http://www.updrivertraining.com/, https://www.totaldrive.app/a/enquiry_form.php?16418188294377

UP Driver Training, St Helens (2026)

21/10/2026

Knowing How to Drive Isn’t the Same as Knowing When 🚗🧠

Imagine two drivers approaching the same roundabout.

Both are experienced, understand the rules and have the skills to negotiate it safely. One approaches calmly, adjusts their speed and waits for a suitable opportunity. The other is running late, feeling frustrated and increasingly impatient. They approach a little faster, accept a smaller gap and take a chance they probably wouldn’t normally take.

Same road. Similar driving ability. Very different decisions.

It’s an interesting thought, because knowing how to do something safely doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll always choose to do it safely.

We’ve recently explored LOOK, TELL, DO and the System of Car Control, IPSGA. Both offer useful ways of gathering information, anticipating hazards and managing situations. But there’s another question worth considering. What influences the decisions we make in the first place?

This is where the Goals for Driver Education (GDE) Matrix becomes particularly interesting.

Developed through European driver education research, including the GADGET project, the GDE Matrix encourages us to look beyond the physical skills involved in driving. It considers vehicle control, how we manage traffic situations, the purpose and circumstances of our journeys, and the wider personal influences that shape our behaviour.

These four levels are connected. Our attitudes, motivations, emotions and the choices we make before setting off can all influence what happens when we’re behind the wheel.

Think again about the driver who’s running late. They haven’t suddenly forgotten how to negotiate a roundabout. Their steering ability hasn’t disappeared, and they still understand the rules. But the pressure of the journey is influencing how they’re using those skills.

Perhaps they left home later than planned, are worried about disappointing somebody or feel under pressure to arrive on time. Whatever the reason, their circumstances begin to influence the level of risk they’re prepared to accept.

Sometimes the most important driving decision happens before we even start the engine.

Another particularly useful aspect of the GDE Matrix is its emphasis on self-evaluation. It’s one thing to understand that tiredness, frustration, social pressure or overconfidence can affect driving. It’s quite another to recognise those influences in ourselves.

Most of us would agree that tailgating is dangerous, but how do we respond when we’re frustrated by someone travelling more slowly than we’d like? We understand the importance of maintaining safe following distances, but what happens when another driver moves into the space we’ve created? And while we know rushing can increase risk, are we genuinely prepared to accept being late rather than trying to recover time on the road?

These aren’t simply questions about driving technique. They’re questions about judgement, awareness and responsibility, and they’re just as relevant to experienced drivers as they are to learners.

The European HERMES project explored how coaching and communication could help develop greater self-awareness and responsibility within driver education. One of the ideas I take from this is the importance of creating opportunities for learners to explore their own thinking, rather than always providing the answers ourselves.

That doesn’t mean abandoning clear instruction, demonstrations or appropriate support. Those remain essential. But alongside developing practical skills, we can encourage learners to consider what influenced their decisions, whether they felt under pressure and how they might approach a similar situation differently.

Sometimes a simple question after a challenging experience can open up a valuable conversation. We might even discover that the learner’s decision was influenced by something we hadn’t considered.

And we don’t need to turn every driving lesson into a psychology session. Often it’s about recognising the right moment to explore something that has naturally arisen during the drive.

For me, this is one of the most important messages within the GDE framework. Developing safe drivers involves more than improving their ability to control a vehicle or negotiate traffic. It also involves helping them understand themselves, recognise their limitations and appreciate how their circumstances can influence their behaviour.

At UP Driver Training, that’s an important part of what we’re trying to achieve. We want people to develop the skills, confidence and judgement to make responsible decisions, not simply demonstrate that they can perform a particular task.

Because the real challenge of driving isn’t always knowing what to do. Sometimes it’s recognising when our emotions, motivations or circumstances are pulling us away from what we already know.

A capable driver knows how to drive safely. A responsible driver also recognises what might stop them doing so.

And perhaps that’s something we could all benefit from reflecting on, however long we’ve been driving.

16/10/2026

When Should a Driving Instructor Stop Talking? 🚗🧠

I think the general perception of good driving instruction is offering clear explanations, helpful advice, timely reminders and plenty of encouragement.

And rightly so. All of those things have their place.

But there are also times when the most useful thing an instructor can say is very little.

Not because silence is somehow better than talking, but because learning to drive involves developing the ability to think and make decisions for yourself.

Imagine a learner approaching a roundabout 🌀 ⬇️

Their instructor reminds them to check their mirrors, reduce their speed, select an appropriate gear and look for a safe opportunity to merge.

The learner negotiates the roundabout beautifully.

But who was actually making the decisions?

Was the learner recognising the situation and responding appropriately, or were they simply following a series of instructions?

There’s nothing wrong with that level of guidance when it’s needed. For somebody developing a new skill, it might be exactly the right approach.

The question is what happens as their ability develops.

As instructors, we have several ways of supporting learning.

Sometimes we need to explain, demonstrate or provide clear instructions. At other times, a simple prompt might be enough.

“What are you noticing ahead?”

And sometimes we can allow the learner to manage the situation for themselves.

This gradual adjustment of support is often described as scaffolding. We provide help while a skill develops and reduce it as the learner becomes more capable.

A learner who usually drives independently might need detailed guidance when encountering something unfamiliar. Equally, someone relatively new to driving might manage a familiar situation perfectly well without assistance.

The level of support should reflect the learner, the task and the circumstances, including the risks involved.

It’s not a fixed journey from guided to prompted to independent. We move between these approaches as needed.

And being independent doesn’t mean being left unsupported.

Are we helping, or doing the thinking?

As experienced drivers, instructors often recognise developing situations long before their learners do.

We notice the pedestrian approaching the crossing, the vehicle waiting to emerge or the changing traffic conditions ahead.

Naturally, we want to help.

But if we’re constantly pointing everything out, there’s a danger that we’re doing some of the thinking the learner needs to develop for themselves.

Of course, this doesn’t mean remaining quiet when safety requires us to intervene. Managing risk is a fundamental part of our responsibility.

It means creating appropriate opportunities for learners to observe, anticipate, make decisions and learn from the outcomes.

And sometimes, the most useful learning happens in the conversation afterwards.

“What did you notice as we approached?”

“What were you thinking at that point?”

“How did you decide what to do?”

These questions can tell us far more about someone’s understanding than simply explaining what we think they should have done.

We might even discover that the learner had a perfectly reasonable plan, just a different one from ours.

Good coaching isn’t about getting learners to think exactly like their instructor. It’s about helping them develop sound judgement of their own.

A good drive isn’t always evidence of learning

There’s another important consideration.

Just because a learner manages something successfully once doesn’t necessarily mean the skill is secure.

Can they repeat it in different circumstances? Can they recognise when their usual approach isn’t appropriate? Can they adapt when something unexpected happens?

And can they explain the thinking behind their decisions?

That’s where we begin to see the difference between completing a task and developing a skill that can be used independently.

It also reminds us that progress isn’t always a straight line. Someone might need very little support on one lesson and considerably more on the next.

That doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve gone backwards. Learning is rarely that tidy.

There’s real skill in knowing when to explain, demonstrate, prompt, question, observe or intervene.

A quiet instructor isn’t necessarily coaching well, and a talkative instructor isn’t necessarily doing too much.

What matters is whether the support is appropriate, purposeful and helping the learner develop.

Sometimes we talk because the learner needs information. Sometimes, perhaps, we talk because we’re uncomfortable with silence.

It’s worth reflecting on the difference.

At UP Driver Training, we want to develop drivers who can recognise hazards, understand risk, make thoughtful decisions and adapt when circumstances change.

That means gradually helping learners take greater responsibility for their driving, while continuing to provide the support needed to keep learning safe and productive.

So perhaps the question isn’t simply, “When should a driving instructor stop talking?”

Perhaps it’s “Is what I’m saying helping this learner develop their own understanding and judgement, or am I doing too much of the thinking for them?”

Because ultimately, we’re not preparing people to drive well with an instructor sitting beside them.

We’re helping them develop the skills, confidence and judgement to drive safely when we’re no longer there 💚🚗

14/10/2026

📢 We have some spaces 📢

📆 Wednesday & Thursday
⏰️ Daytime Slots
📌 Rainhill, Prescot, Whiston, Huyton
🚘 Manual

Drop us a message or click the link in the comments direct to our enquiry form 🥳

11/10/2026

📢 We have some spaces 📢

📆 Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
⏰️ Daytime Slots
📌 Prescot, Whiston, Huyton
🚘 Manual

Drop us a message or click the link in the comments direct to our enquiry form 🥳

11/10/2026

THE SYSTEM OF CAR CONTROL - IPSGA 🚗🧠

Last week I wrote a little about LOOK, TELL, DO, a simple approach to helping drivers make sense of what’s happening around them.

This week I thought I’d explore something a little more detailed: the System of Car Control, commonly known as IPSGA.

It’s a system developed through Roadcraft, the police driver’s handbook, and used in advanced driver and rider training, including IAM RoadSmart.

I’ve used it myself during both my advanced car and motorcycle training, and it’s something I’ve found really useful.

IPSGA stands for:

Information – Position – Speed – Gear – Acceleration.

At first glance, it looks like another sequence of things to remember. But there’s much more to it than that.

And for me, the most important part is Information.

Information isn’t simply the first step before moving on to the other four. It runs through the entire system.

Roadcraft describes this as taking, using and giving information.

👀 Take information. What’s happening ahead, behind and around us? What can we see, what can’t we see, and what might happen next?

🧠 Use information. What does all of that mean for our driving? Do we need to change our position, adjust our speed, select a different gear or reconsider our plan?

💬 Give information. How can we help other road users understand our intentions? That might involve indicators, brake lights, road position or other appropriate signals.

And we continue doing all three as we work through the system.

Information is almost the umbrella that everything else sits underneath.

The remaining phases help us put our plan into action.

Position – Where should we place the vehicle to negotiate the hazard safely?

Speed – What speed is appropriate for the circumstances?

Gear – Which gear is suitable for that speed and what we’re planning to do?

Acceleration – How do we negotiate and leave the hazard safely and smoothly?

Take a roundabout, for example.

We might gather information early, choose our position, adjust our speed and select an appropriate gear. But what happens if another driver changes lanes unexpectedly or a pedestrian approaches the crossing?

We don’t simply carry on because we’ve already worked through the sequence.

We take in the new information, reconsider our plan and, if necessary, return to an earlier phase.

That’s what makes the system useful. It’s structured, but it isn’t rigid.

And that’s where I see a connection with LOOK, TELL, DO.

One is a simple way of introducing the thinking. The other provides a more detailed framework for developing it.

I don’t think we need to make it a competition between the two.

Find a system that works for you, one that helps you recognise hazards, anticipate what might happen, make good decisions and adapt when circumstances change.

The important thing isn’t whether you can remember five letters, three words or another sequence entirely.

It’s whether the approach is helping you become a safer, more thoughtful and more capable driver.

Because ultimately, acronyms don’t make decisions. Drivers do.

And that’s what we’re interested in developing at UP Driver Training. Not simply people who can follow a routine, but people who understand why they’re doing what they’re doing 💚🚗

10/10/2026

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another fabulous review just in!

So proud of the team delivering lessons their learners loved.

Highlights from this one:

💚 Tailored learning techniques
💚 Worked at my own pace
💚 Safe and confident driver

This is so much more than passing the test. Well done to Rick for creating environments where his learners can grow far beyond a driving test 🚘

10/10/2026

🚗🎉 A FANTASTIC PASS FOR CAITLIN!

A huge congratulations to Caitlin, who passed her driving test this morning in her own car! 🥳👏

Caitlin has been an absolute pleasure to work with and has put in so much effort throughout her learning journey. Plenty of commitment during lessons, lots of private practice and a real willingness to keep learning and developing.

And this morning, all that hard work paid off! 🚗💚

A big shout-out to UP instructor Rick, too, for all his hard work, guidance and support along the way. Another lovely result and a great example of what can be achieved when lessons and private practice work together. 🙌

Enjoy your new freedom, Caitlin. You’ve thoroughly earned it! Keep developing those skills, enjoy the adventures ahead and, most importantly, stay safe out there.

Congratulations from Rick and all the team at UP Driver Training! 🎉🚗

06/10/2026

HOW WE’RE DEVELOPING OUR FUTURE DRIVING INSTRUCTORS 🚗🧠

As UP Driver Training continues to grow, one area we’re really excited to develop further is our PDI and driving instructor training.

And one of the resources that will sit at the heart of that is the BPM – Bright PDI Masterclass, researched, written and developed by Stewart Lochrie and Tom Stenson of Bright Coaching.

Emma has been using the manual for a little while, and I picked up my own copy at the Intelligent Instructor Conference last week. Having now had a proper look through it, it’s quite a piece of work 📚😅

It’s a big manual – around 270 pages – but what interests me isn’t really the size of it. It’s the thinking and structure behind it.

BPM doesn’t just concentrate on getting somebody through Parts 1, 2 and 3.

Of course, those qualification tests matter. We want our PDIs to be properly prepared for them and hopefully be successful.

But passing the exams isn’t the end goal. Becoming a really good driving instructor is.

And that’s where I think this gives us something useful.

The BPM programme is built around four key pillars: Foundational Knowledge, Advanced Driving, Becoming a Coach and Becoming an Instructor.

Together, they recognise that becoming a good ADI involves far more than learning how to pass the qualification tests. PDIs develop the underpinning knowledge and theory behind driver education, raise their own driving and risk-management skills, explore client-centred coaching and human factors, and then learn how to turn all of that into effective, adaptable in-car instruction.

It’s a really useful way of bringing the knowledge, driving, coaching and practical instructional skills together rather than treating them as separate parts of the qualification.

And within those four pillars, there’s a lot of depth.

There’s work around the GDE Matrix, human factors, reflective practice, skill acquisition, values, rapport, coaching and instructing, goal setting, feedback, error coaching, risk management, flexible lesson planning and adapting to the individual learner.

There are even sections looking at nerves and anxiety, cognitive biases, decision-making, business skills, customer service and professional development.

That breadth matters to us.

Because knowing how to drive is only one part of becoming a good driving instructor.

You’ve also got to understand people.

Why somebody might be struggling. How people acquire skills. How behaviour can influence driving. When somebody needs instruction and when they might benefit from coaching. How to ask useful questions, give meaningful feedback, manage risk and gradually transfer responsibility to the person sitting next to you.

One of the things I particularly like about BPM is that it isn’t designed to be read from cover to cover and then forgotten.

There is pre-work before sessions, practical work with the trainer, questions and activities to work through, opportunities for reflection and links into relevant professional standards and wider reading.

Alongside the manual is an online library of recorded resources, videos, tests and supporting material, as well as additional BPM support.

So when somebody trains with UP, the idea isn’t that they simply turn up for a session with Emma, Bob or myself and we decide what we’re going to cover that day.

There’s a structure running through the development.

The PDI has work to do. The trainer has work to do.

And then we come together in the car and turn some of that knowledge and understanding into actual ability.

I like that.

It gives Emma, Bob and myself a common framework to work from, while still allowing each of us to bring our own experience, personality and judgement to the training.

And importantly, it gives the PDI some ownership too.

BPM isn’t a magic wand 🪄 and neither is a great trainer.

And buying a very thick book certainly doesn’t automatically turn somebody into a great driving instructor. 😂

It still takes commitment, practice, reflection, experience, mistakes, conversations, good training and a willingness to keep developing.

But having a well-researched structure and a substantial bank of resources to support that process gives us a pretty solid foundation.

That’s why we’ve chosen to make BPM part of the way we develop PDIs at UP Driver Training.

Not simply preparing people to pass three tests.

Preparing them for the job that comes afterwards – and hopefully helping to develop the sort of thoughtful, reflective and professional instructors we’d be happy to recommend to our own families 💚🚗

05/10/2026

Another fantastic review for Bob!

This team works tirelessly for their students. Not just a number, not just another learner but a fellow human in our cars with a goal and a dream.

The reviews show exactly what we set out to do and as always I am proud of them, all 🚘💚

05/10/2026

🚗🎉 A LOVELY PASS FOR HANNAH!

A huge congratulations to Hannah, who passed her driving test today at St Helens Test Centre! 👏👏

One of the biggest changes throughout Hannah’s journey has been her mindset. She really embraced driving as a life skill, kept working towards her goals and today all that effort paid off. 🧠🚗

You’ve now got the freedom to head wherever you want to go, Hannah. Enjoy it, keep developing and, most importantly, stay safe out there.

A brilliant result and thoroughly deserved.

Well done from your brilliant instructor Bob Lewis and all the team here at UP Driver Training! congratulations! 🙌🚗💨

UP Driver Training

21/10/2026

16/10/2026

14/10/2026

11/10/2026

11/10/2026

10/10/2026

10/10/2026

06/10/2026

05/10/2026

05/10/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Shortcuts

Share

Category