My friend just told me I will never pass my driving test only doing a 1 hour a week lesson

[Evangeline1992]

Is she right? :( I am not in a position to afford any more than that right now and feel a bit deflated now. My first lesson is tomorrow and she said I might as well not bother as it isn't enough time.

Most people I know only had one lesson a week and no extra practice. Dont listen to what she is staying. Be positive and enjoy your lesson.

Can she drive?

Sounds like your friend is trying to put you off getting a drivers license. Does she tend so drag you down? Her comment is utterly ridiculous, I passed on once a week lessons with no extra practice. That’s how most of the people I knew at school did it too. Ignore her, do it anyway and when you pass your test flick the Vs every time you drive past her house.

Of course you will pass your test; slow and steady. Just asked DP ,former instructor and he says it will be fine 😊
If you do have anyone who could help Arnold Clark hire dual control cars at a very good rate.
Best of luck 🍀

Well rise to the challenge and prove her wrong . As plenty of pp’s have demonstrated its perfectly possible . Good luck .

Your friend is being dismal. A weekly one-hour lesson is fine and is the way nearly everyone did it 20 or 30 years ago. It's only recently there's been a fashion to do lots of practice on a family car in between lessons. My DDad was a driving instructor and used to positively discourage pupils from going out with 'lay' family members in non-training vehicles as he thought it just made you pick up all their bad habits.

What he did recommend, though, was practising in your head the physical processes of driving as if you were actually doing it: depress clutch/engage first gear/ease up to biting point/release handbrake/accelerate, and so on. I used to do it when I was trying to fall asleep at night. He thought it reinforced learning and everything we know now about neural plasticity suggests he was right.

I passed first time with one lesson a week and no practice. Took about 6 months.

I think 1 x 1hr a week lesson is the most 'usual way to have lessons.
I also think you will learn much quicker if you don't start lessons now, but put your money aside each week for say 3 months, and then have either 1 x 2 hr or 2 x 1 hr lessons a week, so you spend the same amount of money, you will still have had 26 hours worth of lessons at the end of 26 weeks, BUT you won't spend 20mins at the beginning of each lesson, getting back to where you were at the end of the previous lesson.
(This will be dependent on you being able to create the time / get a sitter for your dc twice a week of course.)

My dds have had two hour lessons and it has meant they have been able to drive further, and therefore gain experience on different types of roads - busy High Street in traffic / country roads / A roads with filter lanes and National speed limits (so very much like motorway driving) - all before thinking about their tests. It can be quite difficult for a lot of people to be close enough to drive to all those ifferent sorts of roads, get in some worthwhile practice, and home again in an hour.

I didn't without any practice in-between and passed my test first time, and I was embarrassingly bad at learning to drive! Yes it will take longer but it isn't impossible.

of course you can-if thats what you can afford go for it

your friend is being a twat

It depends on how you take to it and what your learning style is. One hour a week plus practice wasn't enough for me and I failed twice. I took a break and when I went back to learning to drive a few years later I had two hours twice a week for a couple of months and finally passed. Go for it and hopefully you'll do just fine.

I learnt to drive on one hour a week, if not less - no access to any cars to practice and crazily sleep-deprived as a single mother of a 3 month old. Can’t remember how many lessons but I was definitely driving before DD’s 1st birthday. Good luck OP. Under no circumstances listen to your friend.

Rubbish. I did. I had about 20 lessons (didn't keep count but u imagine it was around that) and passed first time.

I put in for a cancellation Before I started lessons and it came through really quickly. Subsequently I only had time for 4 proper lessons and passed first time. I Did about 6 hours with my mum and dad as well.

I think I must have done 1hr a week, took me 8 years but I got there in the end (I think I had a break or two for a bit though)

You really need to be practising yourself in between lessons, otherwise you are going to be spending a hell of a lot of money on 'lessons'.

Maybe save up for an intensive driving course and get all the practise and test done in 1-2 weeks.

i did an intensive one week course & passed the second test - blew the first one prolly due to exhaustion !

I did 30 hours of instruction in five days. Two learners & dedicated instructor in the car. One learner at the wheel, the other in back seat swotting Highway Code/recovering from intensive driving tuition.

So an hour a week over several months seems sound to me.

Your friend is mean.

@Evangeline1992

No deadline. I would be happy to pass in a year-18 months. Hoping that's realistic?

No, it's mad. 50-75 lessons? You'd be infinitely better off taking maybe six to get the hang of it then a weekend access course with test to finish off.

An hour a week won't be terrible, but it's not optimal. 90 minutes/week, or two one hour lessons a week would be better from a learning perspective, if you can swing it.

I had one lesson a week with the instructor. Can't remember how many tbh but not a massive amount. As for for practicing I had one practice with my Df which was interesting and one with my dsis to practice Hill starts. It was ok apart from when she thought I was going to scrape her car on a branch at the side of the road cue some yelling. My Dm well let's just say I wasn't going to go there!!!! I passed 1st time which seemed to take my DM by surprise.

She's talking rubbish. I did it with no extra practise and passed first time. Good luck op and ignore the negative nelly.

I only had one lesson a week because that's all I could afford. Passed my test in my dads Land Rover.

I'd say pretty much everyone I know had one lesson a week. I dont know anyone who had 2. Ignore her. You'll do fine

I had one lesson a week and no other practice time.

I don't think your friend is being very helpful.

I could only do 1 a week due to it fitting round work. When i got closer to booking my test my flatmate kindly put me on her insurance so i got extra practice.
I managed to pass ok doing this.

@Evangeline1992

No deadline. I would be happy to pass in a year-18 months. Hoping that's realistic?

I did it but that was after I learned to drive in US...Not sure if that hurt me or helped me

I did one hour a week for six weeks, no practice because I was learning in a manual and my parents’ car was automatic, and passed first go.