150 episodes listed below
Driving instructors compare notes from the passenger seat.
Dipod puts driving instructors in a studio to argue about the work: controlled stops, test readiness, intensive courses, how many lessons learners need, and road safety policy. Peter King, an ADI from St Albans, does the introductions, and his talk with Nick and Elliot wanders for a while before it settles on real lessons.
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Dipod is what happens when driving instructors sit down in a studio and compare notes. Peter King, an ADI from St Albans, does the introductions. Nick, another ADI, and Elliot, a retired one, are the steady voices beside him in recent recordings. Others come and go: Graham Stilwells is named in the studio on 'Show 255 - Training ADIs', and a Jason is thanked for filling in while Elliot was away. The conversation rarely goes straight to its subject. The clocks changing, birthdays and new headphones all come up, and one recording starts with a joke that the group has been talking for two hours without getting going. Then the job takes over, and the job is the reason to listen. The episode titles show the range: 'Show 253 - Controlled Stop' and 'Show 256 - Ready For Test' deal with the test, 'Show 255 - Training ADIs' with the instructors, and 'Show 254 - Road Safety Strategy' and 'Show 252 - Road Safety Publication' with policy. The excerpts fill that range with first-hand material. One instructor describes a new pupil who was about to follow the car in front through a gap rather than wait, and who said his last instructor had told him that was fine. That sets off a short, pointed argument about whether an oncoming driver who stops is really waiting or simply has no choice. Another instructor recalls their own part two in Barnet, where the controlled stop came at 60 miles an hour on a country lane, and the group notes that a test can include more than one. On learner progress, Nick describes getting out his record cards to show a pupil on lesson seven how far there is to go, and compares it to a pilot with only seven hours of flying. The group then asks why learners need more lessons than they once did, and rejects traffic as the explanation. Intensive courses lasting a week or two draw open doubt about how many of those pupils really pass, and how safe they are. So do calls from parents who want a single lesson before the test, which one instructor handles with terms and conditions that keep the car away from the test. On training, a speaker argues that ADIs should be better qualified to deal with conditions such as dyslexia, which they say can affect judgement at the wheel. The same speaker asks how many instructors take a medical history that covers diabetes, allergies, EpiPens, asthma and medication. The policy talk is just as practical: someone suggests a learner logbook split into an instructor's part and a pupil's part, and someone else asks whether a six-month learning period has any research showing that it makes better drivers. Disagreement happens in the open, down to one participant cheerfully telling the other two that they are both wrong. The talk also mentions CPD notes at the end of each show, and 'see you on the roundabout' comes up at more than one sign-off. The show is sponsored by the ADI NJC, the Approved Driving Instructors National Joint Council.
Made for: Suits a working or retired UK driving instructor who wants to hear other ADIs argue about test procedure, learner progress, instructor training and road safety policy, and who doesn't mind the talk wandering before it gets to the point.
What sets it apart: This is shop talk between ADIs, built on their own lessons and test stories, like a pupil's bad habit picked up from a previous instructor or a 60 mph controlled stop. Those stories sit next to frank argument about intensive courses, logbooks and road safety strategy.
Being a driving instructor can be lonely business in so far as feedback and ideas are concerned. The Driving Instructors Podcast (DIPOD) is where UK driving instructors can come to find out more about their industry, with news, views, commentary and guests.We are always looking for your feedback too, so remember to -phone us: 08432 892 556or email us: [email protected]
A DVSA seven-point plan meets a room that can barely keep a straight face.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A lively, practical argument about impatience, forced waits, and the risky logic behind the slingshot.
Show 257 uses the slingshot idea to get at a familiar pressure point in driving: the temptation to move because another vehicle has paused, or because a difficult traffic flow appears to offer a brief opening.
A grounded discussion of test booking changes and the professional boundary around lending an instructor's car.
Show 256 puts Dipod in practical territory, where driving-test policy runs into the day-to-day judgement of working instructors. Peter King, Nick Ibbott, and Elliot Portis look at test booking changes, raise questions about the readiness of some intensive-course candidates, and…
A practical ADI discussion of dyslexia, anxiety, and learner health in driver training.
Training ADIs focuses on the extra awareness instructors may need once a lesson moves beyond standard driving technique. Peter King, an ADI from St Albans, joins Nick, Elliot and Graham Stilwells for a wide discussion of dyslexia and driving judgment, the value of understanding…
A practical look at whether learner-driver rules measure competence or simply record activity.
Road Safety Strategy questions whether learner-driver policy is measuring real readiness or just producing neat records. Peter King, an ADI from St Albans, joins Nick and Elliot to test the proposed six-month learning period, especially the weak link between time served and…
Its controlled-stop stories show how a tidy test exercise can quickly become a real road judgment.
Controlled stops can sound like a neat, predictable part of a driving test, but show 253 of Diapod gives them a less tidy shape. Peter King, Nick and Elliot move from birthday banter into practical stories of stops on country lanes and national-speed-limit roads, including…
A candid discussion of learner progress, attention, and the small road-safety lessons tucked into family life.
Show 252 treats everyday driving instruction as a broader conversation about how learners build competence, and why that process can take time.
Optometry, from the exam chair to the front desk.
Situational awareness talk for high-risk, high-stakes work.
Irrigation training that counts savings in water and dollars.
A roundtable discussion among driving instructors about industry news, personal updates, and professional insights.
The hosts discuss a DVSA consultation form and industry changes for UK driving instructors.
The hosts discuss show 255, banter about recording quirks, and introduce a consultation document on bullying in the driving instructor industry.
A roundtable discussion among UK driving instructors covering industry news, personal anecdotes, and professional insights.
A podcast for UK driving instructors discussing industry news, mock tests, and association meetings.
Dipod episode 257, "Slingshot," turns a SADSA correspondence thread into a debate about roundabout queue-jumping and motorway lane exits.
Dipod Show 256, "Ready For Test," records on 30 March 2026 with Peter King, Nick Ibert, and Elliot Paul arguing about DVSA test-booking changes.
Show 255 of Dipod, "Training ADIs," argues that learner-driver policy should cover minimum learning periods, not just test mechanics.
Dipod show 254, "Road Safety Strategy," centers on Peter King, Nick, Elliot, and guest Graham Feast discussing road safety policy on 16 February 2026.
["Dipod show 253, Controlled Stop, is a debate about how UK driving instructors should teach the controlled stop and why Peter King prefers that term over emergency stop.", "Peter, Nick, and Elliot compare one-in-seven controlled stops on the current driving test with the older one-in-three pattern and the every-test version they remember.", "They discuss when to introduce the exercise, how to use lampposts or parked cars as reference points, and why some instructors still quote Highway Code rule 126 and stopping distances.", "The episode also covers 50 to 60 mph test examples, ABS, skids, mirror checks, and the argument over neutral, gear one, and signalling after the stop."]
Dipod's Nick, Elliot, and Peter examine the Department for Transport's first road safety strategy in more than a decade, including a proposed 65% reduction in deaths and serious injuries by 2035.
Dipod show 251, “Working Smart,” features Peter King, Nick Ebert, and Jason Reid discussing how driving instructors organise time, pricing, presentation, and learner services.
Dipod’s Show 250, “Musical Chairs,” features Peter King, Nick, and guest Jason Reed discussing driving-school cars, electric vehicles, and driving-test administration.
Peter King, Nick, and Elliot Portis discuss how driving instructors can change learner attitudes after the test, including responsibility for passengers and the lasting effect of an instructor's voice.
Dipod’s Peter King, Nick, Elliot, and Cathy Higgins discuss a petition to let self-employed parents deduct childcare costs from taxable profit.
Peter King, Elliot, and Nick Yibbert examine continuing professional development for approved driving instructors, including the DVSA's seven-hour annual CPD commitment.
Dipod’s Show 247 examines continuing professional development for approved driving instructors, including the DVSA’s recommendation of at least seven hours of CPD each year.
Dipod's Show 246 examines the DVSA's Driver Services Platform, intended to replace the 20-year-old Testing and Registering System and initially focus on car-test booking.
Dipod’s “Show 246 - Computer Update” features Nicky, Nick, and retired ADI Elliot Poole discussing Jason Reid’s proposal to eliminate test swapping and DVSA’s replacement for the 20-year-old TARS booking system.
Dipod hosts Peter King, Nicky, and Elliot Porter examine the DVSA's 2024-25 annual report, including 1.96 million car driving tests and a missed seven-week waiting-time target.
Dipod’s Peter King, Nick, and Elliot Paul examine listener correspondence about DVSA driving-test booking changes and six-month waits.
Dipod show 243 follows Peter, Elliot Pord, and Nick as they complete a DVSA consultation on driving-test booking rules, which closes at 11:59 p.m.
Dipod Show 242 examines a DVSA consultation on changing how learner car driving tests are booked, managed, and swapped.
Dipod - The Driving Instructors Podcast examines the DVSA trial beginning 6 May 2025 at 20 Great Britain driving test centres.
Show 240 of Dipod - The Driving Instructors Podcast examines why drivers struggle to identify speed limits, including a speed-awareness exercise built around five road photographs.
Dipod’s Peter King, Nick Ibbott and Elliot Ford examine driving-test cancellations, instructor liability and alleged test-booking abuse.
Dipod Show 238 examines whether driving instructors should sit in the back of pupils' driving tests, using DVSA guidance on feedback, note-taking, consent, and distractions.
Dipod Show 237 features Peter King, Nick Ebert, Elliot Portis, and guest Mike Gambin discussing disabled driving instruction.
Dipod hosts Peter King, Nick, and retired ADI Elliot Paudius examine DVSA's December 18, 2024 seven-point plan for reducing driving-test waiting times.
Dipod - The Driving Instructors Podcast, Show 235 examines Mick Lumley's proposal to reserve 15% of driving-test appointments for candidates who record good failures.
Dipod show 234 examines the revised DVSA guide Better Driving with Dr Lisa Dawn, Peter King, Nick Ibbott, and Elliot Pord.
Dipod Show 233, “Error 15,” examines DVSA’s driving-test security block message, including advice to change browsers, devices, networks, and VPN settings.
Dipod - The Driving Instructors Podcast's Show 232, "Harvest Moon," features Nick, Elliot Paul, and Peter discussing how instructors coach learners through pulling over and reversing on the right.
Dipod Show 231 features Peter King, Nick Yibber, and Elliot Paudis discussing lesson overruns, customer goodwill, and whether a £40 hourly rate falls to £35 when instructors regularly exceed the scheduled time.
Dipod Show 230 features Peter King, Nick Gibbett, and retired ADI Elliot Port debating DVSA guidance issued on 12 August 2024 about driving-test cancellation finders.
Dipod episode 229, “Lauren’s Letter,” examines a Birmingham learner’s experience with 26 driving instructors before her test.
Show 228 of Diapod - The Driving Instructors Podcast examines vehicle trackers, GPS-enabled dash cams, and whether driving instructors should use them for theft recovery or evidence.
Dipod episode 227 brings together Peter King, retired ADI Elliot Pord and ADI Nick to examine Britain’s driving-test shortage and alleged booking scams.
Show 226 of Dipod - The Driving Instructors Podcast features Peter King, Nick Ibbott, Elliot Pord, and former DVSA examiner Ali Sadiq discussing examiner judgment during practical driving tests.