Who is teaching you to drive a car?

learning to drive without instructorIf you are currently learning to drive a car with a family member or friend, have you ever thought of asking yourself the question: Will my current teacher pass the driving test if they took it today?

I remember watching a programme on television sometime ago where I think 6 people who had full UK driving licences where asked to re-take the DSA test again as part of an experiement, the ages of the people varied, so did their sex and how long they had been driving for. One thing was common with all of them, they thought they were safe drivers because they had not been involved in an accident, and had full no claims bonus on their insurance. Only 2 out of the 6 passed the DSA test!

How are you sure that your Dad, Friend or Spouse is giving you the right tuition while you are learning to drive with them? The fact that they've never been involved in an accident doesn't mean they are very safe, more importantly it has no bearing on whether they can drive at the current DSA driving test standard, which is why I would recommend that they get a copy of the AA book supervising a learner as it lets them know how to prepare a provisional licence holder for the driving test.

Now if the person who is teaching you to drive can not pass the test, how are you the learner driver going to do the same? Obviously you will learn how to move a car from A to B, have an idea what the manuovers are, and how to carry them out to an extent, but how you can think of booking a driving test without learning to drive properly with a driving instructor beats me! Yet everyday many test candidates go to a driving test centre having only been taught to drive by a friend or family member, no wonder the current pass rate is only 40%.

Now don't get me wrong, learning to drive with a DSA approved driving instuctor is no gurantee that you will pass the driving test, but at least the ADI can pass the current test because they are aware of what the DSA requires, drive at that standard everyday (well they should be), and will not get you into unsafe driving habits.

If you are learning to drive, you should think about your teacher, whether an instructor or not, are you confident that they are giving you the right tuition and developing the right driving habits, if not, then it is time for change! Even the driving standards agency that conducts the test in the UK, recognise that many people will prepare for the pratctical with friends and family, and have written a book to help with this process.


It is designed to give the much needed guidance to the specifuc standards that the examiner is looking for on the test, something which your dad, mum or friend can easily teach you even if they don't currently drive that way. So don't waste that expensive driving test fee and all that practising time, get the full facts before going to the test centre!

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