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Original poster

How many driving lessons before you took your kid out to practice?

87 replies

StressedLP1 · 02/02/2025 08:34

Just wondering what others did.

I taught by DS the basics in a vary quiet car park and he’s now had three lessons with an instructor where they go in fairly quiet roads.

Shoujd I be taking him for practice now or wait till he’s had more lessons?

OP posts:
DiscoBeat · 02/02/2025 09:49

Curious to know too! DS is about to have his first lesson. Both our cars are automatic though so we're buying him a manual car and it's been about 10 years since I drove a manual so I'll probably have to drive it a bit myself first to remind myself! I'm thinking it would be good to get several lessons in first... DS wants to do it intensively - loads of lessons all in one go.

SaturdayKitchenSally · 02/02/2025 09:50

I took mine out in an empty car park before they had lessons, three lessons in we started doing a really quiet route.

I'm going out with my youngest atm, I don't enjoy supervising the bit where they're actually driving properly and getting up to 50 mph on appropriate roads at all. I'm fine at the start of their journey.

I was exactly like this with DC1 so it is definitely a me thing.

Original poster
StressedLP1 · 02/02/2025 09:50

I will double check with his instructor.

After his first lesson the instructor said he had ‘all the basics. He just needs to get out on the road’.

After his second I mentioned that I’d taken him out round our village and the instructor didn’t bat an eye.

I’ve not taken him since then. I was going to take him in the village again this morning but my son didn’t think it would be very useful. His driving lessons are in Friday evening rush hour traffic!

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Driving & parking
SaturdayKitchenSally · 02/02/2025 09:52

@DiscoBeat I also had to buy a manual car for DCs to share. I'm amazed at how light the clutch is, it is absolutely fine and not remotely like the manual cars I drove a couple of decades ago.

lemonyellows · 02/02/2025 09:52

I never did this. Left it to the professionals

haremscarem55 · 02/02/2025 10:28

Pretty much straight away we started off in an empty park and ride car park at the weekend, then once they'd had a few lessons each (so 5 or 6 hours) we would do a route around side roads in the evenings when it was quiet. Had twins and an older one (3 in 3 years) so cost of lessons and getting practice hours in was key.

I didn't see it as me teaching, just getting more practice hours in, all of which improve your judgement, exposure and confidence. I found I would narrate a lot with things to consider, watch out for (positioning in road, lower speed/gear, tight turns etc).

I won't lie, there were some tense and stressful moments! 🫣

Chipsahoy · 02/02/2025 10:30

LauraNorda · 02/02/2025 08:45

Maybe I have. I started off simple. Took them to a car park and got them used to the bite point first, with the handbrake on. Then got them moving off smoothly but staying in first. Then got them changing gear. When I thought they were half-decent at that, we have a long, straight, dead-end road near us so they could get speed up and into 5th. When they mastered that, it was onto the open road.

I got them lessons when driving was second nature to them, just to bring them up to todays expectations.

Eldest passed his test first go. Middle one is due to start lessons soon after I have been taking him out for a year or more. Youngest is at the long straight road stage.

Show quote history

A year before even starting lessons seems a long time. Don’t most people pass in under a year?
Everyone I know was driving before 18

MrsAvocet · 02/02/2025 10:36

We did the opposite. DH taught our DC until he thought they were competent drivers and then we got them a few lessons at the end to get familiar with the test routes and procedures before they took their tests. There's no one right way to do it - depends what the parent and their child are comfortable with.

LauraNorda · 02/02/2025 10:38

Chipsahoy · 02/02/2025 10:30

A year before even starting lessons seems a long time. Don’t most people pass in under a year?
Everyone I know was driving before 18

Show quote history

The lads car is an automatic and instructors with automatics are few and far between here, with long waiting lists.

MagpiePi · 02/02/2025 10:43

I’m another one who taught them the basics in a car park then went on to quiet roads, gradually increased taking them out onto busier roads and then made them drive as much as possible.

They had some lessons prior to their tests, but they seemed to mostly be driving round without the instructor saying anything.

One time I asked the instructor to practice parallel parking with one of them, and he did it once and then just drove around for the rest of the hour.

LauraNorda · 02/02/2025 12:24

Enko · 02/02/2025 09:29

I refuse to take my children out to practice. I just do not believe someone without a qualification should teach someone else to drive.

I think thats just daft. The quickest way to master a skill is through repetition and practice, whether thats driving, learning the piano or bricklaying.

Papyrophile · 02/02/2025 12:33

DC had a half-dozen lessons with the instructor, and after that I let them drive everywhere with me in the passenger seat, including to and from school twice a day. The first trip was a 70-mile round trip on unfamiliar roads. It was quite stressful for us both, but they passed the full license 4.5 months after turning 17.

This is a very rural area though so driving is an essential skill.

Dontlletmedownbruce · 02/02/2025 12:38

Reading with interest, DS is waiting for his first lesson date. I have an automatic so the driving itself will be easy to learn. It's the motoring in general I'm worried about. Gauging speed of an oncoming car before turning right, knowing when to merge, overtaking a tractor, knowing when to stop at amber lights or get through. These things all take so much practice and can't be covered in lessons alone. I'll have to start researching local industrial estate car parks for practice.

Aaron95 · 02/02/2025 12:38

We took the kids to a local industrial estate before they ever got lessons. Once they got the feel for the controls, they became our chauffeurs for the next few months.

Only once they were competent did we send them to an instructor so they could pick up the things examiners look for during a test. Both had about 6 actual lessons and then passed their tests.

A lot of the required skills required repetition and practice. To me there seems no point paying a fortune to an instructor for that.

GrazeConcern · 02/02/2025 12:41

@enko very short sighted, I did 2000 miles of practice with my parents when I learnt to drive. Made me a much better driver at a young age than many of my peers.

Cremeeggtime · 02/02/2025 12:42

I assume you have put him on insurance?
I take mine out a couple of times a week. It is nerve wracking, though you see improvements quickly. I "teach" about the roads - on this roundabout we need this lane because... watch out at this junction as people often ignore the give way... slow down here as we're near a school... etc.

Cremeeggtime · 02/02/2025 12:43

If it will completely destroy your relationship though, don't do it! 😅

rwalker · 02/02/2025 12:48

took them out to learn setting off and hill start after that didn’t
thing is it’s all changed with things like rd position and going down gears when approaching junction

CantHoldMeDown · 02/02/2025 12:59

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

AngelsWithSilverWings · 02/02/2025 13:05

DS was desperate to learn to drive.

We have a place near us where for £15 ( for all day in your own car) you can teach a child to drive at any age ( as long their feet touch the pedals!)

We took DS at age 12 for a birthday treat once and then when he was 16 we took him quite a lot to get him used to driving.

Once he started his driving lessons on his 17th birthday he was already quite proficient ( Instructor said he was the best new driver he had ever taken outing a first lesson)

DS did 7 two hour lessons and then passed his test first time.

To be honest the most stressful bit for DS was getting a test booked in.

Dontlletmedownbruce · 02/02/2025 13:08

@CantHoldMeDown yes I think that's the right way to do it. I've tried with DS, we has an argument about it the other day! He was watching tiktok on his phone and wouldn't pay attention and I told him I wouldn't take him out until he took an interest.

weaselyeyes · 02/02/2025 13:09

My dad largely taught me and then I had a few lessons to prep for the test. I intended to do the same with my daughter, and have done overall, but I underestimated how stressful it would be! Looking back, my dad had the patience of a saint - to which I was utterly oblivious, of course.

I took her out in a car park and then going round side streets - a bit nerve wracking round here as they're very narrow and congested. I then got her an instructor, but it's been quite hard to find a good one with space when she's free, and they don't get on terribly well. She's had more lessons than I had planned on, so it's been really hard finding the cash for them. She has her test in just over a week, so I'm praying she passes first time, though prepared for the fact she most likely won't.

I don't think my passenger nerves will go away quickly. I realise now what a long time after passing it takes to be really competent. I was a very confident young driver and now I'm a less confident older one, which has come as a bit of a surprise. I guess it's just one more of those parenting things where you have to do your best and trust them to be ok whilst you struggle to overcome your anxiety about it.

FrenchandSaunders · 02/02/2025 13:14

I took ours out on quiet roads and industrial estates to get the hang of things before paying for lessons.

They didn’t need many lessons, poss 10 or so.
just took them out constantly myself. Bit hair raising at times 🤣

Howinthehelldidthishappen · 02/02/2025 13:31

Mine went out before their first lesson.
Then at least 5 times a week every week.
From first lesson to passing test first time was 5 months. Would have been sooner if we could have got a test quicker.
The many many hours of practise was a massive help.

theduchessofspork · 02/02/2025 13:35

It was at least ten..

In the interests of family harmony I’m happy to add icing but not make the cake - probably partly because the only time my dad took me out we shot off the old car park we were practising (aka shouting) on into a very muddy field.. cue slow sinking and even more shouting during the pushing to get out..