First driving lessons - in dark??

[tenlittlecygnets]

Dd has just booked her first driving lesson. It's two hours, in the dark. Seems odd to me? A long time to concentrate, and you can't see!

Is this normal??

DS2 had his first lesson in the dark. He wanted one as near to his birthday as possible (Jan) and that was the first one the instructor offered.
The next one was in the light though. Also he had driven the car at one of those Young Drivers things a couple of times before.

I assume the instructor thinks it's fine? I wouldn't worry.

What a lovely opportunity.

So many new drivers are nervous of driving after dark. Thui seems an excellent way to become better skilled, all within the regular lessons

I did. Started learning in winter, could only really go after work. I think it made me more confident driving at night than other people I know.

Sounds fine to me.

Two hours is totally normal and it's winter - the number of daylight hours is considerably limited! The instructor won't be able to afford to stop lessons at 4pm.

I had my first driving lesson in 2018 so fairly recently, and I didnt spend the whole 2 hours driving. We went to a nice quiet estate with really wide roads, and the instructor took me through how the lessons would work, the controls etc and then i think we did about 45 mins of driving around and around and then it was lesson over. I do think it is a good thing to have a lesson or 2 after dark as unfortunately it is a bit of a shock to the system the first time you drive in the dark.

I half wish I'd done some lessons in the dark. Maybe not my first ones but now after 3 years of driving, I still absolutely despise driving in the dark

My dd started learning in October so lessons were in the dark and it was fine.
It's good practice.

Thanks, all! Good to have some reassurance. She's booked it. Eek!!

@tenlittlecygnets

Thanks, all! Good to have some reassurance. She's booked it. Eek!!

Are you going to be going out with her for driving practice? Double eek!

My first one was in a car park at night. A security guard came over to ask what we were doing but was satisfied that it was a good enough excuse.

@Sparklingbrook - yes!! My car is smaller than DJ's.

The insurance... triple eek!

[quote tenlittlecygnets]@Sparklingbrook - yes!! My car is smaller than DJ's.

The insurance... triple eek![/quote]
I got used to it but never found it enjoyable. A real test of your relationship with your teenager!

My birthday is in winter months, was desperate to drive...lessons in the dark

Both my daughters had their first lessons in the dark, in fact it was snowing for one of them too.

The other daughter’s second lesson was on quiet backroads except that there was an accident on the main A road, so all the traffic was diverted around the backroads she was driving on.

It will be fine.

All my lessons were in the dark, 7-9pm once a week, September through til feb when I passed my test, with a few weeks break for Christmas. It was fine, I had a couple of weekend lessons before my test in the daylight as actually driving in the dark made some things easier, like knowing someone is approaching a junction because of the lights.