Brandane
Legendary Member
- Location
- Costa Clyde
Another thing ..... You have been riding a motorbike for a while, which gives you a big headstart with road sense, knowledge of the rules etc.. It is then just a case of transfer of knowledge for you.
Driving lessons these days
- Thread starter Crackle
- Start date
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Brandane
Legendary Member
- Location
- Costa Clyde
Praise The Lord!!! There is something I can do that User can't!
gavroche
Getting old but not past it
- Location
- North Wales
As an ex-driving instructor I can see that most of you are out of touch with reality. Nowadays, it takes between 30 and 40 lessons to be ready for the test. Bear in mind that passing the test only means you can drive the car on a given route. It doesn't give you the years of experience it takes to be a good driver. As a parent, I am sure you want your child to be a safe driver and that is what a good instructor will do, but it takes time, especially if your child only does 1 hour a week.
Driving lessons are cheap compared to the cost of running a car afterwards. I would say be prepared to spend around £800 for a good instructor to teach high standards but also be aware that there are bad driving instructors out there too. Go with someone who has been recommended and who is reliable.
Driving lessons are cheap compared to the cost of running a car afterwards. I would say be prepared to spend around £800 for a good instructor to teach high standards but also be aware that there are bad driving instructors out there too. Go with someone who has been recommended and who is reliable.
hedder2212
Senior Member
- Location
- Walsall
No its 12 lessons....
Pro Tour Punditry
Guru
My elder daughter had 3 attempts at passing her test; in total she had 10 lessons. 6 before first attempt, when she tells me she drove like a fud due to being very nervous, then 2 before the resit when she claims the examiner was the fud and not her driving (no minors and one "major" for not driving "at" 60 in a 60 limit sounds fud-ish to me), and then 2 before the 3rd test which she passed.
swee'pea99
Legendary Member
I passed first time with no (paid for) lessons at all, but lots of practice. I think that's the key. The sheer amount of time you spend behind the wheel. Testers are looking for certain specifics, obviously, but I think they're also very largely looking to gauge your 'at-easeness' - something that's a lot easier to display if you've driven for many many hours, to the extent that you're relaxed rather than on edge.
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
Claims? I can quite believe it because I failed one for not driving at 30 in a 30 when I still (many many years later) think it wasn't safe to do so... and when I passed, I only got a "minor" for exceeding 30. It's no wonder motorists are crashing too often too fast with that bias in the tests.
summerdays
Cycling in the sun
- Location
- Bristol
My eldest is currently learning at uni so no access to practice in between lessons, and they have had about 25 hours so far, and the instructor suggested about 40 at the beginning. They have got a date for the theory test and currently enjoying being on the road with the instructor, each lesson is usually 2 hours long. Grandpa gave some money for the lessons.
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DaveReading
Don't suffer fools gladly (must try harder!)
- Location
- Reading, obvs
Roadcraft and confidence is a huge part of learning to drive, and a year on a bike beforehand will either teach you that or kill you.
Worked for me, anyway, when I wanted to learn to drive a car I got by with 6 lessons and a few practice sessions with my Dad.
He then said when i get a car i'll take you for a drive 
I declined 
summerdays
Cycling in the sun
- Location
- Bristol
Actually I figure it's a good time to learn as you generally get the worst driving weather at this time of year, and have to have some lessons in the dark.
subaqua
What’s the point
- Location
- Leytonstone
maybe he was driving on private land for years before. I had been shunting 40ft articulated vehicles round the goods yard on a saturday with my dad from 12 , so the revering round a corner , turn in the road etc were easy to do.
My lessons were to teach me how to use the wheel correctly , mirrors and signals , and the general "heres how you pass your test" stuff. oh and not to double declutch !! ( Scania 78 - horrible crash box)
Smokin Joe
Legendary Member
- Location
- Bare headed cyclist, Smoker
I spent two decades as a driving instructor. I had pupils who passed after about 10 or 12 lessons and others who took over 100. Look at it this way, if all of us had to achieve an A level in maths when we'd never even added two plus two before, how long would it take? Some would sail through it, most would eventually get there after various lengths of struggle and some wouldn't get there while they had a hole in their ar$e.
Forty lessons is now reckoned to be the norm, the standard required to pass is way higher than it was twenty years ago. The overall pass rate was around 43% last time I checked, it has never been over fifty percent in my memory.
Forty lessons is now reckoned to be the norm, the standard required to pass is way higher than it was twenty years ago. The overall pass rate was around 43% last time I checked, it has never been over fifty percent in my memory.
Smokin Joe
Legendary Member
- Location
- Bare headed cyclist, Smoker
I simply do not believe anyone could take a test after six lessons without the examiner abandoning the test in the interests of public safety. I'm not saying you are lying, either you or daughter have miscounted or she was having private tuition in addition to her lessons. I used to get pupils recommended to me because "You got my mate Dave through his test in ten lessons". I knew full well that Dave took three times that number. People simply forget the real figure.
