So on Monday (3rd September) I, by some miracle, managed to pass my driving test first time with only six minors. As I was a little scared to start learning how to drive at first, which was why it took me almost a year after turning seventeen for me to start driving lessons (as well as for a few other reasons), I thought that I would write a post on my experience with driving lessons and the driving test to try and stop anyone else's nerves when it comes to learning how to drive and to inform you on what it entails as when I first started learning how to drive I was completely clueless on everything.
I first started driving lessons at the end of February this year and it is safe to say that I was really nervous about starting. However after a few lessons I finally got used to it and began to develop my skills as a learner driver. Instead of doing a load of skills in one lesson, my instructor would always choose one thing to teach me so that I could spend the whole of that lesson learning how to do that certain skill; such as dealing with junctions, roundabouts, parking in a bay, parallel parking, etc. He always remained as calm as he could with me so as to not stress me out (which does happen very easily) and if I ever went wrong he would tell me how I could improve it (such as if I was slightly over a line when parking I could try shunting) and would also tell me where I had gone wrong so that I knew not to do that the next time. This proved to be very beneficial to me and I saw myself gradually managing to progress my skills over time and comparing what I was like when I first started learning how to drive to now really does make me realise how much progress I have made in just six months.
Overall I had 37 hours worth of driving lessons and barely any practice in my own car with my dad, which is pretty good considering the national average is 45 hours worth of lessons with an instructor and 22 hours in your own/your parents/someone else's car. However just because I did better than the national average doesn't necessarily mean that I am a better driver than those who have taken longer to learn how to drive and pass their test or those who have put more hours in. I know people who have passed their test quicker than I have; and I also know people who took longer to pass their test than I did. I also know people who didn't pass their test on the first go. But does that mean that they are a bad driver? Of course it doesn't.
I don't think that my driving test went too badly. I was okay when I woke up and through most of the lesson I had before the test (although as the time before I took my test came closer I started to feel really nervous to the point where I thought I was going to be sick). Before the test my instructor had told me that the test would go by really quickly and would be over and done with before I knew it (and he was right). He also told me that he wanted to leave it until the very last possible minute for us to get to the test centre as the worst bit is when you're in the waiting room (it's true, I almost threw up and I was only waiting for a couple of minutes) so I'm very glad that he chose to do that.
For those of you who don't know, you will be given a 'tell me' question at the start of the test and a 'show me' question at any point during your test. My 'tell me' question was 'open the bonnet and tell me how you'd check that you have a safe level of hydraulic brake fluid', which was lucky because the only questions that I properly knew were ones involving opening the bonnet. This meant that because I was confident with the answer I gave, I was feeling reasonably calm about the rest of the test. I was given my 'show me' question towards the end of the test, which was 'when it's safe to do so, can you show me how you'd switch on your dipped headlights?'. It is important when asked the 'show me' questions that you do only carry them out when it's safe (for example when you're not dealing with any head-to-heads) so that you don't put yourself or anyone else in any danger.
I'm not going to go into all of the minors that I got, however I am going to talk about one which almost made me fail. I had gotten to a junction and on the main road there was a filter lane that I would have had to deal with (I was turning right) and a roundabout about 100 yards away. Even though the road was only 30mph and there were some opportunities where I possibly could have gone, I decided not to because I was worried about how long it might take me to get out of the junction and whether in that time a car would be too close to me for me to be able to get out safely. There was also a couple of times where the road was fairly clear but I could see someone was going into the filter lane, which was why I decided not to pull out. At the end of the test this was the only thing that the examiner mentioned and he said that if I had missed any other opportunities he would have had to fail me. So even though it pays to be a safe driver, you also need to make sure that you aren't holding any traffic up as this means that you are messing with the 'flow' of being on the road (and there were a few cars behind me at this point), so if you see an opportunity and reckon you will have time to go then go for it (but obviously without risking anyone's life).
What I wish I had done was spend a bit more time practising in my own car with my dad as a way of developing the skills that I had learnt in my driving lessons as there would be times when I would go over a week without having a lesson; which, especially in the first few months of me learning how to drive, meant that my driving would be a bit jittery and I might have forgotten one or two of the things that I had learnt in my previous lesson. I feel that if I had tried to do more lessons with my dad that I might have been able to further improve my driving skills and become a bit more confident with my driving, which might have meant that I may have performed better in my test. This also would have meant that I would have had more of a chance to get used to driving in my own car with 'L' plates on because my car is a petrol, however I learnt in a diesel which means that driving my car is going to be quite different; especially as it is a lot easier to stall my car than it was with my instructor's.
I would say that when it comes to picking an instructor for yourself, you might want to shop around a bit for instructors in your local area to compare prices. You could also ask people at school (or anyone in your local area) who are either currently learning to drive or who have already passed their test which instructor they used and ask them if they would recommend them. But don't necessarily go for the instructor that's the cheapest. I've found that the instructor's prices in my area are all around the same. I have also had it recommended to me to choose an independent driving instructor and not someone who works for one of the bigger driving schools as they tend to be more expensive, not as flexible, and don't always do personalised lessons which are needed (however this is just what I've heard and doesn't necessarily apply to every instructor working for a huge driving school). At the end of the day it's based on your personal preference and who you feel most comfortable in who you choose to learn how to drive with.
I know that I'm in no means qualified to say to you what you should do about your driving lessons or when you should start taking them. I started when I was almost eighteen but some people start as soon as they turn seventeen and others start when they are a few years older. Just go with whatever you feel is best and if you find that you aren't enjoying them or that your instructor isn't the right person for you for whatever reason (such as you don't get on with one another) then you can always stop and find another instructor or just do whatever you feel is right at that time; even if it means stopping driving lessons altogether.
If you have any other questions about my experience with learning how to drive or anything driving related (or not) then please feel free to ask. Any contact details that you might need are in the contacts tab at the top of the page.
Love Beth xx
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