Drive Learn Achieve

This year at Drive Learn Achieve we celebrate our fourteenth birthday. Fourteen years of teaching Cardiff’s learner drivers, fourteen years of test passes, fourteen years of reviews and recommendations, and fourteen years of close shaves! In July 2007 DLA launched with the ambition of getting to July 2008. We had a huge driving school fleet that comprised of one well worn, cheap Toyota Yaris, 100 freshly printed business cards and a young driving instructor that was still learning the trade but keen as mustard (still don’t know what that means). We’ve had our learners drive us up one-way streets (the wrong way), around roundabouts (the wrong way) and have taught thousands how to negotiate Cardiff’s most notorious junctions the right way (Gabalfa interchange and Culverhouse Cross included). We quickly realised that we were going to be popular due to being recommended and our online reviews. We started the process of interviewing driving instructors that were interested in joining our team. Most didn’t make it. We demand the highest standards of professionalism in the industry and this meant that sometimes the ‘fit’ wasn’t right. We’ve now assembled a group of Cardiff driving instructors that understand our approach and deliver excellent customer service. In 2010 we opened our Facebook and Twitter accounts and we continue to use these platforms to interact with the public and shamelessly plug our driving lessons in Cardiff and driving test passes. It took a while but in 2018 we finally got on Instagram too. In March 2011 Apple released the iPad2 and the geeky version of us was in the queue to pick ours up on its UK release date. We knew it would be a game changer for driving instructors and it was. The interaction and understanding between pupil and driving instructor increased exponentially and we now couldn’t live without them – both our pupils and iPads of course! Cardiff’s practical driving test centre moved from Fairwater to Llanishen in 2013 and with it came the introduction of the bay park manoeuvre. The test has also seen the introduction of the Hazard perception part of the theory test, basic car maintenance questions, independent driving and last year saw the Sat Nav test introduced. Keeping up with these changes is intensive but we’re of the opinion that if it makes the roads safer, review and embrace it. In 2016 we started to offer driving instructor/ADI training to people who feel that they can contribute to society and its roads by not freaking out when headed towards a lamppost. This is an acquired skill and takes nerves of steel – bizarrely we really enjoy it and we’re aiming to become the best at it! In 2019 we began helping disabled drivers to fulfil their dreams of being on the road. Sometimes the driver already has a licence but following a recent diagnosis/illness, they need to learn a new method of controlling a vehicle. This is a part of the business that is developing as fast as driver innovation is, and it’s equally rewarding and exciting for us to be a part of.