To teach my 3 sons to drive myself?

Me and DH did this. DS and DD each had 5-6 lessons with an instructor but otherwise we taught them. Both passed first time!

My first has an instructor backed up with hours of practice and the next one struggled to find an instructor so I taught him and he passed after 4-5 months first time. He did go above and beyond with TikTok videos on everything from bay parking to roundabout procedures so deserved to pass as he was very mature. The examiner asked him who taught him and he wasn’t sure whether to lie and say an instructor but fessed up and said it was mum. The instructor beckoned me over and said I’d done a very good job !

depends on your relationship with your child really and how anxious you are .

Have also been considering this for my kids supplemented with a few lessons.

What a state of affairs though. My parents paid my lessons in the early 1990s despite being on pretty low incomes. How has it come to a situation where we can’t afford lessons for our kids?! Although 3 at once would be a struggle for anyone.

Part of my reason for considering DIY instruction is that the insurance costs on top of this (which can’t be avoided if you intend to do some practice with kid or let them actually drive after passing) are totally mad.

I distinctly remember my parents having to shell out fully £28 in extra insurance when I was a learner and then I was just added to their policy for peanuts once I’d passed. Now that’s illegal and known as ‘fronting’. How convenient for insurers.

Everything is just a ridiculous cost.

I think we will see more people DIYing many more things going forward, that in the past they may have contracted out. Things I now do myself as I can’t afford to buy these services in, include: actual home DIY; painting and decorating; basic and sometimes more complex motor maintenance; (probably) driving lessons; garden maintenance, all sorts. Thank god for YouTube instructional videos: they’ve saved me £100s but I am paying in a loss of free time…

In Australia, generally parents teach kids to drive. My son is learning at the moment. He has had a few lessons too, in a manual (mine is an auto) just to learn manual and get some of the trickier things like reverse parking.

out kids have to do 100 hours of logged driving to even go for the test. There is no way anyone could afford to pay for that so it has to be the parents.

its definitely been challenging teaching him however. But he’s improving slowly.

I did a mixture with my DC so started them off with a few sessions of basics eg clutch control and basic manoeuvres - then they had approx 10-12 lessons including road placement, basic traffic skills then I took them out for an hours practice each day until test
Both passed first time in under 6 months - although it was a few years ago and easier to book a test etc

2 kids taught and 1 to go.
I reckon you definitely need some proper lessons to learn how to pass the test, but definitely teach the basics yourself.
Empty car parks early morning / late evening to start with.
Definitely get them all driving - such a useful life skill. Worth the investment.

Haha, my father used to take me to the local B&Q car park to practice. We spent most of it arguing!

That unfortunately is not equipping anyone for driving on real roads outwith island living.

we took dd out in the car a few times, always ended in snot and tears. I wouldn’t advise it unless you and your sons have the patience of a saint.

dd and ds are 22 months apart so was an expensive time however hey had part time jobs and we helped out with the odd lesson here and there after the initial 10 we bought as a gift for their 17th birthday.

We taught our 2 boys to drive ( both DH and me) and it was fine - there were some hairy moments but we started in a huge car park until they got the basics then did small quiet roads and then eventually bigger roads - but it took a lot of patience and there were definitely times when we all shouted at each other - apparently it’s not good to grab for the hand brake if you are feeling nervous! But keep at it and you will get there - the second was easier than the first - by the time you teach 3 you will be an expert!

They need to have lessons initially and then you take them out to practice & get experience. Then a few refresher lessons before the test.

Don't do the initial teaching - you will argue more than you think is possible & pass on all your bad habits & out of date practices.

My friends son passed without any lessons from a driving instructor BUT he is autistic & was very keen to drive ASAP so he did his research & his parents spent many hours with him in the family car & he passed 1st time! My son had around 15 lessons which is apparently quite low BUT he was driving my car with me at least once a day. I can't tell you how many hours we did but my petrol bill was sky high! Good luck!

I never took any of my four out. They only had lessons with a driving instructor mainly because they have dual control if anything went wrong.

It's safer to have a few lessons in a duel control car with a qualified instructor first. There is a method to passing the test that would challenge experienced drivers who have got into thier own habits. The instructors will also know the test routes and all the tricky things the examiners are looking to catch candidates out on.

Yes! Do it yourself. Driving is mostly about experience.

It will depend on your nerves!! My dad always took me out so I didn't need many lessons. I literally drove everywhere. I had some lessons before sitting the test but this was 1997 and easy to get lessons and test dates!!

You might find you can do it with one child but not the other - my brother preferred an instructor!

We also lived very rurally so needed to drive.

I’m quite proud of the fact that I started both mine off from the start.
terrifying initially, but it was ok.
they had lessons from maybe a month onwards.

My dad is teaching dd2 in her own car. But he was a driving instructor until he retired a few years ago. I take her out too. She’s quite a good little driver now.

In Ireland you HAVE to have so many lessons with an instructor before you are allowed out with your parent. I think that this is the case in Germany too.

I taught DS. He had 4 or 5 lessons with an instructor but I took him out daily. He passed first time within 2 months of turning 17 after getting a cancellation.

I taught both my DC to drive at 17. Why can’t your DH pass his test? I have never known anyone ever to fail their theory test !

He’s 23 now, and that was the most vicious row we’ve ever had.

I booked him lessons first thing the next morning, with dh going, “I told you so” very smugly.

I will never attempt to teach any of the other children to drive. I now know why my dad refused to teach me.

Teaching your own kids to drive is quite common here. My brother taught his kids and the benefit was that they got a lot of extra lessons compared to a driving school. My parents did not teach us. Cause dad does not have the patience and mom is a nervous driver 😅

Why not? In other countries it is standard for parents to teach their children to drive and it used to be more common in the UK. If you have nerves of steel and an easygoing nature, as well as an ability to teach well, give it a go.

FWIW I should add that my dad learned to drive from his dad. Although my father was an excellent driver (truly among the best drivers I have ever known), he refused outright to teach my siblings and me. He said the stress of learning from his father was too intense and he had no interest in repeating that in the next generation!

Surely the last time your dh was even behind the driving wheel was 16 years ago on the day he failed his test?

How is DH a good driver if he still hasn’t passed his test? It sounds like he doesn’t want to bother.

I taught my son when he was 17 because his driving instructor kept messing him around. He had 6 hrs of proper lessons then me and him did several long drives where he drove for an hour, we stopped off in a pub then we drove for another hour etc. All fine with him but everyone is different