Learning to drive from a reputed driving school is a big investment, both financially and in the hours you put in over a number of months to get test-ready. Finding the right driving school and instructor is therefore really important to make sure you’re getting good value from your lessons and always making progress, so you pass safely in the quickest time possible.
Also, learning to drive is supposed to be enjoyable, so you should never feel the old night-before-dread as lessons approach. We’ve put together this quick guide on five top things you should be getting from your lessons, regardless of who you are learning with or where you are in the country. If you are in Bundoora or Deer Park and they sound like how you would like to learn, just get in touch.
You should be behind the wheel, not studying paper resources
There are of course times when you need to look at the theory side of driving – it can be easier to explain a manoeuvre or the correct route to take across the lanes of a roundabout when you can see it charted on paper, and you need to make sure you’re up to speed on things like the Highway Code, but learning to drive requires hands-on experience as in hands on the steering wheel and gearstick. Professional driving instructors will not only help you to learn to drive but also will be providing valuable information.
From your very first lesson, you should have the opportunity to learn and practice new skills from the driving seat.
Progress reports and proper feedback
Learning to drive is a process from the first time you get behind the wheel until you walk out of the test centre with a big grin on your face. There is of course a logical order to mastering the skills you need; you won’t be reversing around corners before you’ve learned how to find reverse gear. Every step along the way, your instructor should be keeping a record of your progress and giving you feedback at each stage. This not only shows how far you have come, but gives you a tangible record of where you are up to and what you need to focus on in the next driving lessons.
You should also be able to have an input on the direction your lessons take – if your instructor thinks you’ve mastered a manoeuvre but it still just doesn’t feel 100% to you, you should be able to ask for more practice on it. Remember the end goal is not just getting through your driving test, but the life as a driver you will have on the road, without an instructor or examiner beside you. So it’s important that you finish your driving lessons feeling comfortable dealing with any scenarios that may come your way.
An honest appraisal
Your instructor should always be willing to give you an honest assessment of how things are going in a constructive and encouraging way! A driving instructor’s honesty should also extend to when you aren’t quite ready to sit your test, putting you forward to take it before you are likely to pass is a complete waste of your time and money.
Why should you choose a reputed driving school?
Making sure you have a professional, experienced stick shift driving instructor can make a huge impact on your learning how to drive a stick shift vehicle. It’s a fact that driving a stick or manual car is more complicated than an automatic. It may also take you a bit longer to get control over the wheel if you try to do it without the professional driving instructor’s guidance. A friend or relative who assures you that they’ll help you learn how to drive a stick shift vehicle driving easily. With their instruction, you may learn their bad habits and they may fail to teach you the details of stick shift control and safety. It is safe to say, the people who claim to know how to drive a manual car safely don’t necessarily know how to teach someone else to do the same.
Save you from driving-related trouble –
If you wish to learn to drive a manual car, then learning to drive with the professional driving instructor at Deer Park can help. They can help save you from using your own car and ruining the transmission and gears. Cars are expensive and not everyone has the spare car to let you practice on and wear it out by learning how to use it. The driving school has the use of a stick shift vehicle you can use to practice on. They can control how you use it and help you learn quickly and professionally and keep you from ruining the clutch or transmission.
