Hayleigh, a teenager in Coalville, passed her theory test just one day after her seventeenth birthday. Talk about being driven! In the course of the few weeks that followed, she went on to take some structured driving lessons. Some were cheap, bought on deals that so often populate the web space. For the most part, the driving lessons were cheap, thanks to her shopping around for a deal here and voucher deals there. It gave her time to assess her needs and choose a driving instructor that was more akin to her driving style. Three weeks after passing the said theory test, Hayleigh was near ready to drive without supervision and all geared up for her practical driving test.
Just down the road from Hayleigh, another teenager, nineteen year old Brian was also taking driving lessons. Like Hayleigh, Brian also had his provisional driving license from the first week he turned seventeen. But unlike Hayleigh, Brian was nowhere near his neighbor's driving skills, let alone think of booking a driving test.
He only just about managed to pass his theory test on the third attempt. Feeling very despondent, Brian's driving course almost crashed into oblivion when he lost his part-time job and could not afford the expensive driving lessons he was taking from the very same instructor Hayleigh was learning from. So why is there a price discrepancy?
Driving schools, and their driving instructors tend to give cheaper price options to learner drivers who book driving lessons en-mass. Look at it like buying wholesale. As one can see, two teenagers, same opportunities, but Hayleigh came out trumps because she block booked driving lessons and tailor her lessons to mirror her lifestyle.
The other advantage Hayleigh had was her ability to practice driving on the private land. Hayleigh and her family lived on a large farm with room for farm machinery and a back garden most would die for. So she learn how to drive, for the most part, in her garden. She was not breaking any law. She need not even insure or tax the vehicle so long asshe did not drive on any public road. It sure gave her an unparalleled advantage.Understandably, she could drive better by the time she was seventeen. Her parents started her off by tutoring her and booking a theory test. An old banger was thrust in her face and she was skidding through the farm, learning to reverse, practicing clutch control, speeding up and changing gears to slow down and much more. The real carrot for Hayleigh, however, was the real and genuine promise of a brand new car if she were to pass her practical driving test first time.
Apart from that, Hayleigh longed for the freedom of stepping out of her front door and into her own car rather than walk half a mile to her front gate and another five hundred meters to the nearest bus stop. So please her weekend job, Hayleigh scheduled her driving tuition on fixed days, and generally at the same time. This made it easy to remember what she was doing weekly.
Above all else, she had set days when she started from home but finished at home. Other times, she started from workplace and ended the lesson at a friend's house. It was a rollercoaster three-week period, but everything was pre-planned and executed to the minest of details.
The best part for Hayleigh was that not one of her college work suffered. Hayleigh had the forethought to open up her diary and worked out a training schedule with her driving instructors.
As for Brian, who lived in an urban townhouse with limited parking on the near estate, this was all onerous work. His parents shared one car between them, which only the father tended to drive, mostly out of the necessity of driving a seven-mile return trip for work in rush hour traffic that took almost an eternity to complete. To make things even more complicated, Brian's parents had a big four-by-four that made it astronomically impossible to include the nineteen year old as a third driver.
So without the insurance, Brian had no practice vehicle. He had to rely solely on the driving instructor's car It was all too much. At this joke, it need to be stated also that Brian worked in a public house where his bosses never really managed to give him set-hour shift patterns. And to make matters worse, the rota for his working week tended to be ready with five-day notice.
Academically, Brian was suffering too. He placed that as a matter of priority over his driving lessons needs so quite often canceled driving lessons to do research and other school course work. When things came to a head, Brian stopped his driving Tuition completely for a period of four months before returning to one lesson every other week. Eventually, Brian had stopped completely for almost one year before returning yet again to continue his driving course after he graduated with his university grades.
Well, it was no surprise when Hayleigh passed, first time too. After all, she had racked up a substantial amount of driver training and enough support to keep her at it. Brian, unfortunately failed his driving test and felt very angry with the whole situation for a long while after.
So for anyone planning on taking driving lessons, it is obvious that apart from a deep pocket backed with moral support, it is worth considering pack deal driving lessons.
Do not go by way of Pay-As-You-Go. Instead, pay upfront for a given number of lessons, they tend to be cheaper any way.
Structure your driving lessons.
Choose a day, or a few days best suited around your existing lifestyle and be true to yourself. Make the schedule stick, and above all, stick with it. Flexibility is good, but not to breaking point. Most driving instructors will work around your needs. If not choose another one. Driving instructors hate late cancellations, So the clever driving instructors have built-in cancellation policies to protect their income. Ironically, learner drivers also benefit from this arrangement because they are more likely to gain the instructor's trust and commitment. It's a win-win situation.
Shop around fro best deals.
There are loads of offers on driving lesson and it takes a savvy mind to pick out what is best for your own individual need. However, just because it's cheap does not necessarily mean it's for you. Read the terms applied. If they do not meet your needs, look elsewhere.
Read the Highway Code
Learn quicker by reading and understanding The Highway Code. Some driving schools even give out the highway code for free, with hazard perception training thrown in. There are other free resources out there like video sharing websites.
Learn From Friends and Family.
Everyday teenagers tend to generally ignore the free driving lessons shoved down their throat by parents, friends and other relatives. It pays to watch other drivers, friends and family, (including bus drivers). Even when other people are driving dangerously, an astute teenager can easily learn how to drive safely by making judgment calls on other people's driving habits.
Preach What You Learn
Share your driving lesson experiences with everyone you know or meet. Write comments, tweet what you know, how you felt after your driving lesson and above all, practice what you are being taught. Do not re-invent the rules of driving. The benefit? You may get something wrong. Then you might get a chance to see other people's view on your knowledge. It's a continuous learning cycle.
Complete in Time
Do not embark on an ambiguous journey into driving. Starting with 8 driving lessons to test the water is a waste of your time and that of the instructor's. Be more realistic about the prices and how you can afford them. Then take the plunge; complete your driving lessons and you too could be a driver in no time.
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