Neil taught me to drive some time ago, before he was actually a professional driving instructor. I pinned him between two cars once. You might think that this would put someone off the whole driving instructor gig.. but it didn't. His passion for being a good driver and teaching others how to be good and safe drivers is such that even this minor mishap could not dissuade him.
It took me a long time to get around to learning to drive (I was 21 when I got my license) because of past car accidents that made me really nervous. As a naturally anxious person who doesn't always respond well to pressure, I was expecting to have to take the practical test quite a few times. I got my license on my first attempt, partly because I'm awesome and partly because of the way that Neil taught me that it's important to be confident in my driving choices. Other drivers on the road will notice if you are hesitant and they will take advantage of this, and you will get nowhere. Literally. Even now, I hate changing lanes in traffic, no one wants to let you in even when you're indicating. When that's happening, I hear Neil telling me, "If you want to change lanes, YOU need to make it happen. MAKE them let you in." So I do.
I hear in my head echoes of things he taught me all the time:
"Slow down BEFORE you get to the bend so that you're not braking as you're going around it."
"Move your hands on the wheel so that they don't end up crossed over each other."
"Remember to indicate coming out of the roundabout as well as going in."
"The mirrors by themselves are not enough. Turn your head and your body to check for obstacles before you do something."
As you can see, he likes to talk a lot. I'm 34 now, and it's a long time since he was sitting beside me telling me those things. But the fact that I still hear him demonstrates that what he is teaching you are skills to make you a good and competent driver for the rest your life, not just for how long it takes to pass your test.