Driving lessons...

laurel7172

Oh...with regard to the "extortionate" price of lessons, to insure my (small) car for my learner daughter would cost about the same as five driving lessons per month, before taking fuel, my time, frazzled nerves or the risk to my no-claims discount into account.

Seems like a bargain to me!

Peater

Noted.

I just remember it seeming to be the most expensive thing i'd ever encountered when i was 17!

(time for a gloat - Had lessons for 2 months (1 to 2 a week)and passed 1st time with 3 minors.... a'yus!)

Memory_Girl

Look on the bright side victory - at least he will not be moaning at you soon to buy him a car "because everyone else's parents have" - or have to subsidise the cost of insurance (friends son's insurance is the same as my annual mortgage interest)

I too passed first time - but was taught to drive by a 6'4" black drag queen called Tevita in an intensive Easter week course. Said lovely was prone to giving "fashion advice" to young gentlemen on Bethal Green Road - so first thing I learned was how to be quite nippy off at the lights.

MG

laurel7172

I don't know how old you are, Peater, but I had to work a six hour bar shift to pay for one lesson when I was 18. (This was before the minimum wage came in.) I do think the cost has dropped in real terms since then-by quite a bit.

motherofstudents

My kids had lessons and passed at 17 and it has been a godsend for them. There was never any pressure for them to continue lessons though and bottom line is, if he doesn't want to continue, that's up to him. If he is not happy doing it then he is right to stop the lessons however much of a waste it is, and I do agree it's a shame for him not to get a licence. It's his life, his decision and best for you to leave him to it.

seafarers_wife

He might not be ready to drive. Had lessons when I was 18, stoppe them and restarted when I was 23 and passed my test after spending about 1K on lessons in total. I just wasn't ready to drive when I was 18 and had no incentive to drive as couldn't afford a car and couldn't get added to my parents car insurance unless I paid the 3K extra that the insurance company wanted for me to be named on mums insurance :eek: he will get there when he's ready.

LiiinnngggY

I started taking driving lessons when I was 18 and gave up after 8 lessons because the instructor made me believe that I couldn't do it. After a long break, I started taking lessons again for a year and I passed my driving test yesterday

Parva

You're totally missing the point as to why he's given up....

I would hazard a guess (a very accurate one I suspect) that it's the theory that's holding him back. ** I often let my son drive my car in places where he should not and it was clear that he could out-drive most people, I felt safe whilst sat in the passenger seat.

My sons problem was the theory. He could pass the questions but somehow just couldn't get that all important pass because he just didn't get the hazard perception part of it, he thought he was playing on his XBox and clicked like crazy when he saw a hazard! It took 5 attempts for him to learn that this wasn't an XBox game!

Indeed, I refused to allow him to take up driving lessons until he passed the theory as he was itching to drive, even if only with an instructor but he was also aware of the theory part looming over him. In the end he learned not to click like crazy on the hazard perception and passed the theory. From there he took some driving lessons and then passed first time!

I suspect that your son has got to the point where he knows he can drive but requires his theory part passing. I would suggest that you book him an appointment and once confirmed you can tell him that he has an appointment on X date (usually at least a few weeks but you can choose) and leave him to get on with it. He can't progress his driving without passing the theory.

Push him through the theory and his interest in the practical part will suddenly be renewed when he passes.

** My son never drove on the M1 prior to obtaining his full driving license. Nope, I'm a responsible parent.

Lunar_Eclipse

Maybe he's gone beyond the need for more lessons. Perhaps he's not getting anything out of them anymore.

I had 10 driving lessons and took my driving test within 2 months of my 17th birthday. If he's been having lessons since September, is he ready for his test? I can completely understand how it could have lost his appeal, in the same way anything would if you kept going over the same things. Unless he's found it very difficult, and boys do seem to master driving quite quickly in general, I would guess he wants to get on with driving now.

I agree it's a waste if he's had that many lessons and doesn't now get his license, even if he doesn't see the need for it.

I'm another in favour of passing the theory test first. I actually thought that was (unspoken) standard practice; I'm sure I read it somewhere. Don't think OP mentioned it.

euronorris

Well, I started at 18, and absolutely hated it, and the instructor! He never bothered to explain anything, just expected me to somehow know how to do stuff! Plus, I was only doing 1 hour per week, and seemed to forget most of it by the next lesson. I quit after 3 or 4 lessons (and hid in my house until the instructor left).

By 24, I was well and truly fed up of having my independence limited by this and so I started again, with a different school, and different instructor. I also opted to do 2 X 2 hour lessons per week. The new instructor was great, and explained everything wonderfully. He even had picture diagrams to explain certain situations, and what lane you needed to be in when approaching a roundabout and why etc. Result was, after 24 hours of lessons, I took my test and passed first time.

So, in my experience, the instructor is key.