The Wee Red Car

02/09/2026

I'll be direct about this one, because I see the consequences of it regularly: "you probably can't drive" is one of the most persistent and least accurate things said to people with a physical disability.

Physical disability changes how someone might drive — not whether they can. The range of adaptations available today is genuinely extensive: hand controls for braking and accelerating, left-foot accelerators, steering aids, transfer systems and hoists for getting in and out of the vehicle, seating that supports posture and control. The right combination depends entirely on the individual — their specific condition, strength, range of movement, and how it all interacts with a vehicle's controls, usually worked out through a proper Driving Mobility assessment.

What frustrates me most isn't the adaptations themselves — that part is genuinely well established now. It's the number of people who never get as far as finding that out, because somewhere along the way, someone (often well-meaning) told them driving "probably wasn't realistic" before they'd even had a chance to explore it properly.

I've taught learners who arrived believing driving was closed off to them, having been told so by people with no expertise in adaptations at all. Watching someone realise that wasn't true — that the barrier was information, not capability — is a good part of why I do this work.

If you've been told driving isn't realistic for you because of a physical disability, I'd genuinely encourage you to get a second, properly informed opinion before accepting that as the final answer.

31/08/2026

A great take on the 20mph limits and the frequent responses I see on the road as both an instructor and as a regular driver.

Some drivers don’t just dislike 20mph limits.They react to them.Visibly. Emotionally. Sometimes explosively.You’ve probably seen it.The driver tailgating the car doing 20 in a 20 zone.The sudden overtakes.The horn.The frustration that feels… disproportionate.So why does it trigger such strong ...

30/08/2026

26/08/2026

After a stroke or brain injury, one of the questions people ask soonest — often before they've even left hospital — is "will I drive again?" It's completely understandable. Driving isn't just a skill; for a lot of people, it's tied up with independence, identity, and simply getting on with life.
The honest answer is: often, yes — but not immediately, and not without the right process first.
DVLA rules typically require a minimum period off the road following a stroke (commonly one month, sometimes longer depending on ongoing effects like weakness, visual field loss, or cognitive changes), and driving must not resume until you're medically fit to do so. From there, many people benefit hugely from a Driving Mobility assessment — checking things like reaction time, visual scanning, physical strength on one side, and processing speed under pressure, since these can all be affected in ways that aren't always obvious in daily life. Have a look at these pages for more info on this: https://www.disabilitydrivingaberdeenshire.co.uk/referred-by-drive-ability-scotland/

https://www.disabilitydrivingaberdeenshire.co.uk/referred-by-sdas-smart-centre/
What comes next isn't necessarily starting from scratch. For many returning drivers, it's about rebuilding confidence and recalibrating — relearning how their body and brain now respond in a driving context, sometimes with adaptations like a spinner k**b or left-foot accelerator if there's lasting weakness on one side, sometimes with no adaptations needed at all once the assessment confirms things are fine.
What I'd really want anyone reading this to know: needing this process doesn't mean someone has "failed" or is a lesser driver than before. It means they're doing it properly, in the right order — and that's exactly what leads to a genuinely safe return to the road.
If you've been through this, what surprised you most about the process?

25/08/2026

For a lot of dyslexic learners, the worry isn't the car at all. It's the theory test — and underneath that, years of school telling them that written tests are where things go wrong.
So let's deal with that first, because it's fixable.
The theory test has real support built in. When you book, you can ask to hear the test through headphones in English or Welsh and listen to each question as many times as you need. No evidence required for that.
With proof of a reading difficulty — from a teacher, doctor, occupational therapist, or an online dyslexia screening — you can also get extra time on the multiple-choice section, someone to read the screen and record your answers, or someone to reword questions in plainer language.
None of this is a favour. It's standard provision, and it's there to be used. Ask when you book, not afterwards.
As for the driving itself: once instruction stops depending on reading and starts depending on doing, most dyslexic learners find it's a strength. It's practical, spatial, and learned by repetition.
Dyslexia doesn't stop you driving. It just means the paperwork needs a different route than the road does.
👉 https://www.disabilitydrivingaberdeenshire.co.uk/blog/dyslexia-and-learning-to-drive-the-theory-test-isnt-the-whole-story/
Does this sound like your lessons, let me know.

19/08/2026

PDA is one of the least understood profiles I work with, and one of the easiest to get badly wrong if an instructor doesn't understand what's actually happening.
PDA — Pathological Demand Avoidance, sometimes described as Pervasive Drive for Autonomy — is a profile within the autism spectrum characterised by an intense, anxiety-driven need to resist and avoid everyday demands, even ones the person wants to comply with. It's not defiance, and it isn't about being difficult. It's a nervous system response to perceived loss of control.
Now picture standard driving instruction: "turn left here," "check your mirror now," "slow down." Every single one of those is a direct demand. For a learner with PDA, a lesson delivered in typical instructor language can trigger exactly the anxiety response that makes learning nearly impossible — not because the learner can't drive, but because the method of instruction is fighting their nervous system the whole time.
What actually works looks quite different: framing instructions as information or choices rather than commands ("there's a junction coming up — what do you think you'll need to do?" instead of "slow down now"). Building in genuine autonomy wherever it's safe to do so. Reducing the sense of being tested or watched, which for many PDA learners is itself a demand. And accepting that progress won't always be linear — a good lesson one week doesn't guarantee the same approach works identically the next.
This is a profile where getting the relationship right matters just as much as getting the driving technique right. When it clicks, the results are genuinely excellent drivers — often more perceptive and self-aware than average, because they've had to build such a strong internal sense of control.

18/08/2026

Dyspraxia is the condition learners apologise for before they've even had a lesson.

They shouldn't. Plenty of dyspraxic people drive, and drive well. What tends to differ is how long it takes for the physical side to become automatic.

Clutch, gears, steering and pedals all at once is a lot of simultaneous fine motor work — which is the single biggest reason many dyspraxic learners do far better in an automatic. Taking the clutch and gearstick out frees up an enormous amount of attention for the road. That's a sensible adjustment, not a compromise.

Reference points, repeated in the same place with the same seat position every lesson, turn guesswork about the width of the car into something measurable. Shorter lessons often produce more progress than long ones, because quality collapses once fatigue sets in.

And the honest bit: it commonly takes more lessons. That is not failure, and it says nothing about how good a driver you'll be afterwards. Skills that take longer to embed are often the ones that embed most securely.

Dyspraxia changes the pace of learning. It doesn't decide the outcome.

👉 https://www.disabilitydrivingaberdeenshire.co.uk/blog/dyspraxia-and-learning-to-drive-slower-to-automatic-not-slower-to-competent/

Does this sound like your lessons, let me know.

18/08/2026

A huge well done to Maya Smith from Dundee who passed first time in Inverurie today. Good luck with the new car and university later this year.

17/08/2026

Huge congratulations to Ethan Allen who passed his test in Peterhead today. Stay safe in the van.

16/08/2026

The time lost is real and the less admin you can do the less you waste not enjoying your free time. Simplos also generates the notes for you and can further summarise and analyse the pupils progress beyond the ticking off of the core competencies.

A thought for today...how much is YOUR time worth? 🤔