Advice, Learning to drive

[Nottingham89]

Hello everyone,

I am wanting to start learning soon, I just got provisional license today but I was just wondering how many lessons someone needs on average? I am a quick learner, I have been around ASDA car park with my brother and it seemed fairly easy so I am just wondering.

My brother actually said it's not driving that is the hardest, it's learning the roads etc.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[bednobs]

i can only tell you that it took me around 12 lessons, not sure about the "average" good luck

[VHG]

>>>and it seemed fairly easy

Driving a car round a car park is easy. A bit like driving round a dodgems at a fun fair, any person can do it, even a child.

But proper driving is much more than that.

Making sure your speed is right for the road, dealing with traffic lights, roundabouts, zebra crossings, t junctions, hills, bends etc.

Watching other road users, knowing all the various street signs, knowing how long a car takes to stop in an emergency, dealing with rain and snow and ice, using your mirror.

Also overtaking and when to overtake, doing a "three point turn", doing a "hill start", motorway driving, knowing when it is safe to pull out of a side road and so on and so on.

Lots to learn.

[Hymie]

When I learnt to drive – walking in front of the car was a man carrying a red flag.

One piece of learning advice my instructor gave me on my first lesson was to practice turning the steering wheel without crossing my hands – using a washing-up bowl.
Come the second lesson, I had already mastered this technique.

The second piece of advice I offer – is whenever your instructor asks you to turn left, right, pull over or whatever; first look in the mirror – then signal, then manoeuvre.

And watch out for the man in front with the red flag.

[FredPuli43]

Driving the vehicle; changing gear, clutch control, steering; is the easy part. A youngster might get the hang of that in an hour. But you don't get in accidents through being in the wrong gear ir stalling the vehicle! The old rule was one hour of tuition for every year of your life, which still sounds right.

BSM start learners on a simulator, which should speed learning because it gives some basic training in reading the road, looking for hazards. It's reading the road that is what nearly all your learning is for, before you are ready for the test.

[solvitquick]

Sorry, but cannot give national average but I think I took about twelve lessons. Your tutor should (i) practice you in the area where you are likely to be tested and (ii) tell you when you are ready for test, if you agree.
One thing I object to in the driving test is that you MAY have to reverse into the gap between two cars - not necessary in my day.
First whose poor cars are used for learning? Decades ago I caught a teacher and pupil going through the lesson using the one-car space between my own and another car. I gave teacher an angry piece of my mind.
Second, virtually all cars are rear-boot loading, so it's normal to park forwards at supermarkets etc., to avoid struggle to get to boot between other cars.
Note - sure it's a bit safer to leave in forward gear but I think modern life accepts that cars will be slowly reversing out and a driver aware of the hazards (e.g. shoppers loading their car behind as well as incoming/leaving cars) will do so very slowly with all eyes on rear - not just mirrors.

[katdarn79]

Solvitquick, totaly get what your saying! I learned to drive 4 year ago, all the different manovers are like algerba in maths, never use it just have to prove you know how to do it.
Kathryn xx

[solvitquick]

If I were a driving instructor, I would begin by teaching how a car works. Many students are not told details about function of the clutch, why hand break is necessary. Where and when to use lighting is important. Examples of clutch/hand-break are notable for holdlng car on hill. To hold on clutch alone on hill could burn it out very fast. Similarly hand-break prevents roll back to car behind. Hand-break in parking area is vital - if you chose forward mistakenly for reverse you should not crash into another car or your own garage-door.
All so simple of course but should these things not be at the start of lessons, notably that the clutch connects the engine to the drive position!

[erin-x]

Isn't the average about 40 lessons? I took about 40 and I passed on my fourth try. Driving is easy, passing a test is not. Especially with the examiner's you get here anyway. I failed one for not putting my handbrake on at a temporary traffic lights (no hill).

[solvitquick]

Ty Kathryn luv, you are so right re: algebra, physics and chemistry - I'm good at all but schools do not relate them to the real world!
Similar driving tutors.
xxx

[erin-x]

There are 4 manoeuvres you have to learn and AT LEAST two of them will be in the test. Turn in the road, reverse park, parallel park and reverse around a corner.

They have also introduced following street signs into it as well. They make you follow signs back to the test centre instead of directing you.

Remember you have a theory test to pass before all of that as well :-)

[Nottingham89]

Thanks for your input everyone, I will take it all on board.

I have been revising the highway code for the last week plus I have an app on my ipad where I can do mock tests for the theory. It's harder than I first thought but that's how you learn.

[denis567]

Best of luck with your driving lessons. As a retired driving instructor I would advise you to ignore anyone who tells you you will learn in 12 lessons. The ones who do are very rare, besides, is that 12 one hour lessons, 2 hour lessons or even more?
There is so much to learn, that it is nearly impossible to learn everything in 12 hours.

[RATTER15]

I passed with 11 lessons, I could afford to fail It was costing £2.50 an hour for lessons!!!

[RATTER15]

*I couldnt afford *

[factor-fiction]

I passed first time but had about 30 lessons (@1 hour) before I felt ready. I found the most difficult parts to be turning right across oncoming traffic, deciding when to pull out at junctions when there seemed an endless stream of traffic, and passing parked cars. You certainly can't learn these by driving round a car park

[factor-fiction]

I know it's only incidental to thetopic but I wanted to comment on katdarn's comment "are like algebra in maths, never use it just have to prove you know how to do it"
Algebra is used more often than we may think in reqal life- it's just that it's not labelled 'algebra' in real-life. For example building spreadsheets (which many of us do) uses algebra (e.g. cell C1= cell A1*100 + cell B1), working out the cost of a holiday for a family or comparing mobile phone contracts

[joko]

yes its road sense that is the hardest, - signs, road markings etc

also just getting confidence - nothing can give you that though it just takes time to get used it.

the vehicle controls are not that hard.

i would suggest get someone to sit with you in their car, and just drive round and round as much as possible

apparently the best test time is about 8am saturday mornings - as the roads are quieter.

they are stricter now with the test as they feel too many people really cannot drive very well and merely manage to drive ok for 35 mins, - especially 17year old lads - so expect to fail a few times, but dont let it put you off