Learning to drive with family or friends
Get the right driving lessons
Driving lessons from family or friends is inevitably less costly than going to an expert driving instructor. However does it ready you for life in a car?
Once they begin learning to drive, most new drivers like to mix tuition from friends and family and professional driving lessons.
That is because it ensures you get as much experience driving as you can – which is valuable if you want to increase your confidence in the car. However, if you rely wholly on teaching from parents or siblings to the exclusion of professional driving lessons, you could miss out on a lot.
Anyone over 21 years old, who has held a full driving licence for at least three years, can give driving instruction. But without the formal training given to driving teachers, they could unintentionally pass on any bad tendancies they have developed since learning to drive.
What’s more, driving instructors will be able to give you beneficial pointers that you are unlikely to get from amateurs.
For example, a professional driving instruction will be able to help you practice for the theory and hazard perception tests. This exam was only introduced in 2002, so any friends or family who are experienced behind the wheel may not have experienced this.
A professional driving instructor will also know of the likely test routes and the greatest locations to practise in between lessons.
A professional is also more likely to have the knowledge needed to get people through their test, highlight areas of driving that need correction and enhance confidence on the road.
Still, it is down to you to find the type of driving lessons that suits you best, be it professional instructions, more relaxed teaching from loved ones, or a combination of the two. There is no right or wrong way in learning to drive so consider the options and get behind the wheel.
Tags: driving, driving instrutors, driving lessons