Owners of the Shell service station, Peter and Kim Murphy, decided to start the school after identifying a need for young people in the town to learn to drive properly. The driving school, will be based at the station.

Kim said that since learner drivers have to complete 125 hours of driving and record details in their log books, there are huge advantages in attending driver training. She said 10 hours with an instructor counts for 30 hours in the log book.

Kim said the idea is for learner drivers to be able to learn to drive in their home town, with a friendly and experienced accredited driver. She said it is very important for learners to learn not only skills they need for their test, but the skills for driving for life.

“We will take them to Bathurst so they can learn how to handle lights and roundabouts, and also how to park properly in a crowded car park where they have only a little space to park in,” she said. “Our training covers everything they need to know. It's all about saving kids on out roads.”

Kim said learners need regular driving experience, and that the school’s accredited trainer, Mikaela Piper, has many years experience driver training, and has run her own driver training business in Newcastle.

Kim said it is a good idea for a learner driver to have around five lessons with an instructor before driving with parents, as some parents find supervising a learner stressful or frightening without having a second control in case something goes wrong. “We had four children learning to drive, and it takes a lot of time for parents,” she said.

Kim said the instructor can prepare learners for the driving test and assess when they are ready to take a test. Kim said Oberon Driving Training has flexible hours.