Apart from being one of the most significant milestones in everybody’s life across the board, learning how to drive can also be one of the most exhilarating experiences of a lifetime. Then again, if one has the perfect teacher coupled with the perfect driving school, what can possibly go wrong, right? Well on that note, it may be worthwhile to just remember that not all of us happen to be that fortunate as a great number of factors do depend upon that.
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Learn Driving In An Automatic Car
- Easier and quicker to learn driving on automatic as the car changes the gear for you. This also translates into a better focus on the road, and safer driving for beginners.
- Automatic cars are an absolute bliss to drive in high-density traffic areas as the driver is not required to change gears every time the car needs to move.
- While the number of manual cars in the UK is much higher than the number of automatics, all reputable driving schools offer lessons in both.
- The driving license for automatic cars is only valid for automatic vehicles. This essentially prohibits you from driving manual vehicles without obtaining a separate license.
- Automatic cars are more expensive, both in terms of initial cost and fuel efficiency.
- The insurance cost of an automatic vehicle is higher than that of a manual vehicle.
- If you don’t already have an automatic car at home, learning in one would prove to be extremely expensive
Learn Driving In A Manual Car
- A manual driver’s license is extremely useful as it entitles the holder to drive both automatic and manual vehicles.
- Manual vehicles are cheaper to buy or get repaired. Even the insurance is cheaper than automatic vehicles.
- Experienced drivers would agree, it is more fun to drive a manual as it lets the driver exert greater control over the performance and fuel economy of the car.
- The learning curve for manual vehicles is usually much steeper than automatic vehicles and takes more time and practice to perfect.
- Driving a manual in stop-start traffic can be compared to a nightmare.
Choose Right Driving School
Why it is imperative that one finds the correct school with the correct driving instructor to boot. Whether you happen to be looking for driving schools on the sunshine coast or wherever else, the bottom line is a student will only be as good as his/her teacher is. On that particular note, let’s delve into some of the necessary prerequisites that you need to keep in mind while selecting the driving school of your particular choice:-
1. The driving school should be accredited
A quick online search of the school at hand should be enough to find out this information as well as finding out their participation in any particular driving associations of any kind.
2. Check reviews of the driving school
This is the most helpful hint plus it will give you an extremely balanced outlook on how the school really works and how many people have benefitted on the whole. Not to mention giving newcomers a very helpful overall picture.
3. Driving Schools with parental involvement is best
Now, this is a very important and helpful gesture, more so since a large majority of kids learning to drive are likely to be in their teens. A parent-teachers meet or even a group meeting with both the parents and kids would go a long way towards improving the skills of each and every child there.
4. The ultimate quality of the overall experience
Quality over quantity is the key here. Meaning that instead of a variety of different cars, the instructors should focus more on a variety of roadways as well as multiple scenarios as well.
5. Look at the average student to teacher ratio of driving school
If the gap is too wide, then you know that each child is unlikely to receive any individual attention at all. However, if it happens to be 8 to 1, then you can be sure that your child’s education is in good hands.
6. Take a look at the condition of their cars
If you see a lot of derelict cars about with worn-out tires and moth-eaten mudguards and the like, that should be enough of a sign for you that it’s not a well-reputed service.
FAQs Before Joining a Driving School
If you have recently decided to learn how to drive, the question of choosing a manual or an automatic must be bugging you. While manual cars offer less comfort as compared to automatics, there are a number of benefits they offer that their automatic counterparts don’t.
Moreover, this decision is a subjective decision and will vary with people, their needs, and the cars available. This decision will also affect where you will be taking your driving classes.
1-hour driving lesson is best for everyone, while a 2-hour lesson is a little hectic and makes you tired. If you learn better in a short time, then a 1-hour lesson may be better suited for you.
According to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), on average, it takes around 45 hours of lessons to learn to drive, with an addition of 22 hours of practicing.
First of all, you need a provisional driving license to start any driving sessions. After that, learner drivers need around 45 hours of lessons with an instructor.
To pass the driving test you need to practice with a good instructor and complete your 45-hour driving lesson. If you are not feeling comfortable with your driving you can increase the sessions before going to the test.