Driving Preparation

Within my CAS creativity goals, I discussed my desire to learn a new skill and try and implement a practical element to it that could be taken outside of secondary school and into everyday life. The skill which I believed to be most appropriate was learning how to drive – considering my age and the fact that I will be moving to the UK for university shortly, I consider this skill to be practical and useful. In trying to work towards achieving this goal, I have already applied for and received my provisional license – which implies that I am eligible to begin to learn how to drive with a certified instructor.

I hope to soon apply to a local school in order to learn the basic manoeuvres of  driving. I have researched into two potential options that are well-known and generally successful in their teaching in order to plan and appropriately prepare myself for lessons (LO3).

1. Daya Learners Driving School
   1. This school is quite well-known to me as my mum is familiar with it and referred me to it as she began learning from it. The school is located in Dewman Palace, which is close to galle road. In this sense, this school is of convenience to me due to its closeness to my house and thus my familiarity with the roads surrounding the school.  The school is rated at 4.2 stars on Google and overall the pupil feedback is positive. The spectrum of feedback donned on the schools driving programme range from dedication and competency of the instructors, safety of the learning routes/ overall methods of teaching, as well as the complete process in building up to the examination – in terms of how well the school/its instructors prepare their pupils.
   2. I will call the driving school once my provisional license has been further approved in order to inquire about the prices, lesson hours, and general information. The number for Daya Learners: +94 11 2584570
2. Perera Learners
   1. This driving school has been recommended to me by Ritheek, one of my peers who has recently gotten his drivers license. The school is further than Daya Learners from my home as it is located in Nugegoda, yet with that being said it has received a higher feedback rating (5 stars according to Google).
   2. I think it will be useful to also call this institution in order to compare and contrast the two schools in terms or pricing, teaching capability, and overall attitude. Perera learners number: 0112 825 151 

In planning this CAS experience (LO3), I feel that it is also important to consider the ethical and environmental implications on my decision to drive (LO6/7). Specifically in regards to the environmental impacts, learning to drive will act as my contribution to overall pollution; sound & atmospheric. As made aware, car pollution is one of the major causes of global warming. Emissions of carbon dioxide and various other greenhouse gasses result in the trapping of heat in the earths atmosphere, causing temperatures to rise. With this evaluation of the environmental implications driving hold, I also consider the practical benefits as well as what solutions I can implement into my driving experience in order to reduce my carbon footprint.

Practically, driving opens a host of opportunities for myself and overall is a useful tool for me to have as I progress and grow as a person, maturing into an adult. The key benefit to driving is the accessibility to independence and flexibility in my everyday lifestyle – allowing me to be in control of my own time constraints and personal priorities. I know that driving is a skill that is relevant, practical, and important to me and despite the environmental implications, I feel I can make informed and conscious decisions on how I can minimise my contribution to car pollution. For example, by driving an electric car in future I can minimise greenhouse gas emissions as well as air pollutants in comparison to diesel/petrol vehicles. Along with this, purchasing a second-hand car for myself will not only be the right decision economically but also in terms of environmentally preservative.