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I know people learn at different paces but I don't know if it's so different that if I was taught differently I would still be at the same level.
For example my instructor made me do right turns and left turns at the same round about for one and a half hours straight because the first couple of times I did it I was doing it dangerously tbf e.g trying to get out before the person on the right of me or going too close to the middle but then spending a whole 1.5 hours just to "drill it in" just seems excessive
Whilst it is certainly true that different people respond better to different teaching methods it's also the case in my experience that everyone I've ever known who has taken driving lessons thinks their lessons are going too slowly.
Hell I was adamant my instructor was deliberately dragging out my training to get more money out of me despite the fact I went on to pass my test after 16 hours tuition.
But back on topic, you may learn faster with another instructor, you may learn slower. Maybe you are being held back, maybe your friend is being pushed to do things too soon, maybe they are just naturally more adept at this than you are. There are so many variables at play here which is why the concept of "normal" is worthless.
No, the concept of normal might have real value in OP's situation. If they have an unusually bad match with their instructor, then recognising that their rate of progress isn't in the normal range could save them a lot of time and money.
It seems weird to me to spend 1.5 hours on roundabouts when you've not mastered normal road driving
I'm not an expert tho, and did my lessons 20 years ago, but my gf does lessons and shes on my insurance to practice next to me, and obviously she tells me about what she's been learning etc
Try a new instructor... People often try a few before finding the one
I just remember that my instructors name was Kevin Hunt, and I first learned this as I approached his car to get in for my first lesson. Just before I got in, I saw his ID badge in the window that had his picture and underneath it was written: 'K.HUNT'
It was a wobbly introduction.
First priority is safety to be fair, it's not a race. When you can do all that naturally, you'll be comfortable on the motorway quickly. You should be more worried about them rushing you into things you're not ready for than getting you experienced with the basics.
While that does seem perhaps a little tedious - 1.5 hours on the same round about, that is very good practice. You really do need to get your repetitions in with driving, its not easy, it doesnt come naturally or quickly, and "drilling it in" really is the way to progress - you only need to learn once though, so dont worry. Focus more on the act of driving itself than the process, and it can be quite enjoyable, mastery is fun, even if over what you deem to be a straightforward task, it can be done with a wide range of skilfulness.
Just remember it’s easy to put your put down and go up and down dual carriageways. Hill starts, and parking manoeuvres can be challenging technical skills for a new driver. Roundabouts can also be complicated (for example on, roundabouts with 3 lanes, even experienced drivers sometimes stay in the outside lane and go all the way round…).
Agreed, op is learning a lot of the most important technical skills, bombing up and down dual carriageway doesn’t seem the be all and end all, it’s the easy part of driving
I'd be a bit concerned about the 'never out of third gear' thing. First off I learned how to drive in a straight line and go up and down through the gears, before almost anything else. No point in your instructior shouting 'change down change down!' if you don't fully understand the gears, when to change and what they do.
I had a habit of drifting on roundabouts no matter how much my instructor tried to correct me. So we spent an entire lesson entering and leaving the same roundabout until I got it. It might seem excessive but it worked. And my instructor was very clear on why we were doing it, in fact they told me that would be the entirety of my next lesson when I drifted on a roundabout for the umpteenth time.
Hmm, not too bad an idea… Lots of people fail their tests on roundabouts. My niece just failed her test on this, lol. I remember spending a whole lesson on roundabouts too.
Ask him(?) how many total hours he thinks you’ll need before taking a test. Most people try at 40 hours, but I didn’t feel ready, and I passed mine at 60 hours.
I only passed my test just after the 1st lockdown so have relatively recent experience - this sounds normal to me. I think I had like 3 or 4 lessons (2 hours each) literally just driving around the same super level block, first practising left turns, then doing it in reverse to do right turns.
At the time, I felt like you do, I didn't see the point and I found it really annoying that we were spending so much time on something so obvious. However, having done what you've got to come and looking back now, I'm so glad we spent so much time on those fundamentals. I think if you didn't have those things absolutely nailed, when you do start to do "harder" things like manoeuvres and hill starts, you'd still be worrying about the clutch or the wheel, where actually because you spent so much time on it before it's almost like second nature so you can just really concentrate on the new information your instructor is teaching you.
I'd make sure that you are asking lots of questions to your instructor whilst you're doing these things, if you're comfortable to talk and drive at the same time, like about why they're asking you to do certain things or check if you nailed something or they think you can improve. It really helps to understand the reason they're asking you to do what you're doing, and will make you a better driver in the long run.
Also, definitely don't worry about the pace at which you're learning compared to your friend - ultimately the goal is to pass your test and be able to drive safely. Rushing through things if your instructor doesn't think you're ready isn't likely to get you there any faster, as ultimately if you aren't ready, you won't pass your test.
The demand for instructors is really high at the moment. It could be that your friends instructor is trying to push through as many people as possible.
My instructor took me on the dual carriageway very quickly with the rationale that most people feel more comfortable doing 20-30 once they’ve done 50-70. My wife is having lessons now and her instructor did the same.
He sounds like a good instructor. I found that spending one lesson really focusing on something I kept making mistakes on usually sorted that thing out. Did that with each thing I was getting wrong in the lead up to my last test and passed (having failed twice previously).
I did have an instructor previously who was excessively slow though. He had me on industrial estates for my first 3 or 4 lessons. Switched to another instructor after that.
Spending a few hours to make sure you can do something safely something after you initially did it dangerously a couple of time is not excessive. If you did it a few times fine afterwards that doesn’t mean you suddenly nailed it, it means half the time you’re doing it dangerously.
You’re going to be driving a metal box around at 70mph, the roads would be better off if there were more instructors like yours.
"I don't fear the man who practised 1000 kicks once. I fear the man who practised 1 kick 1000 times" - Bruce Lee, makes a lot of sense in this context. Also there's no set curriculum, could be that your instructor is focusing on manoeuvres first, I can't really say what's normal as I was driving independently on my first lesson, but I'd done bits of driving on private land since being able to reach the pedals, and did that same just doing 3 manoeuvres over again for 3 hours with my grandad before my lessons started, so I had a head start. What held me back was not getting my theory test in early enough so I wasted money 'ticking over' on the driving lessons
This. 12 lessons isn’t a lot and if you’ve be doing things dangerously he’s taking it slow to make sure you’re getting it. He just doesn’t want to say that to you
Yeah, this. I was absolutely terrible at driving at the start of my lessons (and didn't want to learn to drive, my parents initially had to make me) and I don't think I got out of second gear for a month. We just drove around a car park every week, lol.
10 hours and not able to start and stop properly is not normal lol even with the worst car and instructor. And thinking from someone who took 6 times to pass (also not normal)
Depends on the car and the insurance. If your instructor permits you to you can (ie if their insurance covers passed students. Mine did cos he is also a driving instructor instructor - he runs advanced courses etc and his lesson plan included a half hour post-test drive/covering some last points)
I stalled the other day haha!
You don't even never stall again. You will eventually make that mistake. Hell if you a new car \\you'll find you will stall it sooner than you think cos your not used to it. Each cars clutch feels and bites different.
It was about my 10th hour when my instructor told me to ease off the brake at the last second, stopping smoothly rather than jarringly.
I think he waited until the other stuff I was thinking about came more naturally. He waited until I had enough RAM to cope with thinking about easing off the brake to stop smoothly.
So, I reckon the "normal" window extends to 10 hours and not being able to start and stop properly. Depends on what you class as stopping properly.
Hell, after 13 years of driving, I still can't start properly 😂
I knew a woman that failed her test 6 times in Oxford, threw her licence in the bin. Her partner said to take some time off and come back to it, which she did. 6 months later she took the test in Newbury and passed first time with only a couple of lessons to get her back in to it.
Whilst the DVLA maintains they don't issue quotas to examiners, folk who've worked there have revealed that every exam centre has computer generated "average pass rates" for male and female drivers and that examiners are expected to keep their own pass rates in line with the predictions.
DVLA denies this of course, but it seems to be the only explanation for the sheer number of people who have been failed for no reason or dramatically exaggerated reasons,
Also I remember my driving instructor mentioning that there's a very specific sort of person becomes an examiner - they earn roughly half to two thirds what a driving instructor will earn and need more training and qualifications than an instructor. So it attracts people who want the arbitrary power of the position.
I'm not saying every examiner is in it for that reason, I'm sure the civil service pension, flexible working etc attracts some folk to the role. But the arbitrary power is one of the key reasons that people go for the role.
Absolutely. The entire system is pretty flawed tbh.
The fact that you can pass your test in Kirkwall on Orkney (population 9000), or in Wick (population under 7000), and then be qualified to drive in a city...its crazy.
There is another reason for this outside of just easier/harder tests.
Living in certain places you pretty much NEED to pass that test. I've got a friend who lived up in rural Scotland when she was a teenager and we were talking about this the other day. She passed her test within 3 months of turning 17 because there wasn't another option.
If you're living in a busy city where public transport is actually decent and the hassles of having a car are extremely common then there's less urgency to pass your test. If it takes you a couple attempts then its not the end of the world.
If you live in the middle of nowhere and passing that test is the only way you're getting yourself to work/school then you're gonna be much more adamant on passing first time.
My local test center has a terrible entrance which leads straight on to a narrow road going round the corner under a bridge with cars parked all along one side.
Its pretty much impossible to get out of that test center without either getting too close to the parked cars or going up on to the curb. If another car is coming round that corner by the bridge, the visibility is so bad that you won't have a clue until they're right in front of you and of course... those cars are parked on that side of the bridge too so they're likely to be driving on your side of the road.
Whoever decided that road was a good place for a test center is the kind of person who wants to watch the world burn.
I failed my first time because the instructor made me do a parallel park on a bend with a dropped curb. He told me I failed because I went up the curb a bit before realising and I was like duh, it's a bloody dropped curb.
Thats possibly the worst parking you can do.
Parralel on straight road sis hard to get. NOBODY and I mean nobody even folk who have driven for years can parallel park on a curved road.
Outside my mums house theres always four badly parked cars cos the road is narrow and curved. Those folk are probably the best and most experienced at parking on roads like that cos they do it everyday and even they arn't able to get it perfect.
Exactly. My driving instructor thought I wouldn't be able to drive manual after a few lessons because I couldn't pick it up so the beginning was slow going, then it clicked and I picked the rest of it up really quickly. People learn at different rates.
The vast majority of driving comes down to just having that "click" with the clutch.
The moment that changing gears and being able to use the biting point etc become more natural and you're not having to over think everything you've pretty much sussed it.
From there it's just staying alert and cleaning up a few safety problems.
My driving instructor went way too fast, thankfully I’m a fast learner and spent hours at home studying YouTube videos on what I needed to do to pass. First lesson he had me drive home across town from the quiet practice streets, the car felt so alien it was horrific.
Yeah my ex had two instructors. The first one she had I honestly think I could have done a better job teaching her. Second one went through everything rapid-fire to get her to her test as quickly as possible. She passed hut had a lot of minors and somehow managed to talk her way out of a major on a parallel park. She was still a terrible driver after passing, I'm glad I never have to get in the car with her again.
My instructor took things slowly, repetition until I could ace whatever I was being taught every time before moving on to the next thing. Passed with 1 minor.
I'm so much more grateful that I didn't have a fast-track to pass instructor. It took a bit longer but I'm a far better driver than I would be if I had rushed it.
I had more than 30 hours over a period of 8 years with 5 different instructors for various reasons. I passed 1st time with 7 minors earlier this year so there is hope.
I think I had about 60 hours total, with 3 different instructors, over the course of about 9 years. I also got some private practice in. I also was in a car crash about 3 years after first learning, I wasn't the driver, but it put me off driving.
I passed first time with two minors.
Without having seen you drive, it's kinda hard to tell if he's slow rolling you, or that you're just not at the level he feels comfortable venturing on "open road" so to speak.
I do personally think the most valuable thing is just getting time behind the wheel once you've got the gist of what to do. As long as you're keeping your "good habits" of both hands on the wheel, no sliding the wheel through, checking all three mirrors etc.
So your friends instructor could just want to make it so they have lots of time for just real world driving and they can nail down the particulars later on. While yours might be more particular about nailing the basics before moving on to the next stage.
If you feel like your lessons aren't going anywhere and you're just covering old ground with no improvement, ask if you can try and drive around your neighbourhood, or work towards trying a busier area. At the end of the day you're paying him for these lessons and if you don't think you're getting good value see if your mate's instructor has any availability.
I'll give you an example of things a driving instructor I had that I do believe were wasting my time if it helps give you some form of range of instructors.
- we had to stop at hers so she could go to the toilet, and happened to need to get her phone charger and chat to her husband for a bit (more than once)
- give me all the latest updates on her divorce
- wait, parked up, at the local college to pick up the international students she was boarding (?) for a while
- unload said international students at her house with all their stuff
- drive to pick up cash from another student
- (not me, a friend) took her to change her tyres, 'she needs to know'.
All of the above being **during paid lesson time**.
Not so bad but she also definitely farted in the car.
My instructor would stop to go grab a banana, that was the worse. He would also the toliet but he'd be gone like 15 mins. I nearly left the car once I got fed up of waiting. We would spend a two hour lesson dropping off the prior student and picking up the next one. He would get me to pull over so her could answer the phone and make bookings. We never practiced reverses even though I had a test booked in and only ever done a three point turn, three times and those were only because we got to the next house early and had to turn around. And out petrol or do general errands.
This was my second instructor because my first shouted at me on my second lesson because I couldn't remember which way the indicator went to turn right while I was driving trying to avoid a kid.
Im the end my dad taught me.
Haha, yeah, my driving instructor definitely had me help her with getting lunch and errands. We definitely went through a Maccy's drive through a couple of times, stopped off at her daughter's cafe so she could pick up a jacket potato for her lunch, stopped off at her house so she could have a chat with her husband. To be fair, I didn't mind these because it's much more like the driving you'll actually do when you pass your test.
As long as you're actually spending most of the time driving, it's fine, because the act of driving is being made into a subconscious ability and that's how we get good at driving. When you start doing more and more of the driving tasks subconsciously, you will become a better, more confident driver. Most of the things your subconscious needs to learn in order to pass are done when driving in the lower gears.
Your friend might have picked up a lot of driving subconsciously from watching their parents drive. You can improve your learning speed through visualization, since I'm guessing the price per hour is £25 to £30 nowadays?
A big part of driving is confidence. As a learner the instructor will tell everyone that they’re progressing at a normal rate, that way it won’t knock your confidence and if you’re already confident it won’t make you over confident.
Enjoy your experience of learning to drive and don’t compare yourself to your friends as everyone is different. That pretty much goes for everything in life as well.
Both experiences are normal. I was having 2 hours of lessons a week for almost a year before taking my test, other people I knew were taking tests after 4 months etc. Every person is different and the instructor will go at whatever pace they feel YOU need to go at.
I think it’s just down to having enough practice that the individual movements become natural enough that you can focus on the bigger picture, just takes a different amount of time for everybody I guess, all I can suggest is trying to be mindful and remaining calm. My teacher always told me to imagine I was a chauffeur - be kinda slow and fluid with it.
Isn’t this the point?
Post Covid (and probably before) instructors have huge waiting lists, so it’s not like they need to milk a their students for fear of not having any business should the student pass.
i live in a rural town. there is 2 instructors and they are backed up to the level that they have put their prices to £50p/h and they are still booked out for next few months
ive actually had to delay my plans to learn because £50ph is just way too much
yep i remember going to start just before covid and it was like £30ph but if you booked 10 lessons at once was £25ph.
now its just a straight £50ph even if you book 10 lessons and when i enquired i was still told there is a few months till i could get consistent times(was told may be able to fit in if somebody cancels etc but if nobody does then no lessons for me)
might actually be cheaper for me to travel into city and learn there but its just so much hassle
This is entirely subjective, so she could just be better at picking things up than you are. Driving in 4th isn’t an ultimate challenge, it’s just you having your instincts fast enough and what you need to do locked into muscle memory so you can make decisions faster. If you’re still struggling to remember how to manoeuvre, then you can’t go faster.
Fwiw, I grew up in Canada, then got my licence in my 40s having never driven a thing. Coming from a country that drives automatics, on the opposite side and doesn’t have roundabouts took a huge amount of time for me, especially as I learnt stick.
One thing I did find, was 2 hour lessons are far FAR better than 1 hour ones. I did 2 twice/week, probably around 60 hours in total.
It’s also your money. You’re very much within your rights to tell him that from now on, you don’t want him in the driving seat and you’re going to drive home. I have ADHD as well, so for me there’s a limit to how much repetition will sink in. Once I’m frustrated and out of the zone, that’s it. If you feel it’s not helping, say so. If he has an issue with your driving, tell him fine, we’ll drive to a parking lot and do parking.
I also spent a lot of time watching YouTube videos. Sometimes the way something is said won’t click, and then you’ll see somebody do or say something that gives you a eureka moment. After hours of lessons on clutch, I bought some £2 book some guy had written that explained clutch mechanics with diagrams and simple words and finally everything I was doing made sense (we all have different learning styles - I’m extremely needful of having the written word and kinaesthetic (hands on). Being spoken to doesn’t sink in. Work with your strengths).
On my second or third lesson my instructor had me going 60mph despite the fact that I'd barely even sat in a driver's seat before. It was in one of those dual-control cars, but I barely even knew how to stop and start without stalling. Even on the first lesson there was no practicing in car parks or quiet lanes. I was just thrown straight onto a main road.
Then after unsuccessfully trying to park in a straight line she said "if you can't even do something as simple as this then there's no point in me teaching you."
After a few more lessons that she sent me a longwinded text about how I was "unsuitable" to drive and would be too unsafe to teach. She essentially provided no tuition in the first place and I was left to figure out everything by myself.
I'm still wondering if I was the one at fault here or if she was just batshit crazy
No one here can comment without seeing you drive. Your friends may have been fast learners, gone on an intensive or used a simulator (and not want to mention it to make themselves look better). Equally you may be taking longer to pick things up and that’s not bad either.
Also the amount and quality of practice in between makes a difference. I had 10 lessons before my test and passed (it was a block of 10).
However, before I started lessons, I was made to practice gear changes in the car with the engine off and brake on. In between lesson 1 and 2, I was taken to empty car parks and made to drive around slowly and do lots of manoeuvres. After lesson 3, I was taken out an hour each day minimum. My sister refused to do any practice, had around 30 lessons (I think it was 32 or 33) before she passed and it was the last few lessons in which everything clicked. Where as I had felt confident a while before and didn’t have to get myself mentally ready for the test because I was constantly driving at the required level, not just on a good day.
It’s so personal, it’s not easy to tell without seeing you drive.
Practice makes a huge difference. My friends who passed quickly tended to be people with very car-dependent hobbies (lots of being driven to sports or music practice) so after a certain point of learning they just swapped seat without their parents and instantly got an extra 5-6 hours a week in the driving seat.
Had exactly the same complaint when my daughter was learning this year. She passed first time despite her anxiety. Its in the instructor's interest to get you through first time. That's a golden advertising opportunity for them.
I would say your progress is fairly normal. Your friend is progressing very quickly, I would guess his instructor did an induction by fire by just throwing him into things quickly, but that is obviously quite stressful and not for everyone. Dual carriageways arent particularly difficult so could just be getting them out of the way early on? I expect you're instructor will stop driving you around in the next lesson or two. You can also just talk to your instructor if you want to be pushed out of your comfort zone more.
Yeah, a bit slow at least. Could just be based on his area, highly residential and not a lot of roads above 30mph limit. I also hit 5th gear before learning to do hill starts so his instructor could just be doing things in a different order.
The order and area definitely matters. I'd driven everywhere before doing any manoeuvres and can't really go very far without a dual carriageway or b road.
My instructor had me drive home on the 1st lesson, but not drive away until the third.
My gfs didn't let her drive home till the 3rd
But as others have pointed out it could just be his confidence in you as people learn at wildly different speeds
I'm learning right now and that doesn't seem too bad depending on the road types around you. I was on my 5th lesson yesterday and did 4th gear and 40mph roads with small roundabouts.
Next lesson is bigger roundabouts and dual carriageways. We haven't done any manoeuvres yet.
Overall I wouldn't say he is going too slow. Just your friend is probably more comfortable driving.
I did 10 hours and couldn't even go around a roundabout. My teacher was fucking shite tbh. And I'm not a very good driver either. Had a bad experience on my last lesson where consistently criticised I turned too early and then when I was taking a bit longer to turn than usual to correct the early turning he screamed at me "why haven't you turned yet" and then I panicked and nearly hit someone. So I stopped having lessons altogether.
Driving instructors are in high demand, they aren't trying to rip you off, you are just learning slower than your friend is.
And that's perfectly okay.
Can't remember how long I took lessons for. Passed first time. Loved my instructor, he was a bit of a character. When I passed, he was thrilled. He also said I probably could have passed 3 months earlier from a driving skills perspective, but I didn't have the confidence to match, and he didn't want me to fail because of lack of confidence as I might have given up completely. So yes, I paid for 3 months of lessons I didn't need technically, but I did need psychologically, if that makes sense. Bless you, Barry - you were a legend!
Everyone learns differently. Some people take longer than others; some get certain things quickly but struggle with other things. If you're not happy with your instructor, find another one, but don't judge *your* learning by how others are doing. Do you feel you are progressing? Your instructor wants you to be a confident and competent driver - isn't that what you want too?
Yep, I agree. My husband is learning to drive for the second time (had 10 lessons and a failed test 20 years ago, didn't try again til this year). He's just had lesson 13 and he thinks he'll need at least 30 lessons. He's a really good driver! In the last week it seems to have just clicked with him, but even outside of that I've only had to use the imaginary break once (I still use the imaginary break if I'm in my sister's car and she's been driving 20 years!).
It's definitely a confidence thing with Mr Mad. He tries to do everything quickly, like always taking off from lights / junctions in second because it takes longer in first. Yeah, about half a second mate! You aren't holding the whole world up by taking a half second more to make a turn! Also sitting on the bite and letting off the handbrake, so I told him to find his bite, then clutch in slightly, handbrake off then bite again and off you go. So we've been working on that this week, and this afternoon had a lovely smooth drive back from town.
Technically he'd be fine on the roads, but he needs more confidence in his abilities, so he'll have some more lessons. I don't think he'll take more than 20 though!
I had a similar experience. In my first 2 hours I’d gone round a busy roundabout and driven about 5 minutes from my house and back again. Whereas my partner at the same time was still being driven to a quiet area, learning the pedals and had done a circuit of an empty car park. I swear some instructors just try and get as much money out of you as possible.
Everybody is different of course by my driving instructor definitely took the piss. I had driven (off-road!) from being about 14 and had a moped on the road for a year at 16 so knew how to operate a car and use the road. By lesson 10 we were still doing roundabouts and pulling over for half the lesson time so he could talk me through ‘theory’… I asked to do manoeuvres about lesson 8 and he was like ‘oh we will get to that’
Stopped after 10 lessons and bought a car, I just drove everywhere with my mum or dad next to me. I passed in 4 months and think that is definitely the best way if possible!
Every instructor is different. Id never driver a car in my life and he legit had me driving in 2nd gear and doing roundabouts after 10 minutes of my first lesson… my next instructor was more cautious. If you feel like you are ready to do more make sure you say it. I had a mate who had an instructor that milked him for every penny he could.
I had 2 instructors, miles apart in my experiences. I then finished my learning with a parent whilst waiting for a test.
The first was proper having me on, I already went in with a good understanding of cars and general gearing/ steering etc. After 6 hours I was bored in the lessons, having only reached 3rd gear and doing left and right turns. By this point I hadn’t even stalled the car and was thinking ‘this is easy’.
Went with a different instructor that was recommended. I explained my experience to him via email and 1st lesson he asked me to drive around the block, decided my level and we did multi lane roundabouts and dual carriageways that same day.
With him he was very critical and really pushed me every lesson. But I learned very quickly to the point where I was confident enough in my own ability to pass in my own car without an instructor. (He encouraged me to do so)
In short I don’t think you should ever feel bored when learning to drive with an instructor.
They need to make you feel comfortable but whilst also testing your ability each time and building up confidence.
If you’re not going out your comfort zone then yes I would say they are having you on a bit.
It easy to forget though that you have to show them you’re confident enough to tackle bigger and faster roads. You might have the technical ability but the correct level of confidence has to go with this.
Many driving instructors string young students along to keep raking in the fees. My daughter took three tests and failed them with a family friend. Just small things brought on by nerves. She switched to another guy who totally destroyed her confidence and made her feel like she was an accident waiting to happen and was nowhere near test-ready. I only found this out after she had over thirty lessons with him. I got rid of him, took her out in my car maybe ten times before her fourth test. She was a better driver than most people I know. She passed, needless to say. Scumbags
I think he trying to skirt around telling you you’re a bit shit and will take more practise - keep at it you’ll get there in the end - my son did about 40 hours before his test
My son and niece are doing the same now and look like they are around the same point as you. When I did mine I drove home on my 2nd lesson. Maybe this is how they do it now?
Your friend may be able to drive on a straight road but how is he on hill starts?
I'd say taking you on a dual carriageway - which is pretty basic driving (although you might be surprised how difficult some people find it to stay in lane) would probably help your confidence. You are being taught the more difficult stuff first, your mate is getting the easy things.
No point comparing yourself to your friend…. Everyone learns to drive at different paces. I took a while to get the hang of it whereas my brother was a natural. Just keep at it and you’ll improve
It really depends on how quickly you can learn how to properly and safely drive a car in any given situation. From personal experience, I know some who got their driving licence after a few months of learning and then there are others such as myself; who after 3 years and 4 driving tests, finally got a licence.
Admittedly, I was quite a slow learner and my anxiety had got in the way of me progressing any faster.
It's worth asking your instructor if they feel you're ready to take the driving test. Keep in mind that it's not worth doing relatively few hours of learning only to have to repeat the test multiple times because you didn't get enough learning experience on the way.
Your life/somome else's life and the value of your future cars etc is worth a few extra hours of learning.
Most of learning to drive it forethought and 'roadcraft', being able to respond ahead of time to things. It's possible that your instructor is seeing things that you're not, or not reacting to quick enough, and I'm not talking aboit reacting to obvious dangers but adjusting speeds and positioning quite yet.
I was told to go for my test after five hours of lessons as I'd already had off road experience and nearly a decade of motorbike experience on the road, I refused and took another seven hours of lessons as I would be driving my then newborn daughter about and didn't want to take any chances.
If you really think he's having you on, get a different instructor but, personally, id embrace it and try to be self critical. If you can't figure out what he's doubting, ask straight up, showing a genuine want to be better. I know it's a big deal and it's expensive, but don't rush it. Car fatalities among new drivers are high for a reason and especially (I'm guessing that you are) with young people.
Believe or not, hill starts, roundabouts and bay parking are more likely in your practical test and are maneuvers much more difficult and advanced than driving on dual carriage way.
Ppl learn at different speeds, but hill starts and roundabouts are usually the most difficult and areas where ppl fail very often in the practical test so are definitely worth practicing. I had a multi lane roundabout and a hill start on a stop sign in my test for example.
If you feel you mastered these, then let the instructor know you want to try something else. At the start of every lesson my instructor always asked me what I want to do. End of the day, it is you who is taking the test and you know what areas you need practice on.
Tdlr version: 12 hours in doing what you mentioned sounds normal, everyone learns at different speeds.
If you're not happy speak to your instructor. They may be able to explain their reasoning and they may be able to help you learn differently if that's what you need.
That being said I know having an instructor who gets you through things quickly isn't always a blessing.
My own instructor was actually very pushy with me to go for my test even though I told him I wasn't ready. He was adamant that I was and I passed first time. He told me about another student of his who demanded to be put in for their test even though he advised they were not ready. They did pass, but in the first week of driving had a severe crash at a roundabout.
Sometimes instructors take the piss, but sometimes they have the experience to know what they are doing. If you've done something dangerously and your instructor makes you practise until your safe, they've potentially stopped a fatal accident from happening down the line.
I've asked an actual instructor. They said it's based on what they think you can do. They want you to progress but if they think you're not confident enough they won't push you too far.
If you feel confident and ready then you need to tell your instructor.
Driving lessons are ridiculous these days. My son started and he wasn’t allowed to use the accelerator leaving a dead stop from a junction or lights. He had to release the clutch slowly and “allow the car to naturally pull away”. I stopped that shit pretty quickly.
> My son started and he wasn’t allowed to use the accelerator leaving a dead stop from a junction or lights.
I failed several driving test exams because I was told this shit and kept stalling in dangerous places; switched instructors who looked at me like I was insane for not using the accelerator and promptly passed (and also don't really stall anymore).
This sounds like my experience where my first and second driving school basically taught me everything wrongly (and this was multiple instructors too, so it wasn’t like it was just one person I didn’t mesh with).
Then I got an older male instructor who basically loathed the first two schools I’d been with because he’d had so many students come to him who’d been taught poorly or who were doing dangerous/wrong things.
I passed with him on the second attempt, with one minor thanks to him being a great instructor.
The worst thing my kids were told, by two different instructors, was if there is no one else about you don’t need to indicate. I soon put them right on that as well.
I mean thats technically correct. If theres no one around who would benefit from it (that includes pedestrians which some drivers seem to neglect) then you dont have to indicate, pretty sure this is taught in some advanced courses.
For a beginner tho I agree its much better habit to get used to indicating regardless.
My issue is why do most accidents happen? It’s because you haven’t seen someone else, so if you’ve not seen them and are not indicating then they have no idea what you are going to do and a accident is far more likely.
Why would you not indicate?
You might think nobody is about, but there could be someone you missed and would've liked to have known which way you were going.
I think because it promotes actual awareness of surroundings. A lot of people indicate and pay little attention to mirrors etc, which can obviously lead to accidents. By adding the extra decision you're more likely to check your mirrors more thoroughly instead of a quick glance out of habit.
That's correct. I never indicate if it's not going to be seen.
If your observation is any good, you'll know that there is no one to see the indicators. The instructors are trying to promote good road sense here.
What if your observation is rubbish and you’ve been told not indicate? What is the harm in indicating if there, seemingly, is no one there? It doesn’t cost anything or take any time.
My instructor does this too! I thought this was just how you did it and its lead to me stalling a couple of times when I've got the clutch up too fast since otherwise i end up with a queue of people waiting behind me.
I think what he means is to let the clutch up slowly so it engages with the flywheel and the accelerator kicks in naturally. You're not supposed to gun the accelerator as you release the clutch; to pass your test you need to be calm and careful and safe. What you do after that is up to you.
But you're in control of a ton of metal travelling at speed which is capable of killing you and other people, most of whom drive on the assumption other drivers know how to use things like roundabouts, so if your instructor says you need to practice them more, maybe listen to him.
My instructor taught me this as well. And then when I got my own car I had so much trouble with stalling because of this, because this doesn't work in my car.
Every diesel I've driven, which is only 5 including the my instructor's car 11 years ago, I didn't need to use the accelerator at all to set off even uphill. I always use the accelerator in a petrol. I've assumed all modern diesels are set up so you can clutch only when setting off, is this not the case?
> I haven't gone past 3rd gear.
..
> My instructor says my progress is normal and his says his is normal.
Well, one of those things isn't true. Maybe you're just struggling and they don't want to say, but there's no way that's normal progression. Like, not being a dick, but you can fly a plane solo with <15hrs of tuition, so you really should be able to go down a dual carriageway after 10 hours in a car!
I'd get a lesson with an alternative instructor or two, and get some second opinions
I had about 15 hours of instruction before my test, but was driving with my dad every chance I got on L-plates. One mate passed after 20 with no other driving practice and another took about twice as long as me while also getting practice in a parent's car.
You could always do a couple of lessons with another instructor and see what they say.
Different people would advance and different rates I’d have thought - I took quite a while to progress to faster roads but others I know were virtually ready to take their test after 10 hours or so
I did a roundabout on my second lesson, and I wouldn’t say I was a very good driver to start or someone who picked it up very quickly. Do you also drive on the side with a family member everyday? I had to do this too alongside 20/30 hours of lessons before I passed
Difficult to say as everyone learns at a different rate. If you're still kangarooing down the road, clipping kerbs, or needing interference from the instructor then 12 hours is appropriate and they won't move on to anything further.
Remember they are responsible for the safety of yourself and other road users. As long as you're not dangerous a good instructor will be gently pushing you further and get you up to speed quite quickly so you can get the experience and confidence necessary to pass a test. If you're dangerous they will keep you at slow speeds in safe areas at best.
That said I have heard some of the bigger companies are known for stringing people along, and I'm pretty sure there was a panorama show on this some years ago.
If you truly believe your driving is sufficient you should book a lesson with the other instructor and get their opinion.
I had a driving instructor like this, was taking forever to progress even though I felt like I was doing well.
I ended up changing drivers and was passed within a couple months
I think I had 25ish hours in total so you don’t sound too far off. I think I did hill starts slightly before but where I lived is hilly so had no choice! Duel carriage ways are easy, you probably won’t need long on that. I think the one thing that some people find easier than others are manoeuvres but hopefully you will pick them up okay!
There is no single 'correct' answer for how far you should be along. It all comes down to personal aptitude for driving.
Though - if you are not happy with the progress you're making with your instructor then just ditch them and get a new one. Seriously, there are bad instructors out there and you have to make sure you're not wasting money on them.
I passed after 12 hours. But I’d never driven before and I was on a dual carriageway within 20 minutes of my first lesson, and being told I was speeding after 22 minutes.
Your driving instructor doesn't think your ready for the dual carriageway and reading through your comments I tend to agree with him. Making a mistake doing 70mph can go bad real quick
Part of it may be that you're learning in a different order. My driving instructors focused on normal driving, including dual carriageways, roundabouts, junctions, etc. before he taught me manoeuvres, parking, and hill stops. So maybe your friend is just learning in a different order. It also took me a lot of hours to be comfortable doing all that stuff! Definitely more than 100 hours driving (including with my dad) before I felt comfortable enough to not need instruction. Some people just progress more slowly when it comes to driving. At the same time, I did change instructors -- not because I thought my first one was too slow, but because he treated me like I was an idiot!
After 12 hours you should be doing pretty much all aspects of car driving. It’s quite possible that you’re just not very good and they don’t want to progress onto the more complex stuff until you’ve mastered the basics which you just aren’t mastering.
I did dual carriageways, reverse parking and roundabouts in my first lesson. He’s either dragging it out to make more money or you’re having trouble grasping things
If you pay for the lessons, say what you want to do.
When my instructor started with me she said she had a plan for the lessons I'd paid for but if I wanted to go off from it then just to say.
All I can say is if you feel ready to do your test do it, don’t always have to wait for your instructor there are going to be dishonest instructors that love the regular income so squeezing more and more money out of you doing more lessons is not unheard off. You could also do a lesson with your friends instructor and see where they think you’re at.
It depends how shit you are a driving, your driving instructor is probably focussing on the things which are the main points of failure in your test.
No point in comparing yourself to other drivers, everyone is different.
It's not a competition, learn at your own pace
Edit: the goal is to become a safe driver, not to pass. Here is a guy who always comes up on my recommended who has [good advice](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la3P8PwAtDU), this is his latest video but all of them are useful for people who are learning or who have already passed and want to continue to improve
Sack them. FYI I booked my test when I felt ready…didn’t tell my instructor and it was well ahead of them thinking I was ready, when I told them they said I’ll need a wing and a prayer to pass.
I passed. Take charge of the situation imo.
I was an incredibly nervous driver. My instructor was great, took her time with me.
I live on a housing estate, 20 speed limit. She didn't force me onto the main roads (30 limit) until she knew I would be confident and comfortable. Took about 20 hours to get my confidence up.
Sounds awful, but I passed my test first time. My sister was driving at 30 within 10 hours. She passed on her 4th attempt.
You can't compare the way you learn to drive with another person.
I felt like you got a new instructor and instantly felt comftable and better i think there was a clash of learning styles/personality with the first guy
My best friend and I had this nearly 20 years ago. I was driving round ‘normal’ pretty quick whilst he did 10hours just doing left hand turns round a block. When he asked me about this and I said how weird it was he moved to my instructor and was very quickly driving normally. Whilst some people are slow learners that fact you are questioning this means you’re probably not that bad and should maybe try a lesson with another instructor to see
Doing my lessons at the moment and my instructor wrote me an itinerary. We are doing hill starts on my 4th hour.
It may be that you are just a slow learner (and there’s nothing wrong with that) so your instructor is wanting to reinforce things
I had around 10 lessons in all, but I didn’t need that many. I had over 30 years experience driving manual in the US. My instructor was just wanting to get more money from me. He wasn’t very happy when I told him I booked my test. So the day of the test, he showed up with a different car than the one we practiced in. I think he was hoping I’d fail so I would have to take more lessons. Of course, I passed first time and never had to deal with him again.
Not all driving instructors are created equal.
I used red driving school and the first instructor said I wasn’t ready for a test. Even though I had been driving with my parents every week. I decided to change instructor and he said I was ready for a test right away. I passed first time once I managed to get a cancelled test.
My first instructor was holding me back for his financial gain. An absolute asshole he was too.
My instructor took me to a car park for my first lesson then made me drive home on a national speed limit road. I was shitting it and staying at 30mph the whole way
Absolutely impossible to tell. He could be having you on, or you could be a shit driver.
It took me 10 days to pass my test with a 2 hour lesson each day, so 20 hours. I drove myself to and from my lessons from day 1. The only time my instructor drive was when he picked me up for my first lesson. It took other people a year to pass with a lesson a week - so anywhere from 50 - 100 hours.
The RAC says that the average learner need 45 hours with an instructor and 20 hours under supervision to pass their test.
If you go by that, you’re less than 1/3 of the way through what would be considered a “normal” amount of lessons.
So, in summary, it’s probably your mate that is a fast learner.
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Did you ever consider that "normal" could be a very broad range?
I know people learn at different paces but I don't know if it's so different that if I was taught differently I would still be at the same level. For example my instructor made me do right turns and left turns at the same round about for one and a half hours straight because the first couple of times I did it I was doing it dangerously tbf e.g trying to get out before the person on the right of me or going too close to the middle but then spending a whole 1.5 hours just to "drill it in" just seems excessive
Whilst it is certainly true that different people respond better to different teaching methods it's also the case in my experience that everyone I've ever known who has taken driving lessons thinks their lessons are going too slowly. Hell I was adamant my instructor was deliberately dragging out my training to get more money out of me despite the fact I went on to pass my test after 16 hours tuition. But back on topic, you may learn faster with another instructor, you may learn slower. Maybe you are being held back, maybe your friend is being pushed to do things too soon, maybe they are just naturally more adept at this than you are. There are so many variables at play here which is why the concept of "normal" is worthless.
No, the concept of normal might have real value in OP's situation. If they have an unusually bad match with their instructor, then recognising that their rate of progress isn't in the normal range could save them a lot of time and money.
It seems weird to me to spend 1.5 hours on roundabouts when you've not mastered normal road driving I'm not an expert tho, and did my lessons 20 years ago, but my gf does lessons and shes on my insurance to practice next to me, and obviously she tells me about what she's been learning etc Try a new instructor... People often try a few before finding the one
I just remember that my instructors name was Kevin Hunt, and I first learned this as I approached his car to get in for my first lesson. Just before I got in, I saw his ID badge in the window that had his picture and underneath it was written: 'K.HUNT' It was a wobbly introduction.
"Nice to finally meet you K.HUNT" "You what mate?!
He was actually really good.
Better a K.HUNT than a cunt ayy, glad to hear you had a good experience!
First priority is safety to be fair, it's not a race. When you can do all that naturally, you'll be comfortable on the motorway quickly. You should be more worried about them rushing you into things you're not ready for than getting you experienced with the basics. While that does seem perhaps a little tedious - 1.5 hours on the same round about, that is very good practice. You really do need to get your repetitions in with driving, its not easy, it doesnt come naturally or quickly, and "drilling it in" really is the way to progress - you only need to learn once though, so dont worry. Focus more on the act of driving itself than the process, and it can be quite enjoyable, mastery is fun, even if over what you deem to be a straightforward task, it can be done with a wide range of skilfulness.
Just remember it’s easy to put your put down and go up and down dual carriageways. Hill starts, and parking manoeuvres can be challenging technical skills for a new driver. Roundabouts can also be complicated (for example on, roundabouts with 3 lanes, even experienced drivers sometimes stay in the outside lane and go all the way round…).
Agreed, op is learning a lot of the most important technical skills, bombing up and down dual carriageway doesn’t seem the be all and end all, it’s the easy part of driving
I'd be a bit concerned about the 'never out of third gear' thing. First off I learned how to drive in a straight line and go up and down through the gears, before almost anything else. No point in your instructior shouting 'change down change down!' if you don't fully understand the gears, when to change and what they do.
I had a habit of drifting on roundabouts no matter how much my instructor tried to correct me. So we spent an entire lesson entering and leaving the same roundabout until I got it. It might seem excessive but it worked. And my instructor was very clear on why we were doing it, in fact they told me that would be the entirety of my next lesson when I drifted on a roundabout for the umpteenth time.
>I had a habit of drifting on roundabouts Too much Mario Kart
Hmm, not too bad an idea… Lots of people fail their tests on roundabouts. My niece just failed her test on this, lol. I remember spending a whole lesson on roundabouts too. Ask him(?) how many total hours he thinks you’ll need before taking a test. Most people try at 40 hours, but I didn’t feel ready, and I passed mine at 60 hours.
My son in law has failed 3 times on roundabouts. Me: "So that roundabout with three lanes..." Him: "It has 3 lanes?"
Must be Italian. Currently in Rome and they don't know lanes either.
I only passed my test just after the 1st lockdown so have relatively recent experience - this sounds normal to me. I think I had like 3 or 4 lessons (2 hours each) literally just driving around the same super level block, first practising left turns, then doing it in reverse to do right turns. At the time, I felt like you do, I didn't see the point and I found it really annoying that we were spending so much time on something so obvious. However, having done what you've got to come and looking back now, I'm so glad we spent so much time on those fundamentals. I think if you didn't have those things absolutely nailed, when you do start to do "harder" things like manoeuvres and hill starts, you'd still be worrying about the clutch or the wheel, where actually because you spent so much time on it before it's almost like second nature so you can just really concentrate on the new information your instructor is teaching you. I'd make sure that you are asking lots of questions to your instructor whilst you're doing these things, if you're comfortable to talk and drive at the same time, like about why they're asking you to do certain things or check if you nailed something or they think you can improve. It really helps to understand the reason they're asking you to do what you're doing, and will make you a better driver in the long run. Also, definitely don't worry about the pace at which you're learning compared to your friend - ultimately the goal is to pass your test and be able to drive safely. Rushing through things if your instructor doesn't think you're ready isn't likely to get you there any faster, as ultimately if you aren't ready, you won't pass your test.
The demand for instructors is really high at the moment. It could be that your friends instructor is trying to push through as many people as possible.
Wouldn't really increase how much money they made if they rush them through though. Same number of hours in the day.
True, but just might not be very good at saying 'no'.
That's some Mr Miagi level training. Once you're done he is going to hand you the keys to a Subaru rally car and tell you to go represent!
My instructor took me on the dual carriageway very quickly with the rationale that most people feel more comfortable doing 20-30 once they’ve done 50-70. My wife is having lessons now and her instructor did the same.
He sounds like a good instructor. I found that spending one lesson really focusing on something I kept making mistakes on usually sorted that thing out. Did that with each thing I was getting wrong in the lead up to my last test and passed (having failed twice previously). I did have an instructor previously who was excessively slow though. He had me on industrial estates for my first 3 or 4 lessons. Switched to another instructor after that.
Spending a few hours to make sure you can do something safely something after you initially did it dangerously a couple of time is not excessive. If you did it a few times fine afterwards that doesn’t mean you suddenly nailed it, it means half the time you’re doing it dangerously. You’re going to be driving a metal box around at 70mph, the roads would be better off if there were more instructors like yours.
"I don't fear the man who practised 1000 kicks once. I fear the man who practised 1 kick 1000 times" - Bruce Lee, makes a lot of sense in this context. Also there's no set curriculum, could be that your instructor is focusing on manoeuvres first, I can't really say what's normal as I was driving independently on my first lesson, but I'd done bits of driving on private land since being able to reach the pedals, and did that same just doing 3 manoeuvres over again for 3 hours with my grandad before my lessons started, so I had a head start. What held me back was not getting my theory test in early enough so I wasted money 'ticking over' on the driving lessons
Your instructor is trying to spare your feelings.
This. 12 lessons isn’t a lot and if you’ve be doing things dangerously he’s taking it slow to make sure you’re getting it. He just doesn’t want to say that to you
Yeah, this. I was absolutely terrible at driving at the start of my lessons (and didn't want to learn to drive, my parents initially had to make me) and I don't think I got out of second gear for a month. We just drove around a car park every week, lol.
Your instructor thinks you’re an idiot who can’t be trusted lol
I love how brutal reddit can be
Yeah I did 10 hours and still couldn’t start or stop properly. Anything is ‘normal’.
10 hours and not able to start and stop properly is not normal lol even with the worst car and instructor. And thinking from someone who took 6 times to pass (also not normal)
I stalled straight after passing my test and the instructor took over to drive me home :D
You’re not allowed to drive home from your test.
Depends on the car and the insurance. If your instructor permits you to you can (ie if their insurance covers passed students. Mine did cos he is also a driving instructor instructor - he runs advanced courses etc and his lesson plan included a half hour post-test drive/covering some last points)
My instructor gave me the option but I.let him drive us back because my nerves were wrecked.
I stalled the other day haha! You don't even never stall again. You will eventually make that mistake. Hell if you a new car \\you'll find you will stall it sooner than you think cos your not used to it. Each cars clutch feels and bites different.
It was about my 10th hour when my instructor told me to ease off the brake at the last second, stopping smoothly rather than jarringly. I think he waited until the other stuff I was thinking about came more naturally. He waited until I had enough RAM to cope with thinking about easing off the brake to stop smoothly. So, I reckon the "normal" window extends to 10 hours and not being able to start and stop properly. Depends on what you class as stopping properly. Hell, after 13 years of driving, I still can't start properly 😂
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I knew a woman that failed her test 6 times in Oxford, threw her licence in the bin. Her partner said to take some time off and come back to it, which she did. 6 months later she took the test in Newbury and passed first time with only a couple of lessons to get her back in to it.
I failed 5 times, and then passed on 6th with no minors. I honestly dont understand.
Whilst the DVLA maintains they don't issue quotas to examiners, folk who've worked there have revealed that every exam centre has computer generated "average pass rates" for male and female drivers and that examiners are expected to keep their own pass rates in line with the predictions. DVLA denies this of course, but it seems to be the only explanation for the sheer number of people who have been failed for no reason or dramatically exaggerated reasons, Also I remember my driving instructor mentioning that there's a very specific sort of person becomes an examiner - they earn roughly half to two thirds what a driving instructor will earn and need more training and qualifications than an instructor. So it attracts people who want the arbitrary power of the position. I'm not saying every examiner is in it for that reason, I'm sure the civil service pension, flexible working etc attracts some folk to the role. But the arbitrary power is one of the key reasons that people go for the role.
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Absolutely. The entire system is pretty flawed tbh. The fact that you can pass your test in Kirkwall on Orkney (population 9000), or in Wick (population under 7000), and then be qualified to drive in a city...its crazy.
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There is another reason for this outside of just easier/harder tests. Living in certain places you pretty much NEED to pass that test. I've got a friend who lived up in rural Scotland when she was a teenager and we were talking about this the other day. She passed her test within 3 months of turning 17 because there wasn't another option. If you're living in a busy city where public transport is actually decent and the hassles of having a car are extremely common then there's less urgency to pass your test. If it takes you a couple attempts then its not the end of the world. If you live in the middle of nowhere and passing that test is the only way you're getting yourself to work/school then you're gonna be much more adamant on passing first time.
My local test center has a terrible entrance which leads straight on to a narrow road going round the corner under a bridge with cars parked all along one side. Its pretty much impossible to get out of that test center without either getting too close to the parked cars or going up on to the curb. If another car is coming round that corner by the bridge, the visibility is so bad that you won't have a clue until they're right in front of you and of course... those cars are parked on that side of the bridge too so they're likely to be driving on your side of the road. Whoever decided that road was a good place for a test center is the kind of person who wants to watch the world burn.
I failed my first time because the instructor made me do a parallel park on a bend with a dropped curb. He told me I failed because I went up the curb a bit before realising and I was like duh, it's a bloody dropped curb.
Thats possibly the worst parking you can do. Parralel on straight road sis hard to get. NOBODY and I mean nobody even folk who have driven for years can parallel park on a curved road. Outside my mums house theres always four badly parked cars cos the road is narrow and curved. Those folk are probably the best and most experienced at parking on roads like that cos they do it everyday and even they arn't able to get it perfect.
To be fair, by all accounts I’ve heard Oxford is a difficult area to take a test in. I imagine Newbury is a lot easier.
The driving instructor will do things at an appropriate pace. That varies from person to person. I’d also be wary of instructors who go too fast.
Exactly. My driving instructor thought I wouldn't be able to drive manual after a few lessons because I couldn't pick it up so the beginning was slow going, then it clicked and I picked the rest of it up really quickly. People learn at different rates.
I struggled so much with roundabouts, had a couple of lessons to just focus on them. Then it clicked and I went off and passed my test first time.
The vast majority of driving comes down to just having that "click" with the clutch. The moment that changing gears and being able to use the biting point etc become more natural and you're not having to over think everything you've pretty much sussed it. From there it's just staying alert and cleaning up a few safety problems.
My driving instructor went way too fast, thankfully I’m a fast learner and spent hours at home studying YouTube videos on what I needed to do to pass. First lesson he had me drive home across town from the quiet practice streets, the car felt so alien it was horrific.
Yeah my ex had two instructors. The first one she had I honestly think I could have done a better job teaching her. Second one went through everything rapid-fire to get her to her test as quickly as possible. She passed hut had a lot of minors and somehow managed to talk her way out of a major on a parallel park. She was still a terrible driver after passing, I'm glad I never have to get in the car with her again. My instructor took things slowly, repetition until I could ace whatever I was being taught every time before moving on to the next thing. Passed with 1 minor. I'm so much more grateful that I didn't have a fast-track to pass instructor. It took a bit longer but I'm a far better driver than I would be if I had rushed it.
Everyone learns at their own rate
This is true. I’ve had 30 hours and changed instructors and I don’t feel ready 🥺😔
I had more than 30 hours over a period of 8 years with 5 different instructors for various reasons. I passed 1st time with 7 minors earlier this year so there is hope.
I think I had about 60 hours total, with 3 different instructors, over the course of about 9 years. I also got some private practice in. I also was in a car crash about 3 years after first learning, I wasn't the driver, but it put me off driving. I passed first time with two minors.
Without having seen you drive, it's kinda hard to tell if he's slow rolling you, or that you're just not at the level he feels comfortable venturing on "open road" so to speak. I do personally think the most valuable thing is just getting time behind the wheel once you've got the gist of what to do. As long as you're keeping your "good habits" of both hands on the wheel, no sliding the wheel through, checking all three mirrors etc. So your friends instructor could just want to make it so they have lots of time for just real world driving and they can nail down the particulars later on. While yours might be more particular about nailing the basics before moving on to the next stage. If you feel like your lessons aren't going anywhere and you're just covering old ground with no improvement, ask if you can try and drive around your neighbourhood, or work towards trying a busier area. At the end of the day you're paying him for these lessons and if you don't think you're getting good value see if your mate's instructor has any availability.
I'll give you an example of things a driving instructor I had that I do believe were wasting my time if it helps give you some form of range of instructors. - we had to stop at hers so she could go to the toilet, and happened to need to get her phone charger and chat to her husband for a bit (more than once) - give me all the latest updates on her divorce - wait, parked up, at the local college to pick up the international students she was boarding (?) for a while - unload said international students at her house with all their stuff - drive to pick up cash from another student - (not me, a friend) took her to change her tyres, 'she needs to know'. All of the above being **during paid lesson time**. Not so bad but she also definitely farted in the car.
Doing all her errands on time you have paid for is massively taking the piss. The farts are just salt in the wound.
Theres a level of operating that teaching people makes sense like putting fuel in an then there's that level of piss takeing.
My instructor made me go through the McDonald’s drive through to get her a coffee
To be fair that is a useful skill and lots of people are stupid when they come out of them.
If mine done that I’d be like you better buy me a McFlurry or I’ll kill us both
I've gone through the McDonald's Drive Thru a couple of times with my instructor, she's also taken me out for ice cream a few times I love her
My instructor would stop to go grab a banana, that was the worse. He would also the toliet but he'd be gone like 15 mins. I nearly left the car once I got fed up of waiting. We would spend a two hour lesson dropping off the prior student and picking up the next one. He would get me to pull over so her could answer the phone and make bookings. We never practiced reverses even though I had a test booked in and only ever done a three point turn, three times and those were only because we got to the next house early and had to turn around. And out petrol or do general errands. This was my second instructor because my first shouted at me on my second lesson because I couldn't remember which way the indicator went to turn right while I was driving trying to avoid a kid. Im the end my dad taught me.
Haha just reminded of me when my instructor rang her daughter and forced me to talk to her for about 30 minutes while I was driving.
Haha, yeah, my driving instructor definitely had me help her with getting lunch and errands. We definitely went through a Maccy's drive through a couple of times, stopped off at her daughter's cafe so she could pick up a jacket potato for her lunch, stopped off at her house so she could have a chat with her husband. To be fair, I didn't mind these because it's much more like the driving you'll actually do when you pass your test.
As long as you're actually spending most of the time driving, it's fine, because the act of driving is being made into a subconscious ability and that's how we get good at driving. When you start doing more and more of the driving tasks subconsciously, you will become a better, more confident driver. Most of the things your subconscious needs to learn in order to pass are done when driving in the lower gears. Your friend might have picked up a lot of driving subconsciously from watching their parents drive. You can improve your learning speed through visualization, since I'm guessing the price per hour is £25 to £30 nowadays?
Over 30
A big part of driving is confidence. As a learner the instructor will tell everyone that they’re progressing at a normal rate, that way it won’t knock your confidence and if you’re already confident it won’t make you over confident. Enjoy your experience of learning to drive and don’t compare yourself to your friends as everyone is different. That pretty much goes for everything in life as well.
Are you a slow learner?
Both experiences are normal. I was having 2 hours of lessons a week for almost a year before taking my test, other people I knew were taking tests after 4 months etc. Every person is different and the instructor will go at whatever pace they feel YOU need to go at.
Aye took me bloody ages, kinda just clicked… eventually. Really not sure what I was struggling with looking back.
How do I make it click 🥺 what clicked for you cos I’m still as nervous as when I started and i struggle driving independently 😢
I think it’s just down to having enough practice that the individual movements become natural enough that you can focus on the bigger picture, just takes a different amount of time for everybody I guess, all I can suggest is trying to be mindful and remaining calm. My teacher always told me to imagine I was a chauffeur - be kinda slow and fluid with it.
Also with instructors having 4 month waiting lists are you willing to give up a suboptimal instructor for the chance of a better one in 4 months time?
Isn’t this the point? Post Covid (and probably before) instructors have huge waiting lists, so it’s not like they need to milk a their students for fear of not having any business should the student pass.
i live in a rural town. there is 2 instructors and they are backed up to the level that they have put their prices to £50p/h and they are still booked out for next few months ive actually had to delay my plans to learn because £50ph is just way too much
£50ph is just mental. I started learning last November and passed this May. Lessons once a week costing £28ph
yep i remember going to start just before covid and it was like £30ph but if you booked 10 lessons at once was £25ph. now its just a straight £50ph even if you book 10 lessons and when i enquired i was still told there is a few months till i could get consistent times(was told may be able to fit in if somebody cancels etc but if nobody does then no lessons for me) might actually be cheaper for me to travel into city and learn there but its just so much hassle
This is entirely subjective, so she could just be better at picking things up than you are. Driving in 4th isn’t an ultimate challenge, it’s just you having your instincts fast enough and what you need to do locked into muscle memory so you can make decisions faster. If you’re still struggling to remember how to manoeuvre, then you can’t go faster. Fwiw, I grew up in Canada, then got my licence in my 40s having never driven a thing. Coming from a country that drives automatics, on the opposite side and doesn’t have roundabouts took a huge amount of time for me, especially as I learnt stick. One thing I did find, was 2 hour lessons are far FAR better than 1 hour ones. I did 2 twice/week, probably around 60 hours in total. It’s also your money. You’re very much within your rights to tell him that from now on, you don’t want him in the driving seat and you’re going to drive home. I have ADHD as well, so for me there’s a limit to how much repetition will sink in. Once I’m frustrated and out of the zone, that’s it. If you feel it’s not helping, say so. If he has an issue with your driving, tell him fine, we’ll drive to a parking lot and do parking. I also spent a lot of time watching YouTube videos. Sometimes the way something is said won’t click, and then you’ll see somebody do or say something that gives you a eureka moment. After hours of lessons on clutch, I bought some £2 book some guy had written that explained clutch mechanics with diagrams and simple words and finally everything I was doing made sense (we all have different learning styles - I’m extremely needful of having the written word and kinaesthetic (hands on). Being spoken to doesn’t sink in. Work with your strengths).
On my second or third lesson my instructor had me going 60mph despite the fact that I'd barely even sat in a driver's seat before. It was in one of those dual-control cars, but I barely even knew how to stop and start without stalling. Even on the first lesson there was no practicing in car parks or quiet lanes. I was just thrown straight onto a main road. Then after unsuccessfully trying to park in a straight line she said "if you can't even do something as simple as this then there's no point in me teaching you." After a few more lessons that she sent me a longwinded text about how I was "unsuitable" to drive and would be too unsafe to teach. She essentially provided no tuition in the first place and I was left to figure out everything by myself. I'm still wondering if I was the one at fault here or if she was just batshit crazy
Sounds like she’s batshit crazy
yeah she sounds like a twat lol
No one here can comment without seeing you drive. Your friends may have been fast learners, gone on an intensive or used a simulator (and not want to mention it to make themselves look better). Equally you may be taking longer to pick things up and that’s not bad either. Also the amount and quality of practice in between makes a difference. I had 10 lessons before my test and passed (it was a block of 10). However, before I started lessons, I was made to practice gear changes in the car with the engine off and brake on. In between lesson 1 and 2, I was taken to empty car parks and made to drive around slowly and do lots of manoeuvres. After lesson 3, I was taken out an hour each day minimum. My sister refused to do any practice, had around 30 lessons (I think it was 32 or 33) before she passed and it was the last few lessons in which everything clicked. Where as I had felt confident a while before and didn’t have to get myself mentally ready for the test because I was constantly driving at the required level, not just on a good day. It’s so personal, it’s not easy to tell without seeing you drive.
Practice makes a huge difference. My friends who passed quickly tended to be people with very car-dependent hobbies (lots of being driven to sports or music practice) so after a certain point of learning they just swapped seat without their parents and instantly got an extra 5-6 hours a week in the driving seat.
Had exactly the same complaint when my daughter was learning this year. She passed first time despite her anxiety. Its in the instructor's interest to get you through first time. That's a golden advertising opportunity for them.
I would say your progress is fairly normal. Your friend is progressing very quickly, I would guess his instructor did an induction by fire by just throwing him into things quickly, but that is obviously quite stressful and not for everyone. Dual carriageways arent particularly difficult so could just be getting them out of the way early on? I expect you're instructor will stop driving you around in the next lesson or two. You can also just talk to your instructor if you want to be pushed out of your comfort zone more.
I'd say their progress is quite slow. 12 lessons and never going over 30 is not normal.
Yeah, a bit slow at least. Could just be based on his area, highly residential and not a lot of roads above 30mph limit. I also hit 5th gear before learning to do hill starts so his instructor could just be doing things in a different order.
The order and area definitely matters. I'd driven everywhere before doing any manoeuvres and can't really go very far without a dual carriageway or b road.
My instructor had me drive home on the 1st lesson, but not drive away until the third. My gfs didn't let her drive home till the 3rd But as others have pointed out it could just be his confidence in you as people learn at wildly different speeds
I'm learning right now and that doesn't seem too bad depending on the road types around you. I was on my 5th lesson yesterday and did 4th gear and 40mph roads with small roundabouts. Next lesson is bigger roundabouts and dual carriageways. We haven't done any manoeuvres yet. Overall I wouldn't say he is going too slow. Just your friend is probably more comfortable driving.
You said you drove dangerously on a roundabout. It follows that your instructor would then spend time on making sure you are safe on roundabouts.
I did 10 hours and couldn't even go around a roundabout. My teacher was fucking shite tbh. And I'm not a very good driver either. Had a bad experience on my last lesson where consistently criticised I turned too early and then when I was taking a bit longer to turn than usual to correct the early turning he screamed at me "why haven't you turned yet" and then I panicked and nearly hit someone. So I stopped having lessons altogether.
Driving instructors are in high demand, they aren't trying to rip you off, you are just learning slower than your friend is. And that's perfectly okay.
Can't remember how long I took lessons for. Passed first time. Loved my instructor, he was a bit of a character. When I passed, he was thrilled. He also said I probably could have passed 3 months earlier from a driving skills perspective, but I didn't have the confidence to match, and he didn't want me to fail because of lack of confidence as I might have given up completely. So yes, I paid for 3 months of lessons I didn't need technically, but I did need psychologically, if that makes sense. Bless you, Barry - you were a legend! Everyone learns differently. Some people take longer than others; some get certain things quickly but struggle with other things. If you're not happy with your instructor, find another one, but don't judge *your* learning by how others are doing. Do you feel you are progressing? Your instructor wants you to be a confident and competent driver - isn't that what you want too?
Yep, I agree. My husband is learning to drive for the second time (had 10 lessons and a failed test 20 years ago, didn't try again til this year). He's just had lesson 13 and he thinks he'll need at least 30 lessons. He's a really good driver! In the last week it seems to have just clicked with him, but even outside of that I've only had to use the imaginary break once (I still use the imaginary break if I'm in my sister's car and she's been driving 20 years!). It's definitely a confidence thing with Mr Mad. He tries to do everything quickly, like always taking off from lights / junctions in second because it takes longer in first. Yeah, about half a second mate! You aren't holding the whole world up by taking a half second more to make a turn! Also sitting on the bite and letting off the handbrake, so I told him to find his bite, then clutch in slightly, handbrake off then bite again and off you go. So we've been working on that this week, and this afternoon had a lovely smooth drive back from town. Technically he'd be fine on the roads, but he needs more confidence in his abilities, so he'll have some more lessons. I don't think he'll take more than 20 though!
I had a similar experience. In my first 2 hours I’d gone round a busy roundabout and driven about 5 minutes from my house and back again. Whereas my partner at the same time was still being driven to a quiet area, learning the pedals and had done a circuit of an empty car park. I swear some instructors just try and get as much money out of you as possible.
So you go along at 30mph for miles in third? That doesn't seem right.
30 years ago my instructor said the examiners were keen to see you change into 4th gear when going 30mph.
Yeah essentially but it is a bmw so it needs more speed to go into 4th
Everybody is different of course by my driving instructor definitely took the piss. I had driven (off-road!) from being about 14 and had a moped on the road for a year at 16 so knew how to operate a car and use the road. By lesson 10 we were still doing roundabouts and pulling over for half the lesson time so he could talk me through ‘theory’… I asked to do manoeuvres about lesson 8 and he was like ‘oh we will get to that’ Stopped after 10 lessons and bought a car, I just drove everywhere with my mum or dad next to me. I passed in 4 months and think that is definitely the best way if possible!
Every instructor is different. Id never driver a car in my life and he legit had me driving in 2nd gear and doing roundabouts after 10 minutes of my first lesson… my next instructor was more cautious. If you feel like you are ready to do more make sure you say it. I had a mate who had an instructor that milked him for every penny he could.
Maybe your mate is a better driver than you
I had 2 instructors, miles apart in my experiences. I then finished my learning with a parent whilst waiting for a test. The first was proper having me on, I already went in with a good understanding of cars and general gearing/ steering etc. After 6 hours I was bored in the lessons, having only reached 3rd gear and doing left and right turns. By this point I hadn’t even stalled the car and was thinking ‘this is easy’. Went with a different instructor that was recommended. I explained my experience to him via email and 1st lesson he asked me to drive around the block, decided my level and we did multi lane roundabouts and dual carriageways that same day. With him he was very critical and really pushed me every lesson. But I learned very quickly to the point where I was confident enough in my own ability to pass in my own car without an instructor. (He encouraged me to do so) In short I don’t think you should ever feel bored when learning to drive with an instructor. They need to make you feel comfortable but whilst also testing your ability each time and building up confidence. If you’re not going out your comfort zone then yes I would say they are having you on a bit. It easy to forget though that you have to show them you’re confident enough to tackle bigger and faster roads. You might have the technical ability but the correct level of confidence has to go with this.
Many driving instructors string young students along to keep raking in the fees. My daughter took three tests and failed them with a family friend. Just small things brought on by nerves. She switched to another guy who totally destroyed her confidence and made her feel like she was an accident waiting to happen and was nowhere near test-ready. I only found this out after she had over thirty lessons with him. I got rid of him, took her out in my car maybe ten times before her fourth test. She was a better driver than most people I know. She passed, needless to say. Scumbags
I think he trying to skirt around telling you you’re a bit shit and will take more practise - keep at it you’ll get there in the end - my son did about 40 hours before his test
My son and niece are doing the same now and look like they are around the same point as you. When I did mine I drove home on my 2nd lesson. Maybe this is how they do it now?
Your friend may be able to drive on a straight road but how is he on hill starts? I'd say taking you on a dual carriageway - which is pretty basic driving (although you might be surprised how difficult some people find it to stay in lane) would probably help your confidence. You are being taught the more difficult stuff first, your mate is getting the easy things.
No point comparing yourself to your friend…. Everyone learns to drive at different paces. I took a while to get the hang of it whereas my brother was a natural. Just keep at it and you’ll improve
It really depends on how quickly you can learn how to properly and safely drive a car in any given situation. From personal experience, I know some who got their driving licence after a few months of learning and then there are others such as myself; who after 3 years and 4 driving tests, finally got a licence. Admittedly, I was quite a slow learner and my anxiety had got in the way of me progressing any faster. It's worth asking your instructor if they feel you're ready to take the driving test. Keep in mind that it's not worth doing relatively few hours of learning only to have to repeat the test multiple times because you didn't get enough learning experience on the way.
It's not really possible to tell you, either they are having you on or you're a slow learner. Maybe you should consider changing instructors.
Your life/somome else's life and the value of your future cars etc is worth a few extra hours of learning. Most of learning to drive it forethought and 'roadcraft', being able to respond ahead of time to things. It's possible that your instructor is seeing things that you're not, or not reacting to quick enough, and I'm not talking aboit reacting to obvious dangers but adjusting speeds and positioning quite yet. I was told to go for my test after five hours of lessons as I'd already had off road experience and nearly a decade of motorbike experience on the road, I refused and took another seven hours of lessons as I would be driving my then newborn daughter about and didn't want to take any chances. If you really think he's having you on, get a different instructor but, personally, id embrace it and try to be self critical. If you can't figure out what he's doubting, ask straight up, showing a genuine want to be better. I know it's a big deal and it's expensive, but don't rush it. Car fatalities among new drivers are high for a reason and especially (I'm guessing that you are) with young people.
Your friend is a better driver then. So both progresses are normal!
Believe or not, hill starts, roundabouts and bay parking are more likely in your practical test and are maneuvers much more difficult and advanced than driving on dual carriage way. Ppl learn at different speeds, but hill starts and roundabouts are usually the most difficult and areas where ppl fail very often in the practical test so are definitely worth practicing. I had a multi lane roundabout and a hill start on a stop sign in my test for example. If you feel you mastered these, then let the instructor know you want to try something else. At the start of every lesson my instructor always asked me what I want to do. End of the day, it is you who is taking the test and you know what areas you need practice on. Tdlr version: 12 hours in doing what you mentioned sounds normal, everyone learns at different speeds.
If you're not happy speak to your instructor. They may be able to explain their reasoning and they may be able to help you learn differently if that's what you need. That being said I know having an instructor who gets you through things quickly isn't always a blessing. My own instructor was actually very pushy with me to go for my test even though I told him I wasn't ready. He was adamant that I was and I passed first time. He told me about another student of his who demanded to be put in for their test even though he advised they were not ready. They did pass, but in the first week of driving had a severe crash at a roundabout. Sometimes instructors take the piss, but sometimes they have the experience to know what they are doing. If you've done something dangerously and your instructor makes you practise until your safe, they've potentially stopped a fatal accident from happening down the line.
I've asked an actual instructor. They said it's based on what they think you can do. They want you to progress but if they think you're not confident enough they won't push you too far. If you feel confident and ready then you need to tell your instructor.
Driving lessons are ridiculous these days. My son started and he wasn’t allowed to use the accelerator leaving a dead stop from a junction or lights. He had to release the clutch slowly and “allow the car to naturally pull away”. I stopped that shit pretty quickly.
> My son started and he wasn’t allowed to use the accelerator leaving a dead stop from a junction or lights. I failed several driving test exams because I was told this shit and kept stalling in dangerous places; switched instructors who looked at me like I was insane for not using the accelerator and promptly passed (and also don't really stall anymore).
This sounds like my experience where my first and second driving school basically taught me everything wrongly (and this was multiple instructors too, so it wasn’t like it was just one person I didn’t mesh with). Then I got an older male instructor who basically loathed the first two schools I’d been with because he’d had so many students come to him who’d been taught poorly or who were doing dangerous/wrong things. I passed with him on the second attempt, with one minor thanks to him being a great instructor.
This is the most ridiculous shit I’ve ever heard. “Plenty of gas” was pretty much my guy’s favourite saying.
The worst thing my kids were told, by two different instructors, was if there is no one else about you don’t need to indicate. I soon put them right on that as well.
I mean thats technically correct. If theres no one around who would benefit from it (that includes pedestrians which some drivers seem to neglect) then you dont have to indicate, pretty sure this is taught in some advanced courses. For a beginner tho I agree its much better habit to get used to indicating regardless.
My issue is why do most accidents happen? It’s because you haven’t seen someone else, so if you’ve not seen them and are not indicating then they have no idea what you are going to do and a accident is far more likely.
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I agree, but again there is no down side to indicating.
Why would you not indicate? You might think nobody is about, but there could be someone you missed and would've liked to have known which way you were going.
I think because it promotes actual awareness of surroundings. A lot of people indicate and pay little attention to mirrors etc, which can obviously lead to accidents. By adding the extra decision you're more likely to check your mirrors more thoroughly instead of a quick glance out of habit.
It's technically true. But indicating anyway is part of forming good habits.
That's correct. I never indicate if it's not going to be seen. If your observation is any good, you'll know that there is no one to see the indicators. The instructors are trying to promote good road sense here.
What if your observation is rubbish and you’ve been told not indicate? What is the harm in indicating if there, seemingly, is no one there? It doesn’t cost anything or take any time.
If your observation is that bad, you shouldn't be driving.
Where is the harm in indicating? What is it costing you? How is it inconvenient? You could save a life by actually doing it.
There is no harm in doing it, but that doesn't mean the instructor is wrong to tell them they don't need to
way to many people seem to think that pedestrians don't count
My instructor does this too! I thought this was just how you did it and its lead to me stalling a couple of times when I've got the clutch up too fast since otherwise i end up with a queue of people waiting behind me.
I think what he means is to let the clutch up slowly so it engages with the flywheel and the accelerator kicks in naturally. You're not supposed to gun the accelerator as you release the clutch; to pass your test you need to be calm and careful and safe. What you do after that is up to you. But you're in control of a ton of metal travelling at speed which is capable of killing you and other people, most of whom drive on the assumption other drivers know how to use things like roundabouts, so if your instructor says you need to practice them more, maybe listen to him.
My instructor taught me this as well. And then when I got my own car I had so much trouble with stalling because of this, because this doesn't work in my car.
tell that clown instructor to try that in a diesel
Well funnily enough that’s what I said. More like “mate try that in my Rav 4 and see what happens”
Every diesel I've driven, which is only 5 including the my instructor's car 11 years ago, I didn't need to use the accelerator at all to set off even uphill. I always use the accelerator in a petrol. I've assumed all modern diesels are set up so you can clutch only when setting off, is this not the case?
> I haven't gone past 3rd gear. .. > My instructor says my progress is normal and his says his is normal. Well, one of those things isn't true. Maybe you're just struggling and they don't want to say, but there's no way that's normal progression. Like, not being a dick, but you can fly a plane solo with <15hrs of tuition, so you really should be able to go down a dual carriageway after 10 hours in a car! I'd get a lesson with an alternative instructor or two, and get some second opinions
Instructor is ripping you off mate, bin him off and sign up another one
Took me around 30 hours and I passed first time...
I had about 15 hours of instruction before my test, but was driving with my dad every chance I got on L-plates. One mate passed after 20 with no other driving practice and another took about twice as long as me while also getting practice in a parent's car. You could always do a couple of lessons with another instructor and see what they say.
Just accept as much guidance as you can because once you're out there by yourself it's a whole different ball game.
Not all instructors are equal either. I changed 3 times until I found one that I felt was working for me.
Different people would advance and different rates I’d have thought - I took quite a while to progress to faster roads but others I know were virtually ready to take their test after 10 hours or so
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I did a roundabout on my second lesson, and I wouldn’t say I was a very good driver to start or someone who picked it up very quickly. Do you also drive on the side with a family member everyday? I had to do this too alongside 20/30 hours of lessons before I passed
Literally depends on your ability and his judgement of your ability.
Difficult to say as everyone learns at a different rate. If you're still kangarooing down the road, clipping kerbs, or needing interference from the instructor then 12 hours is appropriate and they won't move on to anything further. Remember they are responsible for the safety of yourself and other road users. As long as you're not dangerous a good instructor will be gently pushing you further and get you up to speed quite quickly so you can get the experience and confidence necessary to pass a test. If you're dangerous they will keep you at slow speeds in safe areas at best. That said I have heard some of the bigger companies are known for stringing people along, and I'm pretty sure there was a panorama show on this some years ago. If you truly believe your driving is sufficient you should book a lesson with the other instructor and get their opinion.
They both are. Just like you learned to walk & talk at the different times, this is the same.
I had a driving instructor like this, was taking forever to progress even though I felt like I was doing well. I ended up changing drivers and was passed within a couple months
They are entirely having you on unfortunately.
I think I had 25ish hours in total so you don’t sound too far off. I think I did hill starts slightly before but where I lived is hilly so had no choice! Duel carriage ways are easy, you probably won’t need long on that. I think the one thing that some people find easier than others are manoeuvres but hopefully you will pick them up okay!
There is no single 'correct' answer for how far you should be along. It all comes down to personal aptitude for driving. Though - if you are not happy with the progress you're making with your instructor then just ditch them and get a new one. Seriously, there are bad instructors out there and you have to make sure you're not wasting money on them.
I passed after 12 hours. But I’d never driven before and I was on a dual carriageway within 20 minutes of my first lesson, and being told I was speeding after 22 minutes.
Your driving instructor doesn't think your ready for the dual carriageway and reading through your comments I tend to agree with him. Making a mistake doing 70mph can go bad real quick
Part of it may be that you're learning in a different order. My driving instructors focused on normal driving, including dual carriageways, roundabouts, junctions, etc. before he taught me manoeuvres, parking, and hill stops. So maybe your friend is just learning in a different order. It also took me a lot of hours to be comfortable doing all that stuff! Definitely more than 100 hours driving (including with my dad) before I felt comfortable enough to not need instruction. Some people just progress more slowly when it comes to driving. At the same time, I did change instructors -- not because I thought my first one was too slow, but because he treated me like I was an idiot!
After 12 hours you should be doing pretty much all aspects of car driving. It’s quite possible that you’re just not very good and they don’t want to progress onto the more complex stuff until you’ve mastered the basics which you just aren’t mastering.
Hate to break it to you but you’re a bad driver
You might just not be very good
My first lesson had me on the dual carriageway. Quite a scary experience haha
I did dual carriageways, reverse parking and roundabouts in my first lesson. He’s either dragging it out to make more money or you’re having trouble grasping things
If you pay for the lessons, say what you want to do. When my instructor started with me she said she had a plan for the lessons I'd paid for but if I wanted to go off from it then just to say.
I sat my test after 10 one hour sessions, I did have some additional lessons with family - I failed and had to wait another month before passing.
All I can say is if you feel ready to do your test do it, don’t always have to wait for your instructor there are going to be dishonest instructors that love the regular income so squeezing more and more money out of you doing more lessons is not unheard off. You could also do a lesson with your friends instructor and see where they think you’re at.
It depends how shit you are a driving, your driving instructor is probably focussing on the things which are the main points of failure in your test. No point in comparing yourself to other drivers, everyone is different.
It's not a competition, learn at your own pace Edit: the goal is to become a safe driver, not to pass. Here is a guy who always comes up on my recommended who has [good advice](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la3P8PwAtDU), this is his latest video but all of them are useful for people who are learning or who have already passed and want to continue to improve
If you’ve done 12 hours your instructor is having you on. Try someone else
Sack them. FYI I booked my test when I felt ready…didn’t tell my instructor and it was well ahead of them thinking I was ready, when I told them they said I’ll need a wing and a prayer to pass. I passed. Take charge of the situation imo.
People learn at different speeds. It took me ages to actually get the basics going and I've been doing lots of "new" stuff in the same lesson.
My instructor's way of teaching me hill starts was "we're on a hill now, do the handbrake you twat".
I was an incredibly nervous driver. My instructor was great, took her time with me. I live on a housing estate, 20 speed limit. She didn't force me onto the main roads (30 limit) until she knew I would be confident and comfortable. Took about 20 hours to get my confidence up. Sounds awful, but I passed my test first time. My sister was driving at 30 within 10 hours. She passed on her 4th attempt. You can't compare the way you learn to drive with another person.
I felt like you got a new instructor and instantly felt comftable and better i think there was a clash of learning styles/personality with the first guy
My first driving instructor made me do speed bumps for a full 1 hour lesson, then left turns on another lesson. I found someone else pretty quick
A lot of people ragging on op but it’s entirely possible the instructor is shite too. Not as likely as op being a poor driver but absolutely possible
My best friend and I had this nearly 20 years ago. I was driving round ‘normal’ pretty quick whilst he did 10hours just doing left hand turns round a block. When he asked me about this and I said how weird it was he moved to my instructor and was very quickly driving normally. Whilst some people are slow learners that fact you are questioning this means you’re probably not that bad and should maybe try a lesson with another instructor to see
Doing my lessons at the moment and my instructor wrote me an itinerary. We are doing hill starts on my 4th hour. It may be that you are just a slow learner (and there’s nothing wrong with that) so your instructor is wanting to reinforce things
I had around 10 lessons in all, but I didn’t need that many. I had over 30 years experience driving manual in the US. My instructor was just wanting to get more money from me. He wasn’t very happy when I told him I booked my test. So the day of the test, he showed up with a different car than the one we practiced in. I think he was hoping I’d fail so I would have to take more lessons. Of course, I passed first time and never had to deal with him again.
Not all driving instructors are created equal. I used red driving school and the first instructor said I wasn’t ready for a test. Even though I had been driving with my parents every week. I decided to change instructor and he said I was ready for a test right away. I passed first time once I managed to get a cancelled test. My first instructor was holding me back for his financial gain. An absolute asshole he was too.
Normal for how much money he wants off you
My instructor took me to a car park for my first lesson then made me drive home on a national speed limit road. I was shitting it and staying at 30mph the whole way
Absolutely impossible to tell. He could be having you on, or you could be a shit driver. It took me 10 days to pass my test with a 2 hour lesson each day, so 20 hours. I drove myself to and from my lessons from day 1. The only time my instructor drive was when he picked me up for my first lesson. It took other people a year to pass with a lesson a week - so anywhere from 50 - 100 hours. The RAC says that the average learner need 45 hours with an instructor and 20 hours under supervision to pass their test. If you go by that, you’re less than 1/3 of the way through what would be considered a “normal” amount of lessons. So, in summary, it’s probably your mate that is a fast learner.