28October 2024
Congratulations to Avinaash Ramasamy, who completed a Passplus course to a high standard today, October 28th, 2024.
Well done Avi!
Your mum got in touch to arrange this for you, as she was concerned that you passed your test in a manual car in Wirral, but because you are now based in Bristol where there is a clean air zone daily charge, you will now be driving a hybrid (automatic). As a 3rd year medical student, you will be spending time in Bristol and Gloucester, so it was crucial that you gained some experience of city centre driving, as well as all the other subjects included in Passplus.
We had a very challenging 3.5-hour drive in my car during Friday rush hour through the Mersey tunnel (which had a 30-minute traffic jam, due to an incident). We used this time to discuss a lot of useful tips, such as how to drive in adverse weather, aquaplaning, floods, ice, etc.
We experienced total chaos once through the toll booths (which you had to be a contortionist to reach when paying by card!) We then had 6 lanes of frustrated commuters, trying to filter into one lane, which required patience, common sense, and excellent spatial awareness!
Your second 3.5-hour drive in your own car was to Bala in North Wales. We both said that this journey couldn’t have been any more of a contrast. There were a variety of motorways, dual carriageways, forests, and moorland. We both enjoyed the beautiful colours of the trees and autumnal scenes and mountains, ending at Bala Lake. At one point, the road was so narrow that when we met an oncoming car, you were forced to reverse into a tight passing place!… very impressive driving!
It’s been an absolute pleasure spending time doing these long drives with you, and I’m sure you’ll benefit enormously from the experience. Best of luck for the future in all that you do.