HEREFORD Times news editor Ian Morris is continuing his driving course with the Herefordshire Advanced Motorists. This week, he uses everything he has learned so far and takes a drive under the watchful eye of his instructor Rob Turner.

THERE was no theory class on the third week of the Herefordshire Advanced Motorists' driving course.

Instead, participants were taken out on the road to see how their driving skills had progressed.

Hereford Times news editor Ian Morris was one of the participants and he explains how his latest drive went.

"I had been warned by my observer Robin Turner that the third drive was often the worst as drivers often mix up their new-found motoring skills with the bad habits they have picked up in the years since passing their test.

"And as we left Hereford and approached Hampton Bishop, I was soon reminded of the speed limit for the riverside village.

"But with a little more concentration and, using the tips I had picked up at previous theory lessons, Mr Turner was soon praising me for the car's position as we went around corner after corner through Mordiford and towards Dormington.

"I was also asked to give a running commentary of the drive. Talking out loud and explaining how I was driving certainly seemed strange at first, but it definitely showed me all the potential dangers of the road.

"At the end of each drive the observers fill out a report and award marks on all the different skills needed to drive. Many areas where I scored a D in the first test had now turned into As - and that included the section for observing speed limits!"