10 March 2024 , 19:13
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There's a driving instructor who's helping thousands of learners to pass - without actually getting in a car with them.
Jason Horsfield, 54, runs a TikTok account where he dishes out tips and tricks for new drivers. He says he regularly receives messages from people he has never met thanking him for helping them lose their L plates - some passing without any minors. Jason, from Chadderton, Lancashire, reckons his videos can save learners up to £1,500 on lessons.
And his number one tip is to verbalise what you are doing during your test - so your examiner is aware of your skills. Jason, who has been an instructor for 16 years, said: "Driving lessons aren't cheap. So to cut costs I've started telling people to learn to drive on their own.
"I help students find insurance for mum and dads' car and then the videos are all there for free. My biggest selling point is getting students to talk out loud during their driving test - say mirrors, signal, break, gear as you manoeuvre - and you've ticked four boxes right there. If it makes people better drivers whether I teach them or someone else teaches them, does it really matter?
"For me, it's a dream come true to reach that many people in one go, I've gone from one-to-one lessons to one-to-10k." The driving instructor, who runs Asta "L" Vista driving school, first started teaching learners to drive in 2008. Jason says he didn't start uploading videos online until July 2023 and his following exploded from 90 up to 96,000 followers.
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Jason has helped thousands of learners to pass - without actually getting in the car with them (Jason Horsfield/SWNS)The instructor makes videos covering topics including anxiety, roundabouts, manoeuvres and changing lanes. And he even has a course on how to deal with anxiety on TikTok and says the course alone has helped drivers pass tests they once failed. He says he receives up to 150 messages per day from new drivers, with glowing reviews including "your videos are like my bible", "I passed my test first time with zero minors" and even "thank you for helping me pass my driving test first time today... I had no lessons with an instructor".
Jason said: "There are over two million people learning to drive every year and 1.6million driving tests taken per year. But there are only thirty-six to thirty-seven thousand driving instructors - the figures don't compute which is why there's such a long waiting list. I want to show people how to do it as cheap and safe as possible.
"The typical person pays over £2,000 for driving lessons. Dealing with anxiety is a big one for me. Ninety to ninety-five percent of my clients are young women with anxiety. I created an anxiety course on TikTok and people are passing with that alone. All the videos are raw and show people exactly what to do in two to three minutes."