DD - learning to drive

[BlackBean2023]

DD is 17 and about to start driving lessons. The closest test date at our local test centre is February.

I know we can book any test and wait for a cancellation but the whole system is weird and stressful to me so I'd rather just get one booked and keep it.

Would we be mad to book it now (her theory is next week) and assume that in 5 months DD can learn to drive!? She'll be having 3 hours tuition a week - one 1 hour lesson and one 2 hour lesson - with an instructor so will have had around 60 hours with an instructor plus regular practice in her own car with us.

A couple of instructors seem put off by the idea of her a) completing her theory before she's had a lesson and b) working to a test deadline albeit one 5 months away!

DD has driven before - her grandparents live on private land and she rides a moped confidently.

Thanks for responses- will be booking after theory test.

Oh, and to the PP who wondered if I'm pushing driving - absolutely. We live in an area with poor public transport connections and it's safer than her riding her moped, especially in the winter months.

60 hours of tuition (we want to do 3 hours a week up to test regardless of if she's ready after 20 or 40) is almost £2k of guaranteed, regular income...

I will be pushing drive for my daughter too it’s such a vital skill.

Honestly impossible to predict DS passed in 8 weeks. His girlfriend is a year in with 5 failed tests behind her. But you may asnwell book you can always cancel.

She won’t pass by this winter though, so may as well calm down slightly about such heavy pushing over driving. Evidently you have plenty of disposable income so she will have enough lessons to become a competent driver over the next 6 - 12 months. Rather than be yet another teen who rushed to be on the roads for whatever reason. The test itself is less than an hour and not reflective of how well she would take to the roads by herself, in a dark remote area. I’m sure you’d sooner make sure she was fully confident even with a pass paper saying she drove well enough for a tiny amount of time.

I did this for both of my DC. We booked the theory test about four months before they each turned 17, for the closest available day after their birthdays and booked the driving test the day they passed their theory test. We got a test date for DS five months later and DDs six months later. I then used an app to swap DD's test for an earlier date as she was a fast learner. She passed 12 weeks after her 17th birthday!

You can also use the apps to swap for a later test if your DD isn't ready in time. They are quite cheap (I think it was £20 a month) and you can leave them to autobook a new date (you select the dates and times you want it to search for a test). We used Driving Test Now but all the apps are similar.

Hopefully if they book they can get a cancellation for an earlier test by the sounds of it.

When I was 17 passing my driving licence was something I wanted as soon as possible and I got it a few weeks after my 17th.

6-12 months is a really long time to be stuck doing driving lessons especially if you can already drive on private land.

where we live my daughter can get a special licence where she can drive a car but it’s restricted to 30kph per hour at 15. And she will be doing this within a few days of turning 15.

I did this, booked for feb and started lessons early Oct, and passed first time as a 36 year old geriatric learner!

Pretty much every instructor I know would jump at the chance to teach your daughter.

It isn't the guaranteed income - filling a diary gap isn't difficult at the moment.

It's knowing that there are sensible expectations of the process and the timescales involved. Personally I would be advising you to get the theory done ASAP, get a practical booked because it will likely be March or something next year at most test centres if she passed the theory tomorrow.

I'm happy to teach someone who hasn't passed a theory yet, and as far as I am aware so are most instructors. I will avoid giving my honest opinion on the theory test, but it involves chocolate fireguards.

I would also mention that if in a month or two it looks like it will take longer the test can be moved back, but in reality as she already knows the basics of car control that seems extraordinarily unlikely if she found car control pretty easy on private land. In fact I would also be suggesting that we might well be able to scale back lessons down the line just to keep things bubbling along if progress is as rapid as I suspect it will be.

I’d agree with all that. Sending one of mine into test on Saturday who lives in a house with land, she’s mucked about in cars for years. She’ll have had 20 hours of tuition. Her test was moved nearer because she’s good enough.

If you’re anything like me at the moment you’ll have more than enough students. If I can get mine through fast then I will.

I don’t think the instructor should have ditched your daughter, he or she should’ve taken the time to explain their reasoning behind why they didn’t want her to do the test. I’m just guessing from the many conversations I’ve had with other instructors who aren’t willing to take a student to test.

Had I been your daughter’s instructor you’d have known exactly why. You might not have agreed but it’d have been gently explained.

Still irrelevant at DS passed test easily 10 days later. But yeah if a weakness was pointed out we could've practiced in his own car. Had to laugh when DS saw the instructor a few days after test as he parked his car with P plate on and called hello and pointed to it lol

I’d book it, but that sounds like a huge amount of lessons. DS had about 20 hours with the instructor then we started taking him out once the instructor said we could (after about 4 hours tuition).

Book it. When I was 17 I had 4 months of lessons. About 3 hours a week plus some driving in my older cousin's van (off road). And I passed first time.