Learning to drive revolution

Cooden resident Terry Cummins and business partner Gary Sheffield, from Broad Oak near Rye, founded allnewdrivers.com as the average cost of learning to drive in the UK topped 900.

The company has produced an innovative, easy-to-follow driver training guide and instructional DVD, designed to compliment traditional lessons.

Terry and Gary claim their training kit can: Speed up the process of learning to drive and boost road safety; Reduce the number of professional lessons needed and therefore, the cost of learning to drive; Allow learners to brush up on crucial skills and techniques between lessons.

Terry, a former chairman and current deputy chairman of the Motoring Schools Association is one of an elite band of driving instructors able to train others in the profession. He said:

"In my 23 years of teaching people to drive I've watched the costs of getting a driving licence rocket. The average hour-long driving lesson now costs 20 and it won't be long before the whole process of learning to drive hits 1,000.

"Our training guide and DVD talk people through the techniques and skills they need to learn and are as close as it's possible to get to having a real driving lesson without actually being behind the wheel."

The idea is that learners will use the book and DVD between lessons to reinforce what they have learned and put that knowledge into practice when having lessons with parents or qualified friends.

In putting together the guide and DVD Terry and Gary received valuable support from Hastings car dealership Bartletts SEAT and SEAT UK, which loaned cars for filming and photography purposes.

Gary said: "The business is still very much in its infancy but we're already attracting much higher levels of interest than anticipated. There seems to be a real appetite for our product and sales have been brisk, while the website is getting thousands of hits."

The driver training kit, price 14.99 (including post and packaging) is available at leading book retailers or online at: www.allnewdrivers.com