I’m getting into the swing of the course now and feeling more confident.

Today we were practising maneuvers and having some guidance from the observers. Firstly I was asked to carry out a parallel park – reversing into a space between two stationary vehicles along the side of the road. It was stressed how important it is to check at all times that there are no pedestrians about – especially children.

The second maneuver was to reverse into a parking space – making sure that I have enough room on both sides of the vehicle so that I, and others, can gain access.

The third one was to do a U-turn in a small space. I needed to judge when to put on full lock to ensure that I ended up neatly tucked next to the kerb – not miles away!

The second half of today’s session was driving on the motorway and practising talking about the drive – the commentary. I enjoy driving on the motorway – it opens up a whole new world – and sense of freedom. The motorways are also the safest roads and mile for mile there are fewer accidents than on other major roads.

The key to joining the motorway safely is to get speed up close to 70 mph on the slip road – checking the mirror at all times and signaling if it will help another road user. Finally, I need to use a shoulder check to confirm that it is safe to join.

Keeping a steady pace on the motorway rather than over-accelerating and then braking saves fuel and wear and tear on your tyres.

Driving on the motorways can be frightening for some people, but with the guidance from the observers, anxieties can be easily overcome.