Driving Lessons Help

[ctid]

Hi,

I've been having driving lessons for a while (17 weeks now), and still haven't done maneuvers at all. I feel that I'm a competent driver, and don't have any problems with driving around town.

For the last 14 or so lessons, I've just been driving around for an hour. At £20 per lesson, this is getting expensive with me only working 8 hours a week. My parents think my instructor is dragging this out a bit.

What does everyone think? I'm considering having a lesson with a different instructor so they can just assess my driving and let me know if I should have done maneuvers by now.

Cheers

[XA04]

Seems like he's trying to get as much as money out of you as possible.

Is he an ADI? Maybe you should just talk to him and tell him your ready to move on to maneuvers. YOU pay him, so he should help you out.

[FarmerJon]

talk to your instructor & tell him you think you're ready for manouevers. TBH they're not too horrific & some instructors do them at the very end....all they take is practice really, so tell your instructor you'd like to try a couple every lesson. If he doesn't think you're ready then ask him why. If you're not satisfied with what he says then find another one.

[Howard]

I did a bit of everything in each of my lessons. Drove around for a while, stopped and did some manuveurs, drove around some more, etc. Mind you they were two hours long

[ctid]

I'll have a word with him when I have my next lesson. He is an ADI. Do you think it would be worth getting a lesson with another instructor to see where I'm at with my driving and to see what he thinks?

Thanks

[pr0p4g4nd4]

I'll have a word with him when I have my next lesson. He is an ADI. Do you think it would be worth getting a lesson with another instructor to see where I'm at with my driving and to see what he thinks?

Thanks

I'd see what he says once you've told him you think you're ready first and see what he says

[directhex]

how much time are you spending driving with your parents?

[Tarffie]

Christ, what have you been doing? Just driving around? I started maneuvers on my 3rd lesson.

[ctid]

Yeah I've just been driving around. It's a bit of a pisstake if you ask me. I know someone else who has their lessons with my ADI and he has had 20 lessons and only done emergency stops.

[Grey M@a]

14 lessons is taking the mick. I took 12 lessons and that was it, passed theory and the driving test in 12 weeks. so 14 weeks and all you are doing is cruising you need to get rid of the cowboy and get another instructor.

[frumpet]

I agree with Tarffie, i was doing manoeuvres by my 3rd lesson aswell (I did have 2 hour lessons though)

I think you should approach another driving instructor. If you've not even started manoeuvres at all then you've still got a lot to do and its clear that this guy is not exactly pressing you to learn quickly.

I went with the BSM and the 1st thing my instructor asked was "how many lessons do you want to pass in?". I ended up only having 10 lessons (20 hours total) so it does look as if your instructor is dragging it out.

[shelley bda]

Just ask your ADI if you he thinks you are ready to practise manouvres, maybe there are reasons that it's taking time, i didn't start manouvres until my 20th lesson basically when my ADI was confident that i didn't need dual controls and was confident with clutch control

[TiMeZeRo]

slightly off subject but wat driving school do you guys think is best im gonna start driving within a month or 2 and would like a decent school to go to. would preferably like to do intensive course or like 4 2 hour lessons a week because i would like to pass quickly

[Kumagoro]

I have heard that 30 hours is the norm for people to pass first time. I would recommend
doing 2 hour sessions rather than just 1. By the the time you get going its time to head
back. You should try a couple of other instructors you may find someone you like better.

I thought my instructor was rubbish and when he was on holiday his boss taught me and
he was miles better. someone who is strict and pushes you is much better.

Just say you are going to have a break to save some money or something, but def start
doing 2 hour stints

[directhex]

I went with the BSM and the 1st thing my instructor asked was "how many lessons do you want to pass in?". I ended up only having 10 lessons (20 hours total) so it does look as if your instructor is dragging it out.

BSM only have two kinds of instructors though - unqualified trainees, or qualified people in the process of finding a better job elsewhere

i wasted a LOT of time with inadequate lessons from assorted BSM instructors - and I was doing parallel parking far before I was driving at more than about 20mph

[shelley bda]

The DSA say that that on average people who pass first time have had 45 hours proffessional tuition and 22 hours private practice

If your new to driving i wouldn't reccomend an intensive course, your brain wont have the time it needs to process information that it's learnt, there's so much to take in, in those early lessons, your better off with a couple of 2 hour lessons a week i'd say, why the rush in learning to drive? it's such an important skill

As for driving schools, i'd get reccomendations from friends, word of mouth is the best way, try to look for a private instructor though rather than a big chain of driving schools, they tend to have trainees teaching people - trainee's will display a pink license, qualified ADI's will have a green one.