What were your DCs first driving lessons like?

[JustAMiddleAgedDirtBagBaby]

DS 19 has just started driving lessons. His first one, he pootled around an almost empty car park and got a feeling for the car, steering, controls etc.

Next lesson was on a local industrial estate which is often swarming with learners, he did a couple of laps which was fine. Then the instructor got him to drive off the industrial estate and back towards town on a fairly busy A road, round a roundabout, through a couple of villages and along a windy, hilly road.

DS very shaken by this and felt that he had been completely thrown in at the deep end without warning. I've tried to reassure him that the instructor wouldn't have done this if he didn't think DS was capable - not least because he wouldn't want to risk his car! - but it does seem a bit of a leap from lesson one and I sympathise.

I suspect this might be a case of DSs learning style and this guy's teaching style not working together but I'm interested to know how this compares to other people's experience in the early lessons.

Both my children drove on roads in their first lesson- one went on a dual carriageway-a pretty empty one but still

That's amazing to me - but possibly because we live quite rurally and I'm not even sure where our nearest dual carriageway is!

My son just drove off from outside our house. He went on the dual carriageway on lesson 4 but only the 40mph bit. He has had about 10 lessons now and has been up to 60mph on the dual carriageway. He has also learned all of the manoeuvres.
Edit to add: he did a roundabout on lesson 1 and turning right at traffic lights lesson 2.

DS had his third driving lesson this morning and was still in a supermarket car park doing turns in the "road", changing gear (up to 2nd gear), left and right turns, a few shallow sloped hill starts and a steering slalom course.

But then, he's only 10!

We are in the US and all of mine drove on the freeway in their first lesson!

They get 10 hours of lessons here then do 70 hours of driving with a parent or other over-21 driver, then take their test.

On the roads from lesson one and some fairly busy ones. Remember the instructor has a brake too!

Straight out onto the roads. I used to take him out regularly.

I've never heard of being taken around a car park first! Usually straight out on the roads.

One of mine was straight on main roads etc and passed first time. The other one was arsing about on a car park and side roads for weeks. We changed instructor recently.

If the driving instructor is up for it, why not?

I started DC in a car park, for both my sanity and for my car. If I had had dual controls, I might have been more confident. As it was I just had a healthy grip on the OMG handle.

Driving on roads straight away. There was none of the driving around industrial estates at all - you even go on motorways on lessons now (albeit not at the beginning)

Rural here and driving 60mph B road home on first lesson (granted not at 60) down winding country single lane roads and in the local town