How are DC learning to drive these days?!

[FlyRobinFly]

Looking to book an intense driving course for my niece’s 18th. Don’t mind spending a few hundred, we are very close so I want to help her. She lives rurally and is tearing her hair out not having access to jobs etc. Her mum tries her best but can only afford the odd lesson every 6 or so weeks (and that’s through scrimping and scraping) so DN isn’t progressing. Before somebody says she should be paying for her own DN literally cannot get a job because there’s only hospitality jobs going in the nearby village and she’d be doing late finishes with no car, her mum is a carer working funny shifts. She’s been outright told at interviews they will probably go with a candidate with better access to work. We are in Cheshire, I can’t seem to find any taking bookings. Has anybody’s DC done one? How do you get a place? We don’t mind travelling, she needs to get driving ASAP.

I’ve even looked at block paying for normal lessons but cannot get a place. Ideally it’d be an intense course. Can anybody recommend one? It’s a bit of a desperate situation.

In case anyone cares,lol....
I personally think it's really interesting to see how other parts of the world parent and live.MN has definitely taught me A LOT!

I was coming on to be helpful, but my experience is pre-pandemic so it's probably not. But after 5 lessons with an instructor locally, DS drove his car to and from school with me as passenger/instructor from September to early December. He passed his Theory in September and got his full license first time. It's the daily practice on familiar roads that will cement skills and confidence.

Her dad (my DB) has £1500 set aside for a car when she passes but says she has to pass first. Me, DN and her mum all pitched to him that it’d be better to get the car now so she can practice in it but he won’t budge.

Tornado, it didn't use to be this hard in the UK, it's because they cancelled driving tests during covid and there has been an examiners' strike as well, and so there is a massive backlog. Personally I think they should have temporarily moved the age to 18 until the backlog had passed.

Another thing is that when you pass your theory test, you have two years to pass your practical. That sounds generous until covid hits and you have a test cancelled, then you fail and then finally you get a third date, a week after your theory test expired. In my view they should have extended the period theory tests are valid for - the government said no because of safety but loads of people never did a theory test at all, so it's nonsense. Another thing with the theory test is that you have to have passed it before you book your practical, for which people can't get a date for six months unless they do jiggery pokery with an app, so you've already wasted six months of the 24 months.

My 17 year old has just passed her test with a lot of prep, planning and money! To speed things up, we applied for her provisional 3 months before her birthday, booked her theory for the day after her 17th birthday. Rang a number of driving instructors months before her birthday and got her on a waiting list, ready for her first lesson as soon as she turned 17.
We booked blocks of 10 driving hours and as we are fairly rural each lesson had to be 2 hours long to get to where the test routes are. It was £350 for 10 hours and we had to pay for 4 blocks of these so a total cost of £1400. The instructor was very helpful though, booked her a driving test date after her first lesson and guaranteed he would have her ready in time. She was and passed less than 4 months after her 17th birthday.

It's very very difficult and I feel for her. I had to get a job at 17 and pay for my own lessons but in the end was moving to uni and didn't have the funds to complete it. I ended up delaying it until my early 20's when I left uni and had a secure job and could afford it.

The car will be expensive and the insurance will probably be more expensive than the car for the first year. So even if you do get the funds together for lessons the cost of getting and insuring on a car is also ridiculous.

I have no idea how young people are supposed to be able to afford to drive. I guess the answer is "parents" but when you dont have that to fall back on the answer seems to be you can't until you can pay for it yourself.

You don’t need two lessons a week. Put her name down with a few instructors. One lesson a week and two or three practice sessions a week with a family member will be sufficient. If she hasn’t already done her theory ideally I would get her on with this.

My son had his first lesson on 19th January, he's going to be having 1 x hourly lesson per week so he has had 2 lessons so far.

But the instructor said to go out with him in his car as much as we can, so we have literally been doing that. I can't believe he's only been driving for 11 days as he has done so well and he can do so much already!!

So my point is, going out with me, my DH and my son's grandad has been what's really helped.

I don’t trust the big national companies offering intensive courses as I think they just outsource to other local driving schools and will take your money without guaranteeing availability.

She does had a driving instructor currently but he’s useless tbh, doesn’t progress her at all.

This local company does a 20 hour intensive course with a lesson.

www.altrinchamdrivingschool.co.uk/product/intensive-20-hour-course/

Going to give them a ring and see about availability. My advice to other people looking at intense courses is don’t just Google “intensive courses’ and book a big company! Check your local driving schools and see what they offer.

She really does need it done, she’s going to uni in Manchester in September on a degree with hospital and community placements etc.

Ilive your roads are huge over there which helps. We're squeezed into too skinny roads which makes driving a bit harder.

They're so expensive atm. I can't afford them for my dd. I'm buying her a run around and will teach her myself. I'll pay for a few lessons before her test.

Why?

Because he wants the glory of buying her first car but expects the women to sort the grunt work first?

£1500 is probably less than the lessons & test will cost you.

It sounds like she isn’t doing too well with her current instructor, has anyone looked deeper into this? Is it because of the big gap between lessons?

Different people learn at different rates. I had about 45 hours of lessons in total, no practice with a parent and passed my test second time.I also switched instructors after failing the first time (was due to location more than anything, but on reflection the second instructor was much better suited to me).

My brother had 6 lessons in total, loads of practice with my mum and passed first time.

My sister had more lessons and less practice time with my mum, she passed first time.

A cousin had over 60 hours of lessons, no practice time and passed 3rd time. He also took a year off lessons after failing the 2nd time.

My siblings and I are all now confident drivers on all types of roads and think nothing of driving across the country, it just took different amounts of time and money to get us to that point.

My point is there’s no definitive amount of hours required to pass the test and the way it’s delivered can make a big difference. Personally, an intensive course would not have went well for me. I found the lessons quite intense at the start and I was quite tired afterwards (2 hour lessons at least once a week). Also if you have a bad lesson where mistakes keep following on from each other it’s not as big a deal on a 1 or 2 hour lesson, on 6 hour day where you have a test at the end of the week it would be very stressful.

My concern would be that you spend a lot of money on an intensive course for it not to work out and then it takes ages to be able to save up to take more lessons. It would be beneficial for your or another family member or friend who is confident to take her out in a hired dual control car for a few hours to get a decent idea of where she is at and how she handles it before spending lots cash.

Also as PP have mentioned the cost of insurance for the 1st year is more than likely to cost more than the value of car you are talking about. Definitely worth considering if this is affecting before going down this route. Loads of people don’t start driving until their early 20s these days.

She really needs that car now and get out practising. That's the only way my DDs managed to do it. An hour or two a week with an instructor isn't enough. She needs to be driving with her dad or you several times a week. Has she passed her theory?

This will sound stupid but tell her to watch YouTube videos (clear view driving, driving school tv etc). I watched them alongside my lessons and saved so much time the instructor not having to explain things and I cut my lesson time down that I needed. Gave me great awareness of what’s expected at test etc too! Good luck 🤞🏼

It sounds like she isn’t doing too well with her current instructor, has anyone looked deeper into this? Is it because of the big gap between lessons?

I'd say that's probably a major factor. DH is an instructor and when pupils have had a biggish gap between lessons he says he pretty much has to go back over all the basics again, especially early on.

I agree her dad needs to stop being a wally and let her practice in a car.

One huge problem with tests is some unscrupulous internet companies are reserving all the available slots and selling them at inflated rates. It should be investigated and banned.

You'll be lucky to get lessons and a test done by September, there's a backlog still in most areas.

That would definitely get discouraging, wow!

Well if they’re like my kids - DS19, eventually got driving lessons after a long waiting list, failed his test, switched to automatic, failed again, 12 months of trying and now he’s given up 🙄

DD17, told her I will pay, she won’t even apply for a provisional because she thinks she will find it “too stressful”.

I am done being the mum taxi service though so I’m sure they will change their tune when the lifts stop…

Twins(16) seem keen to learn when they turn 17 this year though.

Anyway - practical test dates here have a six month backlog. It seems insane to need to book the test before you even start lessons! Theory tests are 2 weeks.

I don’t think an intensive course is a good way to go though - nobody can be a safe driver after only a week or so of lessons, however many they cram in!

I think OP good on you for helping so much. I think being able to drive is a much needed skill and I'm pushing for all three of my DC to be able to drive.

The amount of people I see who say 'can you deliver as I don't drive' or 'anyone know any jobs going but must be local as I don't drive'.

Top tip when she is booking a test, they go on the system 5 months in advance and if you log in at 6am on a Monday morning that's when they put the new tests on (for five months from now). But you can book any test date and then use an auto booking app like driving test cancellations now to find you an earlier test slot cancellation. She'll need a driving instructors car that she's familiar with to take the test in I guess.

And don’t forget insurance. My son has paid more than £1500 for the year. 😬

This.
In the end DS took his test in my car rather than the drivers instructors too. I would book her tests and find someone to take her out as much as possible. It’s all about hours in the car and it’s increasingly difficult to get a driver instructor to give them enough if you’ve got any sort of budget.

Why are you justifying how to spend your money? How strange someone on here would tell you not to help your niece!

I would advise against intensive driving courses. Look into semi intensive. Good luck