For most people, reaching your 17th birthday means you can finally begin learning to drive. Imagine being able to own your own car and have the freedom to just get up and drive somewhere. However, before you can do that you will firstly need to learn to how to drive!
Choosing an instructor
You may already know who the driving instructors in your area are (they are pretty easy to spot). They may have previously taught your friends or family to drive or you may have seen them driving around town.
If you do not know of any try looking on the UK Government website list of Approved Driving Instructors (ADI). An ADI is approved by the government and undertakes regular training and assessments. You can search for local ADIs using your postcode. Alternatively you could conduct an internet search for local driving instructors or ask for recommendations on social media.
When choosing a driving instructor there are some things to consider:
- Can your friends or family recommend someone?
- How much do they charge? Some instructors will offer a block of 5 or 10 lessons for a specific sum
- Would you prefer a male or female instructor?
- What is their pass rate? How many of their pupils pass their test first time? Most instructors will display this information perhaps on a website or social media page if they have one however it doesn’t hurt to ask
You may wish to consider a trial lesson with an instructor before deciding whether you are happy with them or not. Some instructors may offer a discounted trial lesson and if they do not simply book one lesson with them and then decide if you wish to book more.
During your lessons
Most learner drivers have one lesson per week which usually lasts 1 hour. However, if you prefer you could have a 2-hour lesson or perhaps more than one lesson per week.
For your first couple of lessons, your instructor will drive the car to a quiet road where you can practice the basics. However, as your confidence builds you will soon be able to drive on busier roads and will spend the entire lesson behind the wheel.
Some of the things you will learn are:
- Roundabouts
- Junctions
- Turning left/right off of the main road
- Reversing
- Hill starts
- Manoeuvres such as turn in the road (3 point turn), parallel parking or parking in a parking space
- Dual carriageways
- Motorways
These are just some aspects of driving you will learn about. There may be some things that you understand straight away whilst there may be some that you feel you need a bit of practice on. Remember there is nothing wrong with that. Everyone learns differently.
Additional Practice
Parent’s car or your own car
If you have already purchased your own car you can use this for additional practice. This will also help you get used to driving it. Your parents can also have you temporarily insured to drive their car. However, as you only have a provisional license you must be accompanied by someone aged 21 or over who holds a full driving licence.
Hire a dual control car
If you do not own your car and are not insured on someone else’s, another option is to hire a dual control car. This is the same sort of car that most driving instructors use.
You will still need to be accompanied by someone with a full UK driving licence. Companies will have their own rules about who can be an accompanying driver so its best to check with them beforehand. Usually it is someone aged 21 or over with a full clean driving licence.
