Amount of lessons for 17 year old?

aliasojo

Thank you TK.

Will get a driving manual and already have Highway code (OH has HGV licence and his job requires him to attend various refresher courses or tests or something so there's usually a Highway code book kicking around here somewhere. )

Thankfully son doesn't have (at the moment at least :rolleyes: ) a boy racer attitude. In fact he is openly disdainful about the idiots who drive around our town too fast and with their stereo blaring. I am quietly confident that he will be a responsible driver although nothing is ever carved in stone.

He often picks up on other people's poor driving when we are out in my car...i.e. people overtaking at bad points in the road or not indicating or being in the wrong lane etc, so I am hopeful that he will be responsible at the least.

jfdi

My lad - now 18, had 16 lessons plus a LOT of time out practicing with me in the car - 2 or 3 times a week, in carparks, and other types of situations practising manouvres etc as he progressed - & passed first time. Then he did 'Pass Plus' - and went out on his own. One year later he's fine - not even a bump, thank goodness!

highguyuk

As a 17 year old, I learnt in 27 lessons. I had no other time in a car, my parents didn't have a car at the time. I believe I passed far far quicker than the average.

The general rule I have heard about lessons and age, from my instructor, is that it takes twice your age in lessons to pass.

Your son maybe able to drive confidentally around the field, but if he can drive safely around the roads according to the rules and enough to satisfy the examiner is another matter. Exercises such as reverse parking and 3 point turns should be taught via an instructor so that the correct techniques can be applied not only for the test but for life.

Based on my experience, get the theory test booked and passed as soon as you can. I used a 3rd party CD Rom with test questions and hazard perception tests on there and passed with full marks on my theory questions. I passed my hazard perception, but not as comprehensively. When I was booking my test a couple of years ago there was a delay on test bookings, so if that is the case in your area book early. Sorry to say it is high unlikely your son will pass first time. I passed 3rd time around, although IMO it should have been the 2nd time ... ANOTHER MATTER!

Costs for me:
Provisional Driving Licence = £38
Theory Test = £19
27 lessons at £19 each = £475
Duplicate Driving Licence after I lost it = £19 (oops!)
3 * Practical Test Fee = £39
Cost of booking test car during test = £58
= £648.

But then again, how much is "freedom" of driving for "life" worth? It was money very well spent in my opinion, even if I hadn't of lost my licence. lol.

pavlovs_dog

it depends a lot on the type of instructor you choose as well. with BSM for example, you spend numerous lessons in a simulator before they even entertain the thought of letting you get behind the wheel of their car :eek:

a lot of practice outside of lessons is also important, to build up confidence and experience. i would suggest that once his instructor is happy for your DS to drive from the house (ie for the whole duration of the lesson) then he is ready to don his L plates and start chauffeur driving you to tescos etc (if your nerves can hack it ).

he gets more experience on the road, and you both get some 'quality' time together.

will he be contributing from his pay packet towards these lessons , or are you stumping up the cost? and are you aware of the tesco clubcard deal for BSM ?

aliasojo

highguyuk wrote:

Your son maybe able to drive confidentally around the field, but if he can drive safely around the roads according to the rules and enough to satisfy the examiner is another matter.

Agree completely. At least he is familiar with the car controls and is confident in driving the car itself, though....which will likely mean he will be able to concentrate more on what the driving instructor is teaching him.

When I learned, I remember being very conscious of the pedals and was extremely worried I'd put the wrong foot on the wrong pedal. All through the lesson, I had a wee mantra going through my mind to remind me my left foot was clutch only. I'm sure I only heard half of what the instructor said that day. :rolleyes: At least son is able to use the controls and handle the car confidently and will be able to concentrate fully on the rest.

p_d......I actually phoned BSM last night and the chap said to use 30 hours as an average, approximate cost £600. Obviously some peeps will be more, some will be less. There is a 2-3wk waiting time for theory tests and a 3-4 wk wait for the test itself. He said in theory, son could be through his test in 6 weeks with some intensive lessons and practice on the road with me.

There are some small local independants, but being a small Highland town, there are only a few and they are booked for months ahead. You are also unlikely to be able to book more than 1 lesson a week with them as they are so busy. (There must have been a powercut or something 17 years ago as there are a high % of 17 year olds in this town! :rolleyes: )

I have a feeling I wont be on here much in a couple of weeks time.......I'll be out on the road......'bonding'....and having 'quality time' with my son. :rolleyes:

Ex is paying for the lessons as a birthday present btw.....so my Tesco vouchers will live to see another day.

nmealey

its not all about confidence though. Our local police caught a 17 year old female drink driving. She passed her test 2 days before - ooops ! I think attitude has more a bearing on it.

balsingh

I passed my test in 1992 and at the time the rule of thumb was 1 lesson for each year of your age. I didnt believe this but I was 17 and I ended up having 19 lessons. My mum passed her test when she was 34 after havign around 30 lessons. I know there are many factors to affect it but this is definitly a good starting point when trying to estimate the cost. Not sure how much stricter they are on tests since then but I didnt even have to do a theory test.

I disagree with the bit about lots of practice in another car. In my opinion, its a lot easier to learn in 1 car and take the test in the same car. By practising in another car outside of the lessons, you then have to adjust yourself between 2 cars which is not easy as a learner. For example, the last thing you want is to mess up on the test over confusion about where the reverse gear is on one car as opposed to another. Adjusting between more thna one car should be done after you have passed the test and start gaining more confidence.

nmealey

my daughter is 10, better get the license applied for quick !

plane_boy2000

flossy_splodge wrote:

What's the real issue here? :eek: Getting your son to be a safe and considerate driver or seeing how little can be spent to let yet another "know it all" contribute to the mayhem on our roads? Confidence is surely NOT the only issue?

I think that you are a little niave. Driving instructors are there to get you through a test - very few will actualy teach you how to drive, just how to pass a test.

C_Ronaldo

it depends on how quick they are taking stuff in and remembering to do all that stuff at the right moment