Driving Lessons - How Many?

Mousie

What is the average amount of lessons people take. I'm starting to drive and was just wondering how many lessons i'll have to take, i was told recently that i'll have to book a set amount and can't just book them one by one (i was told this by a non-driver so i'm wary of this info). Thanks

D!ve^Bomb!

ISM don't make you book a set amount. they'll send an instructor on whatever day and you sort it out from there..

lessons - it all depends really.. some people pick it up fast, some are just stupid.. i only took 2 myself and then took the plunge and started drivin on my own.. however i don't recommend this:D

koneko

You book your lessons the way you would any other appointment, right and set a day and time. You don't need to book a set amount or anything like that.

They'll recommend a certain amount of lessons to you, but different people learn at different speeds. 2 lessons really isn't enough for most people, if you start driving on your own after 2 lessons you're more likely to pick up bad habits. Most people I know started driving on their own after 5 or 6, but for some it takes longer. Don't let that worry you though, just be sure you're comfortable and happy with it, don't do anything you're not ready for just because you feel like you should be doing better.

Hope that doesn't come across as patronising, I just find that some people feel a rush to learn and that doesn't help with habits or learning. Take your time and do it right!

FX Meister

I think you get a discount if you buy a buch of ten but you can do them one by one. It's depends on teh person as to how many they need. I had 4 and a pre test thing and I passed after four months driving with zero mistakes. Then I also know another woman who has failed her test 9 times and has had a huge amount of lessons.

tonky

Hard to say how many lessons, everyone is different. Most absolute beginners I knew took 5-7, you should be starting to feel comfortable after the 2nd or 3rd., once the co-ordination thing becomes easier. you can decide then.

unkel

koneko wrote:

Most people I know started driving on their own after 5 or 6

:eek: is that normal? That's extremely dangerous imho both for the driver him/her self and for other road users. The driver is clearly neither in full control of the vehicle nor aware of what's happening around him / her. Total madness!!

It is illegal to drive on your own on your first provisional license. Your insurance is probably void so if you cause a big claim, you'll be paying back for the rest of your life and something on your conscience too (imaging killing / maiming a child)

Current legislation doesn't go near far enough. Someone with no full license should only drive in a dual control test vehicle with a certified instructor

Stark

I did 10 lessons as dictated by my insurance company. That was way too much. Especially as I couldn't drive in between the lessons so wouldn't have gotten the full benefit anyway.

4 or 5 is probably the magic number for most people.

koneko

unkel wrote:

:eek: is that normal? That's extremely dangerous imho both for the driver him/her self and for other road users. The driver is clearly neither in full control of the vehicle nor aware of what's happening around him / her. Total madness!!

Seems to be the norm from people I know. Although some of them started driving with another person in the car, at that point. I agree it isn't enough, but it's better than 2 lesson (I mean, divebomb.... seriously, that's not good). By "on their own" I don't necessarily mean literally on their own, I just mean without a driving school instructor.

IMHO the whole system needs an overhaul, the provisional licence system doesn't work the way it's set up here, and testing times are far too long. But wishing for that to change is like wishing to win the lottery.

D!ve^Bomb!

unkel wrote:

It is illegal to drive on your own on your first provisional license. Your insurance is probably void so if you cause a big claim, you'll be paying back for the rest of your life and something on your conscience too (imaging killing / maiming a child)

i don't think it matters if you are on your own, you're still covered afaik..

but it's better than 2 lesson (I mean, divebomb.... seriously, that's not good).

as i said some people pick things up faster than others.. i even managed to drive around town within a couple of weeks

koneko

Picking things up fast and driving on your own after only 2 lessons are not the same thing. There is no way you can be a safe and competent driver after only 2 lessons.

Alun

I can't believe I'm reading some of this stuff ... recommending that you should be able to drive on your own after only a 5 or 6 lessons, 10 lessons described as "far too much", no wonder the standard of driving here is such utter cr@p. I'm speechless!

koneko

Alun wrote:

recommending that you should be able to drive on your own after only a 5 or 6 lessons

I did not recommend driving on your own after 5-6 lessons, I merely stated that's what seems to happen among people I've spoken to (about driving lessons and driving).
If my post came across otherwise apologies, that's not how I intended it.

Alun

D!ve^Bomb! wrote:

i don't think it matters if you are on your own, you're still covered afaik..

Well, maybe that's the problem. You shouldn't be even sold insurance unless you're in possession of a full licence IMHO.

as i said some people pick things up faster than others.. i even managed to drive around town within a couple of weeks

Please tell me where, and I'll make a point of avoiding it.

D!ve^Bomb!

Alun wrote:

Well, maybe that's the problem. You shouldn't be even sold insurance unless you're in possession of a full licence IMHO.

Please tell me where, and I'll make a point of avoiding it.

ha ha, mmm, well lets see, dame st - trinity college - across o connell bridge - up the quays - towards connelly is usually where i'm going when in town as well as georges st... so BEWARE!!!

D!ve^Bomb!

oh and tbh, the majority of absolutely ****e drivers that i have come across are generally middled aged who have been driving for years.. so it really doesn't matter if i have been driving for 6 months or 6 years or if i have a full licence or not.. none of it means anything

Alun

D!ve^Bomb! wrote:

oh and tbh, the majority of absolutely ****e drivers that i have come across are generally middled aged who have been driving for years.. so it really doesn't matter if i have been driving for 6 months or 6 years or if i have a full licence or not.. none of it means anything

Yeah, but the chances are that many of them would never have passed a driving test either.

So what would you suggest then? That we unilaterally, as a nation, abandon the whole concept of driving tests and licences as being worthless and just let anybody loose on the roads in charge of a potential lethal weapon? Get real!

D!ve^Bomb!

well how does the current drivin test contribute to the safety of the roads? it doesn't at all imo.. it's just a test, it doesnt mean anythin and doesn't prove that you're a good driver.. therefore what is the meaning of a 'full' licence? it doesn't mean anythin accept that you have passed a test.. it doesn't automatically make you a better driver

leeroybrown

Alun wrote:

Well, maybe that's the problem. You shouldn't be even sold insurance unless you're in possession of a full licence IMHO.

Even if the insurance company refuses to pay up on someone who is driving illegally the joint motor insurance fund (the exact name eludes me) will have to pay up.

D!ve^Bomb! wrote:

well how does the current drivin test contribute to the safety of the roads? it doesn't at all imo.. it's just a test, it doesnt mean anythin and doesn't prove that you're a good driver.. therefore what is the meaning of a 'full' licence? it doesn't mean anythin accept that you have passed a test.. it doesn't automatically make you a better driver

While I agree that the test is not the pinnacle of driving instruction/testing, I disagree with the above. Unless my driving test was an exception (which I sincerely doubt), I had to be able to safely manouvre a car in a reasonably broad number of driving situations without any notable mistakes, technique problems, etc. While it's possible to get lucky and pass (a certain amount of luck is always needed) driving almost faultlessly for the length of a test proves that you have a certain base level of skill.

That said, the situation where so many drivers drive regularly without passing one (totally the governments fault) is untenable and does undermine it somewhat.

mackerski

There's no simple answer to this one. It all depends on how many learning tools you will be using. In my own case, I knew how to drive a car long before I could get a provisional licence, so I busied myself with self-teaching books and got very familiar with the rules, etiquette, techniques and so on. Once I got a licence, I got "parental lessons", which are hit and miss, depending as they do on the qualities of the parent, but they complemented my personal studies effectively.

The only official lesson I ever got was an unmitigated disaster. The only reason I took it was that the instructor's car was a Fiat 127 (the same as I drove myself, but less prone to cutting out when idling etc.). The lesson was to be partly an "audition" for his car to see if I felt comfortable in it and partly a neutral pre-test assessment. Bloody waste of energy. The car was dual-control, and the instructor did that "so you think you've managed OK without real lessons so far" thing that they seem to enjoy: pulled an emergency stop "just in case" when some pedestrians were approaching. Put me right off, since I never knew when he was going to do it again. Predictably, he concluded that some lessons before test might not hurt.

A subsequent informal pretest in my own car with a former instructor concluded that I should have no trouble passing, and events confirmed this theory.

Real advice out of that lot:

* You will need some amount of real, in-car instruction from somebody who knows how to drive properly and has the head for teaching it. Those people are more readily found as reputable driving instructors, but it's not the only way.

* Before, during and after any actual lessons you do, reading material on the subject of how a car goes and what to pay attention to while driving will speed up your progress (= a saving on lessons) and add to your overall competence. (It'll also help you to spot a charlatan instructor)

* Do anything you can that'll let you get safely and legally behind the wheel of a vehicle to practice the principles of driving on your own time. Tractors, old bangers, JCBs, doesn't matter. If it has four wheels and an engine it'll teach you things.

Good luck,
Dermot

trotter_inc

I had never driven before I had my first lesson. I took 8 lessons, bought a car and just kept practicing, passed my full test 3 months later - fairly proud of myself tbh

If I can do it anyone can!

Going Demented

When i started driving i had no lessons from a driving instructor. However i had some of the basics as i live on a farm and had been driving a "banger" since i was 12 around the farm. I didn't drive on my own on the roads for about 3 days. I went around with my brothers and mother getting the "hang" of things.

When i took my test i took three lessons. I didn't have to block book them. I just booked them individually. Could have booked more if i wanted, could have booked less.

AMurphy

Going Demented wrote:

When i started driving i had no lessons from a driving instructor. However i had some of the basics as i live on a farm and had been driving a "banger" since i was 12 around the farm. .....

Much the same here.
Started on a "Gray Ferguson" and a Austin A40, kind of indestructible objects. (also started my informal mechanics training on them, the A40 had an electric fuel pump)
I had been co-pilot learning with my mom for a while. She sat in the drivers seat and I steered and changed gears from the passenger seat with one hand. I have my young ones do the same thing.
Tractor driving is a good excersize as it gives plenty practice at skidding, clutch control and why it is a real good idea not to put your hand inside the ring of the steering wheel. Also provides excellent training for reversing trailers.

I was driving short distances and back roads on my own long before I could apply for a liscense.
I remember one occasion, when I wanted to reverse out of a parking spot onto a street and a cop passed by. Called on him to stop the traffic, which he did and waved me on....

I did take one or maybe two lesson prior to the test, that was it.