Is it easier to pass at some some test centres than others?

If you live in the Altrincham area then your nearest driving centre is Sale.At the moment Sale is showing a 44% pass rate.Other local test centres are Whalley Range,41 % pass rate and Northwich 55%.Does this mean Northwich has easier test routes?Not necessarily according to the DSA."Socio-economic factors also have a significant bearing on pass rates. The wealthier the town/area, the more likely people are to invest more money in lessons and to have more opportunities for private practice (access to family vehicle(s) etc.). The age and gender of the candidates will also affect the pass rate at the test centre. In general, younger candidates have a higher pass rate, and males have a higher pass rate than females.When comparing pass/fail statistics, it is important to take account of the differences in location, the deprivation of the local area and the age and gender of the candidates, alongside the number of tests conducted."

In my opinion,when you are ready for your test,your driving will be of a standard to pass at any test centre.Having said that, its always worth familiarising your self with a test area if possible.Some of the Sale test routes can be sneaky,so its worth having an instructor who is familiar with the Timperley and Wythenshawe areas for your driving lessons.Visit Amba Driving School for driving lessons in the Altrincham area.

Driving in snow and Ice

Well its been thiry years since we have experienced a cold spell for as long as this and driving in these conditions is an extremley hazadous undertaking.Thankfully Altrincham,Sale and Timperley are fairly flat so sliding down hills is unlikely.If you do need to drive then there here are a couple of pointers to help you avoid trouble.The first thing to do is obviously drive slower.In dry conditions you always try to leave a 2 second gap to the vehicle ahead which creates a safe stopping distance,in snow and ice this gap increases to 10 seconds.This will leve you plenty of time to apply the break in a progressive manner to avoid locking the breaks and the car sliding.Right turns into side roads in icey conditions are can be trouble.Avoid arriving to fast,hitting the breaks and sliding into the curb side on and buckling the wheel.If the car does start to slide in this situation,come off the brake and the car hopefully will grip and you should be able to steer around the corner.
Smooth acceleration should avoid wheel spin and changing up into a higher gear earlier will also avoid the wheels spinning.

Please visit Amba Driving School for driving lessons in the Sale,Timperley and Altrincham area.

This link to the online High Way code has useful advice.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Highwaycode/DG_069859