Average amount of lessons to past the driving test ?

Just wondering as my wife is taking lessons and shes had over 20 so far, I took her out in our car today for an hr and was shocked to learn she hadn’t even practiced emergency stops or even a hill start in all those lessons ?
Not sure if shes a slow learner or we need to change the instructor?
Instructor hasnt even mentioned the theory test as yet (already booked), im starting to think the instructor is dragging it out for the financial side !

40 hrs minimum …

Instructor hasnt even mentioned the theory test as yet (already booked), im starting to think the instructor is dragging it out for the financial side !

Goes without saying as that’s their bread and butter.

it varies between people….

Best idea would be to see what your wife is thinking? Does she feel comfortable, pushed, finding it difficult? You can go and do a bunch of stuff with her too but that is another relationship minefield/test.

In with the first “9 ‘cos I’m an awesome natural driver” 🙂

20-30 sounds about average ime, but you’ll know your wife & her confidence/aptitude better than us to make that call.

[/quote]Best idea would be to see what your wife is thinking? Does she feel comfortable, pushed, finding it difficult? You can go and do a bunch of stuff with her too but that is another relationship minefield/test

She said she felt more comfortable in our car, clutch etc
Im not the most patient person but im happy to take her out now and then for some more practice

What mikewsmith said – ask your wife, and start getting out loads with the L plate on. If you and her cannot do that, find a friend who can, and who is happy to work with what the instructor is teaching method wise.

I helped teach a good few folk to drive and through D1 and +E (trailer), always insisted on half a dozen lessons before I took them out, and then just did loads of varied driving and manoeuvres.

I had one lady who was 25 lessons in and struggling – I took her out and realised the instructor was really, really poor. She dropped him, booked another, did lots with me and passed 6 weeks later….

I did with 6 lessons but that was 25yrs ago and it was probably easier then and I got ‘lessons’ with my folks too between the proper ones.

The kids I teach these days who go off for their lessons seem to do in 20-30 on average. A lot seem to have 2hr lessons though.

( oh and 10 for me, but I could drive tractor and Lada with boat trailers on at work already, and 10 was minimum number to book with instructors at the time)
/willy away

Wife was a driving instructor and wasn’t very good at making money :wink:. She said she should get a student through in 6 months. She would immediately push to get the theory done. It is quite common that instructors drag out as long as they can to make the student more financially useable.

Depends from driver to driver. My instructor didn’t do any theory with me you can learn that yourself, also emergency stops was about a quarter of a lesson, Hill starts is a bit of weird one though would have thought that would have just been included in her general driving. I’m happy that I had a lot of lessons because it meant I had gone beyond just being able to past the test, my aim wasn’t just to get a license but to be comfortable with driving as well.

I had one lady who was 25 lessons in and struggling – I took her out and realised the instructor was really, really poor. She dropped him, booked another, did lots with me and passed 6 weeks later….

cheers for this, Ive said from the start the instructor hasnt pushed much at all, ill be taking her out more when we get back from hols

17 lessons/24 taught hours, but did do a fair bit of driving in between lessons which helped.

I think took about 12 lessons in all. But I could drive a car before I learned how to do it on the road. I had an uncle who taught me at about age 14 to drive cars around the yard and in and out of garages and onto ramps, etc.

I studied the highway code and learned how to pass a test, very singleminded about it. Passed 1st time. Only had one accident, that was someone ploughing in to me in a line of stationary traffic.

It all depends on the student as well as the teacher. My wife failed four times with an instructor that was just driving round in circles and collected the money. She swapped to another instructor whom she passed with first time after about 8 lessons.

Took me one lesson. Well, two actually, but the instructor requested I gave him a lesson as he’d never seen such skillz.

Winner 🙂

I’m an ADI and I always make sure my students have a record book that they keep at the end of each lesson which is updated with what we have covered, what improvements are needed and aims for next lesson.

Average is 40 – 45 hours. I always say having an hour per week will take a student around 10 months from starting with the inevitable holidays, sick days etc.

I’ve had a lad pass in 2 hours ( ex car thief ) and had a girl go to 120 hours. It all depends on the individual.

The DVSA syllabus lists emergency stops at the end of the learning process as they want students concentrating on independent driving and junction work etc. even reversing is covered towards the end as, again, they want to focus on driving.

From a business point of view, I do reversing when they can do roundabouts etc as, if I left it till the end, students expect to be doing it as ” my mate as or my mum did…..”

With regard to hill starts, she has probably done them without knowing as, unless there is a problem, it’s just part of normal clutch control so I don’t focus on it unless they are struggling.

Thanks simmy, ill let her read this for herself 🙂

Thanks simmy, ill let her read this for herself

No probs mate.

If a student says to me they have been out with mum, dad, boyfriend, girlfriend or whatever I always ask ” what did they think of your driving ” to which, I hope they would reply ” well hubby wondered why I’d not done hill starts and emergency stops ” ( in your case ) so then I could explain why it hadn’t be done or wasn’t a worry.

I also offer for mum, dad whoever to tag along in the back so they can see how the student drives with me and what terminology I use. This can be a confidence boost if they know I’m not bouncing off the duals every 2 minutes,

Personally, I would get your missus to ask her instructor for a copy of the record and, hopefully, they have it and they are not just trying to remember what the student has done. I know for one there is no chance I could remember what my students are up to if I didn’t have the records. 2 reasons I give them to the student is so they can show family where they are up to and also I don’t have a car full of books 😀

Failing that ask the instructor when you see them. I know I’d rather someone approach me and ask rather than just disappearing to another ADI.

E Mails in profile if want anymore advice.

Really appreciate the comments simmy, can i ask where abouts you are in the world ?

I was late starter, booked my test four weeks from my first lesson, had 8 lessons then that was that.

I expect its easier when you’re a bit older as you’re more relaxed, more confident and you’ve had a lifetime observing from the passenger seat.

Mrs pf on the other and had 140, since her instructor took advantage of her lack of confidence in her abilities

I had 18 x 1 hr and past 1st time. Which seemed a lot to my peers.

Lesson 12-18 were mock tests.

Most of my friends were 10-14 lessons and didn’t always pass.

My stupid lawyer sister the dodo had 8 tests and 80 lessons or more. Hit a concrete bollard on her test and wrote the car off. Don’t ride when she’s around.

I was driving the far east style like a lunatic apparently according to my driving instructor. i.e. bad habit.

I could drive with no problem but it was the unknown destinations of trying to get there. Can’t get my bearing right. For example, drive to Killingworth … FFS! Where is that? OzLand?

The roundabout … ya that too … I used to be able to drive in multiple lanes circus roundabout in the far east but we don’t many of those there so it was rather confusing for me to navigate around them. We don’t like them.

😯

I was about 40 ……

How ever i could drive before i went for lessons , years of driving 3 speed dumpers and such like round building sites, probably went into my first lesson a bit cocky.

How ever im quite glad he made me take 40 lessons , after watching every single one of my mates that passed in under 10 get their license and loose it again quickly through speeding (the record was chass who didnt last 1 day before getting 6 points) or put the car on its roof.

20-30hrs was about normal.

Think I had 12 x 2hr lessons.

Varies massively, IIRC I did about 20 hours with a wee break in the middle which needed some catchup after- but I had 50000 miles on motorbikes so I basically just had to learn cars, if you know what I mean? Er, and unlearn some stuff also!

I reckon I could have gone to test and quite likely passed after about 12 hours but it wouldn’t have been clever to try. I kind of think you shouldn’t be going to test unless you’re fully confident of passing, there shouldn’t really be any luck.

My brother’s been learning since 2005, not that he’s bad, he’s just never really committed to it- he’s approaching double figures if not there already

I had 3 lessons with an instructor + rather more with my old man. 34 years ago mind you; did my test in my folks VW Shaggin Waggin. 🙂

Really appreciate the comments simmy, can i ask where abouts you are in the world ?

I’m in Bolton mate.

@ Trail Rat :- it amazes me how parents bring there kids up safe but expect them to be driving round a ton of metal after 10 – 12 hours. Had one the other day nearly crash into the back of a transit which was stopped at lights as he was distracted by a Porsche 😯 got back to his, mentioned it to his mum and her reply was, genuinely, shall I book him in anyway ?!?!?!?

@ piemonster :- like you did, students do learn quicker with 2 hour sessions if they can do it. Some switch off after 1 1/2 hours and end the lesson on a low as they made mistakes in the last 30 mins.

cheers simmy, shame ur not closer as we`re in Birmingham 🙁
appreciate all the comments, were away soon so will continue when we get back from hols, talking to the wife i get the feeling she wants to try another instructor to compare techniques etc and see if they are any better ? … shes got a female instructor so may try a male this time

See if the exhibitionist is any good for you http://www.colinsdrivingschool.co.uk

I’ve been for a pint with Colin years ago and he’s a sound lad. His forum name on the ADI forum was exhibitionist as he used to travel the world setting up shows in places like the NEC etc.

Not heard from him for ages as that forum went off line and we all lost touch but he was a keen MTBer and used to go on about Cannock Chase.

Tell him nomis from ADI forum gave you his details.

cheers simmy , ill look into it 🙂

I needed to pass to a deadline because we were going travelling and I needed to share the driving… my first instructor only got me on to proper roads after 6 or 7 lessons of cruising slowly around back roads doing simple turns, which was way too slow (especially as I was moderately familiar with the controls and also with general roadcraft from years of cycling) so I switched to someone who had a very different approach and had me going 60 on the dual carriageway within a couple of lessons… so yeah, lots of difference even within the same agency (Red, in this case)

Having said that it really helped to have a solid foundation of basic skills to build on rapidly afterwards, so maybe it worked out for the best.

It took me about 45 hours, which was a long time, much longer than my mates, but I was only having a one hour lesson a week, and never went out with anyone else.

I was a slow/cautious driver, and my instructor lost a few students as not everyone got on with him, so probably not the best combination but I was a student and he was all I could afford.

In all the lessons we had he only took me to the town where the test centre was twice. That said we did a lot of reversing round corners and parallel parking, as well as hill starts at junctions etc. We only did the emergency stop once as when I did it he said the last time he saw someone do an emergency stop that good was when his instructor was teaching him.

My instructor did say that having more than one lesson a week will get you through in less than half the time, and recommended going out with family/friends to get more experience. I wish I was able to do this as I passed the week before Christmas and we had a lot of ice and snow in January, not the best conditions for an inexperienced driver, but I did learn a lot about car control.

My instructor did say that having more than one lesson a week will get you through in less than half the time, and recommended going out with family/friends to get more experience.

That would make sense, even if only from a mathematical stand point 😉

I did 8 lessons, 3 right at the start to get me going, then drove with the parentals for 3 or 4 months, then had 5 intensive lessons (usually between 1 and 2 hours) right before the test. Passed first time. It’s definitely worth chatting to the instructor and finding out how best to supplement the lessons in your own time.

Put in for test and had 12 lessons in 6 weeks and passed. But I did have the advantage of previous driving experience around fields in tractors and other vehicles.

Boy things have changed! 31 years ago I booked a trial lesson (half price) and a block of 4 to get going with. End of trial the instructor helped me apply for the test ASAP. The 4th lesson in the block was used as a trial run before taking (and passing) the test in the instructors car. Lessons back then were about £8 an hour and seemed very expensive! Think my instruction was £36 in total 🙂

Obviously having grown up on a farm helped, plus the fact that back then even your 17 year old school mates could sit in with you if they’d already passed their test.

That would make sense, even if only from a mathematical stand point

Mathematically it would be half the time. His point was that it would be less than half the time as he claimed his students that left a full week between lessons took longer to pass in terms of total lessons than those that had more than one lesson a week.

Ten for my my mother, who is the only person I know to pass her test first time TWICE! I’ll let you work it out.

The nerd in me says you really want median, and I’d hazard 40 hours of practice, perhaps 20 of which being formal lessons.

I had one actual lesson just before my test, but my Dad taught me to drive. Like learning any new skill, lots and lots of practice is the key.

About 5 months of one or two lessons per week but with a month of in the middle, plus practice outside lessons (and a couple of sessions on a private road before I turned 17). I got through 2 instructors – the first one I was almost in tears by the end of a lesson whereas with the second one I was much better and ended up passing first time.

My mum workes in the same town as where I went to school (rural area) so I’d get 30 minutes or so each way every day with her once she felt confident enough in my driving to let me drive her car.

I had 7