driving lessons

barbiedoll

I'm a middle-aged nervous wreck and I never thought I'd pass a test. It took me 9 months (roughly 36-40 hours) and I passed at my second attempt. I was doing hill starts from the beginning (but I do live on a hill!) and I was parallel parking, albeit badly, from the second lesson onwards. I still have the photo on my phone of my first attempt at parking.

If I were your wife, I would start looking for a new instructor. Does she, or you, know anyone who is currently learning or who has just passed their test? Get some personal recommendations, and don't block book with anyone, you should be able to pay as you go.

And take your wife out for plenty of practice, even if it's just round an industrial estate or a large car park. It will make all the difference and will save you a few quid too!

olly300

barbiedoll wrote: »

And take your wife out for plenty of practice, even if it's just round an industrial estate or a large car park. It will make all the difference and will save you a few quid too!

I was about to suggest the OP takes his wife out to a large car park during the day in the week (not kids holiday weeks) , or an industrial park at the weekend preferably Sunday.

The advantage of that is she can practise driving around and also learn to park in a parking space away from other people. Just make sure you choose a space that doesn't have a wall in front or behind it.

Where I live on Sunday there are quite a few older learner drivers clogging the roads simply because it's easier for them to practise driving on the dual carriageway on a weekend.

cardinalbiggles

Passed my test within 5 weeks of my 17th birthday, would have done it quicker but had to wait on a test. I was out every night with my parents though. Lived in the countryside so there was an incentive to get it done quickly!

laurel7172

I passed my test in Peterborough, albeit 20 odd years ago-without a hill start.

I'd had my first lessons in a somewhat hillier part of the country, where my instructor took me to a quiet back street and wouldn't let me on the main road until my hill start was perfect. So I vaguely noticed I hadn't practised it with the local instructor, but didn't much care.

You see, there is no hill within a practical distance of the test centre...so it simply wasn't tested.

What Peterborough does have, however, is multi-storey car parks...and it's wise to hang back on the ramps:rotfl:

paddedjohn

Many years ago driving instructors worked for driving schools rather than being self employed, this meant the instructors were more likely to ready a customer as soon as possible so as to look good in the eyes of their employers, these days there are numerous self employed instructors who just see the learner as a cash cow. I passed after about 6/7 lessons at £6 per lesson but as soon as my daughter got into her instructors car she was told she would need about 30/40 lessons at £20 each and this is before she even turned a wheel.

mikey72

olly300 wrote: »

I was about to suggest the OP takes his wife out to a large car park during the day in the week (not kids holiday weeks) , or an industrial park at the weekend preferably Sunday.

The advantage of that is she can practise driving around and also learn to park in a parking space away from other people. Just make sure you choose a space that doesn't have a wall in front or behind it.

Where I live on Sunday there are quite a few older learner drivers clogging the roads simply because it's easier for them to practise driving on the dual carriageway on a weekend.

tbh, I found exactly the opposite when my daughter was learning.

The instructor (well, a decent one) knows are the tricks with his own car, - line up the mirror, the piece of black tape, drive backwards until you can see the car against the tax disk etc
so we found we left that to him, and I just went out with my daughter for just normal driving, and confidence building (mainly me keeping my mouth shut, and very, very occasionally steering away from the ditch)
We went out every day though, for a couple of hours, including midnight on her 17th bithday.
She passed with about 15 to 20 lessons.

I would change instructor here, but then again only you know your wifes abilities at the moment.