Sing along.... "I did it myyyyyyy wayyyyyyy"

Having the freedom to learn in the way that suits you is a big deal.  With learning to drive, there needs to be a word of caution in the option you take.  Let’s look at some of the options:

1.        Some like to be briefly explained how to do something, given a demo, and will then benefit from being allowed to experiment.

2.       Some like to be told exactly what to do.  They are not so interested in the analysis, they simply like to follow a very precise instruction.

3.       Others are not interested in the analysis and also don’t want to be told what to do – they want to discover it all for themselves.

I don’t have an opinon of what is best because what I think doesn’t matter really as this is all about how my customer likes to learn – and they tend to know best.

Two very recent examples spring immediately to mind.  I gave a briefing yesterday to a customer about the reverse bay park.  After which I asked how he would like to now practise, I offered him a demo, offered the use of reference points, but he took option number 3 above.  After 30 mins of increased frustration, several stalls and not much success of parking in a bay, he eventually decided to take one of the other options.  You could say however, that being given the opportunity to discover that experience was valuable.  Contrast that approach with another recent example, where my customer wanted 100% assistance, with no let up on the verbals.  She instantly liked reference points, she liked to know why we do things, she enjoyed the experience of practising in an extremely quiet area with no distractions at all.

An independent approach to learning to drive is fine in theory, but there are a couple of things to be aware of.  If you are wanting to choose where you learn to drive, then serious thought must be given as to where you practise – whilst driving on a long straight road at 40 in 4^th gear for miles and miles might give the impression that you can now drive, it is not enabling you to practise key actions such as observations at junctions, or finding the biting point etc.  Again, you might say that being given the freedom to choose to drive on that straight road is important, just as being allowed to repeatedly experiment with the reverse bay park.   But you need to balance the gain from experiencing these things with the time that it is taking from your driving sessions.

Learners in the main have an idea, a goal of when they want to pass their test by.  So time features in the plans.  One of the downsides about not wanting to listen to any analysis or details of ‘how’ to do certain driving actions is that it will inevitably take longer to discover how to do it consistently well; so that is a conflict.  If you have a very specific target of passing your test in a certain number of days/weeks, then you are restricting your options with regards to how to learn. 

Let’s put it another way.  You could have a course of lessons with me, and whilst you are present in the car, you have little regard for what is being explained, as all you really want to do is ..... drive, so the more you can get the car moving, the better.   Although you are aware of your Drivers Pack and the fact that I seem to be scribbling away in it constantly, you pay no attention to it whatsoever.  You do not view any driving videos, not the ones that I have produced to help explain things nor the ones that have been recorded of you driving, to allow you to see yourself driving.  You don’t practise outside of driving sessions with me, in fact, you do absolutely nothing except turn up for your driving sessions.  Now that person who adopts that attitude to learning to drive is likely to take much longer than 30hrs.  Because they are not interested in the ‘why’, the depth of learning will be superficial; because they ignore the ‘how’ they get very inconsistent results and all in all, it is hard work – loads of stalls, loads of inconveniencing other road users, very slow progress.  But, and it’s a big but, that may well be the way they want to learn to drive, and they are the customer.

Part of the problem perhaps is to consider what a 17yr old has to compare to. They may have been able to swot really hard very late on in the academic year to achieve the exam results they did - so they think they may be able to do the same to scrape through the driving test.  Or they may be comparing how they learnt to play an instrument (self-taught) and therefore think that they can adopt the same approach with driving.  A persons experience can play a big part in how they choose to learn to drive - which is why we are all different.

My advice is to not set yourself unrealistic targets.  If you know that you like to self-discover, you don’t like the idea of using reference points to assist you, you will not be doing any study whatsoever outside of the in-car training, then give yourself time.  Some people love routines, they love little drills, little exercises that they can do several times over until they get it completely right.  They love to learn by repeated, habit forming techniques and that is their choice – but if you fall into that category, consider what pressure it will put on you if you have an unrealistic goal of when you want to pass.