions in place from today.

Changes to driving test booking happening today. ⚠️

From today (9 June), if you move your driving test, you can only move it to one of the 3 nearest test centres to where it's currently booked.

This is the remaining change we committed to make by the end of Spring 2026:

📅 31 March — test changes limited to 2 per booking

🔒 12 May — only learners can book, change or cancel their own test

📍 9 June — test moves limited to 3 nearest centres

Since 12 May, we've suspended 3605 accounts for breaking the rules and reported apps to app stores for removal. We're not stopping there.

Find out what today's change means for your booking 👇 https://ow.ly/JRQr50Z9eCk

03/06/2026

One drive at a time.

THE LESSONS DRIVING TEACHES THAT HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH DRIVING

Most people think learning to drive is about clutch control, steering, manoeuvres and passing a test.
Some of the most important things you learn are not in the Highway Code at all.

⭐ Patience

Learning to drive has a way of teaching patience whether you want to learn it or not. You wait for safe gaps at roundabouts, sit through traffic lights that seem to take forever and sometimes need several attempts to get something right. Progress is rarely a straight line. Driving teaches you that improvement comes from staying calm, taking your time and trying again.

⭐ Resilience

Every learner makes mistakes. Every learner has lessons where nothing seems to go to plan. There will be wrong turns, missed opportunities, stalls, hesitation and moments when you wonder if you will ever get there. The real achievement is not avoiding mistakes. It is getting back in the car, having another go and refusing to let one bad lesson define you.

⭐ Awareness

At the beginning, most learners focus on what is directly in front of them. As their skills develop, they begin to notice much more. The pedestrian waiting near a crossing, the cyclist approaching from behind, the vehicle emerging from a side road and the brake lights several cars ahead. Driving gradually teaches you to see the bigger picture and anticipate what might happen next.

⭐ Confidence

Real confidence does not arrive all at once. It builds quietly over time. It comes from dealing with situations that once felt intimidating and realising you handled them. One day you find yourself driving independently, making decisions without help and managing situations that used to make you nervous. That confidence is earned, and it stays with you long after the driving test is over.

Perhaps the biggest lesson of all is this.

Learning to drive teaches you that you are capable of far more than you think. It shows you that progress does not require perfection and that growth often happens when things feel difficult.

If you are struggling, feeling nervous or wondering whether you will ever get there, remember that every confident driver you see today once sat where you are now. They made mistakes, doubted themselves and had lessons they wanted to forget.

The difference is they kept going.

One day you will look back and realise that you did too.

✍️ Sheena Ahmed
Motorvation School of Motoring