Are Intensive Driving Courses Any Good for You?
When people decide to learn to drive, like most things in life these day’s, they want it (their licence to drive) like, yesterday! There may be genuine reasons for someone wanting to pass the driving test promptly; a new job, going abroad, during college/university holidays etc. These are known as Intensive Driving Courses (Crash Courses).
So, what is a driving crash course?
Everyone is different so the number of hours training necessary to reach the appropriate standard for the UK test will vary from one person to another. In my experience, the number of hours required for the average person varied between 25 to 35. Obviously, some people will do this quicker and others longer. Much depends on any previous road experience (had driving instruction before, driven a moped), their level of spatial awareness (the the skill of judging distance, speed and angles) and any private practice they may undertake. Some people take to driving like a duck to water, others do not!
Driving crash courses are simply having that number of hours of driving lessons over a shorter period. That could be over a few day’s a few weeks or longer. “Great! My driving licence in a week!” - not necessarily so. If you try and get say, 40 hours of training done in a week, the 7 day’s will be very intense and possibly stressful for you. Now, some people can cope with this and others not. If you are someone that might struggle with that pace of learning and stress, then you may not be ready for your driving test at the end of that week.
Most people adopt a ‘middle of the road’ approach and have say, 10 hours in a week (2 hours per day). That way, as the training is spread over 1 month, they have more time to take in and digest the new information and driving skills they are learning. Still, 1month is better than 1 lesson per week over 40 weeks!
What Intensive driving courses are not
They are not a ‘magic pill’ to gaining a driving licence. A guaranteed pass is a myth - who could guarantee that! At the end of the day, it is yourself and you only that will be taking the driving test. Mistakes can happen and nerves may play a part in that. If you see such claims, be wary. The guarantee could simply be that if you fail the driving test, they will provide another test at the driving school’s cost.
If you do need to pass your driving test quickly, it is best to enquire of a number of driver trainers to see what deals they offer and how they relate to you during your exploratory chat. Also, before booking and paying for your intensive driving course up-front (most driving instructors will require this to confirm such a courses) you would be advised to have a lesson or two from your shortlist to see how you actually get on with them and that their teaching practices tie in with your style of learning.
The Driving Schools Directory offers an Intensive Driving Courses Pupils Enquiry Service that, after you have completed a few basic details, they will contact all the driving instructors in your chosen area and those driver trainers will contact you. This takes out much of the leg-work for you and makes the process of organising your intensive driving course far easier.
