First driving lesson

[LeavingUp]

Hi. I have my first ever driving lesson on Tuesday. I’m sooo anxious! I can’t believe I’m going to be expected to drive on the road😳 Of course I know this is normal but it just seems crazy! Has anybody any idea what will be taught on my first lesson? Any tips? It’s a 4 hour lesson. Thanks!

4 hrs! That seems very long for a first lesson. It's a long time to concentrate.

Normally your instructor would drive you to a quiet area. Will sit and talk you through the controls etc
You will then drive round and round the block, using first and second gears, and normally left hand turns only. You may be allowed to drive home, but that will depend on the route.

4 hours is awfully long for a first lesson, I’d rethink if I were you. DD was very much done after an hour - there’s a huge amount to focus on and realistically it’s quite stressful being on the road for the first time.

On her first lesson DD’s instructor just went through all of the controls with her and took her to a quiet residential area so that she could practice driving (albeit slowly!🤣) and steering for the first time. It wasn’t until the second lesson that she was on main roads but in hindsight she wasn’t ready and when we got a new, better instructor he had to go back to basics.

4 hours is far far too long. My ds has his first lesson last week it was two hours. They went to a quiet area and talked through the theory of driving then did circles around the block.

I did think 4 hours seemed quite long! I booked a block of 10 hours, they told me it’ll be 4 hours for the first lessons then 2 hours for the other 3

Should definitely be the other way round! I’d cancel to be honest OP - any instructor suggesting this way probably isn’t worth your time or money.

@SlaveToAGoldenRetriever Oh really😞 Ahhh feeling really down now! Thank you though I’d rather people be honest

I've been driving nearly 40 years and love it, but would normally want a break after 3 hours!

Agree with others who've said 4 hours is too long, 2 at the most.

I was considering an intensive course but family/friends advised against it as apparently it’s a lot to take in in a small amount of time.

Now I’m really worried that after my first lesson I’ll be put off. Will definitely think about cancelling

I've been learning to drive recently and having 2 hour lessons. That's definitely long enough. I would have just booked 1 lesson just to seen how it goes. To see if he's a good instructor. Unless you know of others that have used him and recommend him.

Oh no I’m really stressing now🤣

4 hours would kill me, 2 is long enough, you feel quite drained after and me personally get a headache !

I’m going to cancel! I’ve got a headache already just thinking about it🤣

DD(17) is learning to drive. We started by signing her up to 2 Young Driver lessons (they drive round a few roads on a Showground), so she wasn't entirely "new" for her first lesson.

She is 6 hours in doing 2 hours/lesson. A friend was doing 4 hours/lesson in school hols.

The instructor took her out to a very quiet residential road and explained how the car worked. Explained a bit of theory etc and then swapped seats. He took it at her pace. If she'd felt uncomfortable he could have taken her to a big carpark or something. Remember the car has dual control so at worst you might find them braking of steering you from close passes.

Is there anything you can watch online? DD has the James May Theory Test app, which she seems to enjoy.

Good luck (and remember that it is probably best that you are a little anxious rather than being overconfident).

I used to have a 3 hour driving lesson every week plus a single 1 hour lesson. I lived in a teeny tiny town so driving in a nearby city with far more meeting situations and actual speeds above 40mph were important.

The one thing I will say is get free advice on youtube from driving instructors. Conquer Driving has lots about clutch control, understanding the revs of the engine. Then look at DGN and Clearview for mock driving tests with overlay commentary all of which helps you understand. Driving instructors on youtube show you how to do roundabouts etc, and this advice helps you learn before you get into the car and cost yourself money with the physical learning to drive.

Don't cancel, there will be breaks where you are talking about what you will do and then what you have done. A driving instructor has booked you for 4 hours so do the 4 hours. Most driving lessons these days are 2 hours anyway.

When I took my dc on the under 17 driving course, it was over 5 days. We took plenty of breaks throughout the day and they managed fine with concentration.

As it was off road, we spent the first few hours on the clutch with no acceleration, this ensured that their clutch control was better than mine, and this is a really important skill when driving.

I think four hours, with breaks between exercises is fine.

I learned to drive a couple of years ago. The instructor took me to a quiet residential area, drove around the block a couple of times telling me exactly what he was doing then it was my turn. The Next lesson slightly longer with me driving, then slightly longer again and I drove back. The lessons were two hours and I would get back sweat, exhausted and with muscle aches! It's a lot of concentrating. But I passed first time at 37 and driving makes everything so much easier!

Yes to watching driving instructors on YouTube. They really helped me.