Intensive Driving Courses

Piggywiggy

I did an intensive course, must be 6 years ago now, the theory was included in the course so we had a mixture of practical and theory lessons before the theory test on the Thursday afternoon then got to book the driving test which was a week later, the only thing that annoyed me was having to pay extra for the test and using the examines car for this. But to me it was an ideal way to learn, where I live it takes 40 mins to get to the city where you will do your test so you need to drive these areas to be familiar, I would have had 1hr and 20 mins of driving before I even got to any practise test areas which are important, I also knew several other people from school who did their learning with the same company and all passed first time it was the people who had lessons once a week for 6 months who seemed to take a long time to ever be ready for their test.

alastairq

The biggest issue surrounding instruction spread out over time...is training fade.

The first significant percentage of a lesson is taken up revising what has previously been taught.

So an hour's instruction really isn't an hour.

On the other hand, continuous training [ 'intensive'] lacks the opportunity for a student to acquire ad hoc experience either as a passenger, or,if taken out with a competent drive beside them.

[The downside of non-qualified 'instruction' lies with precisely that....and the possibility of introducing urban myth?]

The military rely heavily on intensive training...with one major difference. That difference is,after the test is passed, the [military] driver then undergoes a period of 'conversion' [induction course]...under the supervision of highly qualified [driving] instructors.

Thus, once the test is passed, the new driver then gains the benefit of being taken further forwards, under expert supervision...something that doesn't happen in the 'real' world..where new drivers are literally left to their own devices....with few even being bothered to go back to undergo further, more advanced driver training.

I suggest going for the intensive training....the OP's son will be used to taking in continuous instruction at this stage. Unlike an older person, who has left behind the educational years by some distance?

pinpin

I was told that quite a long time ago, there existed intensive courses where you paid a lump sum, and then they paid to keep putting you in for your test until you passed? I take it this doesn't exist anymore?

ps - what sort if IT apprenticeship is he doing?

LandyAndy

scotsbob wrote: »

40-50 hours?? When I and my contemporaries sat our tests, we were doing it in 10-12 lessons. Even allowing for changing conditions my own children and their contemporaries were passing after 15-20 lessons.


40 -50 hours must include a huge sample of female pensioners getting behind the wheel for the first time.


Either that or instructors stringing it out to claw in more cash.

Where I live the nearest test centre is in Salisbury which is a good 20+ minute drive away. So, a lesson has to be two hours in order to incorporate a reasonable amount of practice on the roads on which the test will be taken.


Both my sons passed in the last four years. Both had just over 20 lessons which is mid 40s in hours.

IamNotAllowedToUseMyName

Mercdriver wrote: »

How do you get muscle memory from doing something just once a week for an hour or two? Different horses for different courses. I combined some normal 2 hr lessons x 5 and then did the 8 days intensive a few weeks later.

Which is why I said frequent lessons.

There is a lot going on in learning to drive, several different types of skill being learned, some motor skills, some interpretation of situations, problem solving on the fly.

There is a learning theory called interval learning which shows that to learn something you first need to repeat it quite frequently, then reinforce it over a longer period and then refresh it over a longer period until it sticks. So in a relatively short driving lesson blitz you might get the first two elements but not the third.

So if you do a lesson blitz and then pass and keep driving it may work as you reinforce the skills, blitz it and walk away until the next go, and you will not retain the same amount of learning as a steady reinforcement of frequent lessons.

FreddieFrugal

I had weekly 1 hour lessons (18 total including the hour just before the test) that was 3 years ago. Between October and January

But I also did at least 2 hours driving with my Dad in between each lesson. So instructor kept commenting on how I improved rapidly each week. Taking things from lesson and putting them into practice in real world driving in between.