Driving Lesson Mistakes

As a provisional licence holder preparing for the DSA practical test you will make mistakes in the run up to your appointment day, it doesn't matter whether you are taking driving lessons with a Department of Transport approved instructor, or you are taking your 'tuition' with a family member or friend, you however want to make sure that the number of mistakes are kept to a minimum, but more importantly they are not serious or dangerous errors.



If you are taking lessons with a driving instructor you should never be afraid to make a mistake while in training, you have a better chance of passing the practical test if you don't think too hard about how to do things but operate out of habit, this usually means doing the first thing that comes to your mind. I always encourage my learner driver pupils to do this, your actions will either be right or wrong. If what you did was correct then you can be confident that on the test this is what the DSA examiner expects and you can perform that skill, if it is wrong, then as an ADI I will inform you of the right thing to do, we will then practice this until we get rid of the bad driving habit and start to perform the skill at the dsa standard (this could take a lesson or more depending on the individual).

If you are always tense on your driving lessons afraid to make a mistake because you dread your instructor shouting at you, calling you stupid or an idiot then you have a problem - get rid of the instructor! Everyone learns at a different pace, and what took your friend a one hour session to understand could take you 3 hours (over 3 seperate sessions), as long as you are given the necessary support, practice and don't get a flustered person sitting next to you, then it is nothing to be concerned about.

Even on the day of your driving test, you might make a BIG mistake on the lesson as you make your way to the DSA centre, this doesn't warrant being told off for, but rather a learning experience, with emphasis being put on how to approach the situation if the same opportunity presents itself during the assessment. It is much better to make the mistake with your instructor beside you, get the proper feedback knowing what to do when it really matters than to hold back because of fear of an angry reaction, then do what comes to your mind on the test and fail.

Making a mistake gives you the chance to learn a lesson, and it is more likely that if treated in the right way will easily be remembered in the future.

If you are thinking of using cheap driving lessons to learn to drive, you might want to think again about your choice.


Subscribe to Driving Test Tips so you don't miss any future articles or get updates direct to your inbox by Email.