The Eternal Instructor's Question

When going to a driving school, there is one question asked almost every time: "How many lessons will I need?". The answer is: nobody knows. Besides the lessons required by law, some people may need extra lessons to pass. Here is an article by Alan S Wilson about this topic.

How Many Driving Lessons to Pass?

As driving instructors, we are often asked that simple question, "How many driving lessons will I need to pass my driving test?" But we find that the answer is not quite as simple as the question!

We can certainly provide you with averages, but every pupil is an individual - with their own learning style and their own pace. On top of that, the learner drivers that have the 'number' of lessons as their target as opposed to the standard of driving, can often take even longer to pass their driving test - this can be due to an inclination towards 'attending' driving lessons (to get nearer the target number) as opposed to 'interacting' and 'learning' (to get nearer the target of meeting the required driving standard).

The DSA (Driving Standards Agency) periodically publish statistics on the number of hours pupils have taken with their individual driving schools, as well as the number of hours of private practice taken with a parent or friend. In 2008 the DSA published that the average number of 'driving instructor hours' was 45 alongside 22 hours of private practice with friends and/or relatives.

Depending on your expectations this may well come as a shock (or in some cases a comfort) but there are certainly ways to ensure that these hours are kept to a minimum.

Depending on the skills and experience of your supervising driver (I'm not talking about driving instructors here) having lots of hours practising privately prior to taking professional driving lessons may not be a good idea. I find, from time to time, that learner drivers who come to me having 'learned the basics from dad' can sometimes take some time to get out of some bad habit such as keeping the clutch half-down for long periods of time (which would, over time, completely ruin the clutch - which can be a very expensive car part to replace!).

Therefore it can often be a good idea to take a few driving lessons with a 'proper' driving instructor prior to drawing on the experience of another. This could save you hundreds of pounds on getting out of the bad habits and further money by saving the clutch on the family car!

Private practice is certainly a valuable addition to your driving lessons - if used to PRACTICE what you have learned from a professional, as opposed to learning from a non-professional. You could, on the other hand, be fortunate enough to have a very 'clued up' supervisor for your private practice - but be warned: most supervisors would class themselves as 'competent' teachers... my experience has not matched their confidence!

Whatever method you use to learn to drive (with or without private practice) ensure that you find one of the best driving instructors or driving schools - which can knock hours off your driving lessons.

Alan is the director of a driving lessons comparison site. The sites aim is simply to provide learner drivers with valuable information and to bring driving instructors and learners together.

Source: EzineArticles.com.

Thank you, Alan, for this great article!

Also, if you get a driving test guide, you can practice as much as you want for the same price, without worrying about your practice getting too expensive. Try it, you won't be disappointed.

Nadav

nadavs