The Art of Confident Driving

Holiday driving. How to get to your destination without stress, and be able to enjoy the journey! A few extra tips from Instructor Liz: Learner drivers should have extensive experience with general driving before attempting highway and open road driving. Travelling with the family can be a great adventure! But make sure you arrive safe and sound. Don’t allow the driver to be distracted – kids, you must keep the driver hydrated and happy. Passenger: Shotgun position – check all lights are working, give the car some cool driving songs, you are the back up driver so keep watch! Passengers: rear seats – either: eye spy, watching a device with headphones on (so the noise doesn’t distract the driver) or hold intelligent conversations to keep the driver alert. Alternate choices include; singalong, reading books, thumb wars. Above all, please, follow the road rules, prepare for the journey – know your route and make sure your car is roadworthy. Let’s all work together to get to our destinations safely! With your sense of humour (and driving adventure) intact. Host: Liz Lafferty

Examiner Vs Instructor, what difference does it matter if I call the Examiner an Instructor? In this episode, Instructor Liz will explain why some examiners can’t technically be called instructors! From Liz: “I think examiners have a tough job, but it doesn’t mean they are tough on the applicants. If you don’t agree with the assessment, you should ask calmly and respectfully for them to explain what the issues were. While I could be an examiner, I choose to teach instead, which means I miss out on all the perks that state government workers (examiners) enjoy, but it is worth it, because I can have quality time educating my students! Plus, if I was an examiner, unless they were up to my very high standards of car control and road rule knowledge, I would fail most applicants! LOL” Host: Liz Lafferty Full driving lessons and instructional videos are here: https://theartofconfidentdriving.com/

Liz, an experienced driving instructor, shares invaluable insights on the pre-drive checklist for new vehicles. She emphasizes the importance of familiarizing oneself with the controls, ensuring seatbelts are fastened, and checking dashboard warnings. Listeners will learn essential safety measures that all drivers, especially learners, should follow to prevent surprises on the road. Liz's practical tips help build confidence, making the transition to any vehicle smoother and safer.

Motivation. 2024 Happy New Year! It’s easy to be motivated at the start of the year, but how do we keep the motivation going? When learning to drive, trying to lose weight, keeping away from the booze, or any other task that we want to achieve, we can get setbacks or have problems keeping on track. In this episode, Instructor Liz explains why it’s so important to have a set goal and take small but consistent steps to achieve our dream! For learner drivers (or drivers wanting to upskill) it is often too hard to even think about diving straight into traffic or complex manouvers, but by setting smaller goals, it is so much easier to achieve and with less stress. Listen to Liz give an example of her own lack of motivation, and how she overcame it. Full driving lessons available here: Home – The Art of Confident Driving

On 30/8/23 an 87-year-old driver lost control of his vehicle while in reverse and was heading towards a 4 year old girl at high speed, when Casey Wright put his body in the path of the car saving the little girl’s life. It has affected his life, and the lives of those around him dramatically. In this episode, Instructor Liz has a chat with real life hero Casey and his partner Briahne, who have had to deal with the horrific injuries, and the long term effects of this crash. They also talk about how better driver education, along with more stringent medical tests and adding practical driving tests to the states without aged tests would create a safer environment for all road users. Please consider giving a donation to Casey to help him recover. https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-hero-on-his-path-to-recovery https://7news.com.au/news/gold-coast/car-mounts-kerb-striking-man-and-four-year-old-girl-in-southport-on-the-gold-coast-c-11749228 https://www.teamleads.com.au/post/heroic-gold-coast-man-casey-wright-risks-life-to-save-child-now-faces-long-road-to-recovery Full driving lessons and instructional videos from Instructor Liz are available here: https://theartofconfidentdriving.com/

Spiral Roundabouts. They can be confusing for many drivers. In this free mini lesson, Instructor Liz will talk through the correct procedure to use this type of roundabout. These roundabouts have been catching test applicants by surprise when they are directed to use them on the test, and many have failed the practical driving test because the driver does not know how to use spiral roundabouts correctly! It is recommended you listen to the Full lessons: 21. Roundabouts and 30. Multi-Laned Roundabouts to understand the procedures, road rule requirements, and listen to Liz’s extremely helpful tips for giving way correctly and dealing with other drivers at roundabouts. Want to hear and see Liz’s Full driving lessons and instructional videos? Click here: Subscribe – The Art of Confident Driving

More rules you may not be aware of…. Are thongs ok when driving? Can I park in my own driveway? Am I able to have my windows down when I park my car? Can I have things hanging from my rear view mirror? Have a giggle with Instructor Liz while she explains these rules. Remember to check you own state or territory’s road rules! For full driving lesson from Instructor Liz click here: Home – The Art of Confident Driving

Australia has some weird and strange road rules (so do many countries!); Am I allowed to drive extra slow if I’m scared? Can I drive with my dog in my lap? Do I really have to indicate?  Is “tooting my horn” to say goodbye ok? In this episode Instructor Liz will explain some of the road rules many Aussie drivers are unaware of, or uncertain of. Full driving lessons and instructional videos are available here: Home – The Art of Confident Driving

In part 2, Liz and Rob discuss learning in automatic versus manual, senior drivers, and how the podcast is used for driving lessons so that everyone can have access to high quality, low cost driver education. Liz also talks about her dream of having driver training available for all young Aussie drivers, and Rob calls on Premiers Annastacia Palaszczuk and Dan Andrews to be the first in Australia to implement a driver training curriculum in our schools! For full driving lessons and instructional videos subscription, click here: Subscribe – The Art of Confident Driving

Liz has a chat with Rob from My Business Podcast to talk about why she decided to record her driving lessons on a podcast platform, why it’s perfect for new Learners and especially their parents/supervising drivers, and how even fully licenced drivers can benefit from the lessons. Full driving lessons and instructional videos available here: https://theartofconfidentdriving.com/