Over the years I have been providing driving lessons in Hull & East Yorkshire and fewer and fewer people tend to private practise. Learning to drive with family or friends can save you money and help you get to test standard quicker, but we recommend you always use a qualified Approved Driving Instructor and just practice with family or friends. Always remember to drive to the standard that you are taught by your instructor, otherwise you will spend the first half f you next lesson correcting bad habits you may have picked up.
If you are teaching someone to drive you will need to have L-Plates clearly displayed, appropriate insurance for the learner driver and you must have held your licence for a minimum of 3 years and be at least 21 years old. Taking them out to early can knock their confidence if they are out of there depth. If you are going out for the first time then you don’t really have a clue what their driving is like until you have seen it. Always drive them to a quiet place ideally a quiet industrial estate on a Sunday morning. Do this even if they have had loads of driving lessons as they will need to get used to the car and they may feel a bit nervous as they would have got very used to driving with their ADI. Learner drivers react slowly so give them plenty of time to do things. If things do go wrong and they do something a bit dangerous then this can be frightening and stressful but it is important not to show any stress or fear or they will get very stressed which you don’t want when they are behind the wheel. Where possible pull over and discuss what happened. Try not to just tell them off ,try to have a constructive discussion about it trying to create a win win situation. Make sure the vehicle is roadworthy and legal and definitely insured it’s a good idea for the accompanying driver to be insured as well as you may need to drive the vehicle sometimes as you may need to drive the vehicle as well
Tips for accompanying learner drivers:
Don’t relax too much!
Be ready for absolutely anything. Hazards can occur very quickly and situations can change.
Don’t have too high expectations!
Always give plenty of positive comments and remember to stay calm.
Give clear instruction well before you need them to respond.
Keep descriptive and consistent with directions/terms.
Choose appropriate routes carefully!
Try not to take the learner into difficult situations. Stick to quiet roads until you are confident with their abilities. It will really knock their confidence if this happens. If this situation is unavoidable help the learner out as much as required. But try to roughly plan routes before you set off, taking into account the time of day and traffic conditions.
Stop and discuss!
If the learner makes a pretty serious mistake, pull up and talk about what happened.
Then discuss how it can be rectified.
The Approved Driving Instructor is “always†right!!
Well usually! If the learner is doing something what you think is incorrect and he or she says “That’s the way my instructor tells me to do it†it’s usually correct but bearing in mind that the learner may be telling a porky. So if in doubt don’t hesitate to ask the instructor as they will always be willing to help.
