When you’re first starting to drive in the UK, it may be tempting to rely on friends and family to teach you the rules of the road. On one hand, this isn’t a bad idea. Working with your loved ones will save you money in the long run and will keep you from stressing out while trying to impress a stranger you’ve never met.
On the other hand, there are distinct benefits to attending a driving school that you just can’t get when working with someone you know. Consider this: 21.6 per cent of new drivers in the UK get into an accident within their first year of operating on the road. While teenagers usually get into an accident at some point, attending a driving school and taking the applicable UK driving tests can help you prevent those accidents from happening.
How can you pick out a good driving school, though, when there are so many options to choose from? Consider the following points, and make sure to keep them in mind as you’re perusing your driving school options.
Do your research
First thing’s first: you need to research potential driving schools before you decide which one to go to. This may seem like stating the obvious, but the importance of this step can’t be overstated.
You need to actively seek out a driving school that is
This means versatility in stick-shift and automatic driving, not to mention a focus on driving at night as well as in the daytime.
Take your time and compare the driving schools that operate in the place where you live. When you actively engage with your driver’s education, you’ll be more comfortable on the road in the long run.
Online versus in-person
You should also determine early on whether you want to take a course on driving online or in person. Both of these types of courses will require you to spend physical time behind the wheel of a car, of course. However, online professional courses are great for students who don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to their driver’s education on a daily basis.
Comparatively, in-person courses are great for students who benefit from a classroom’s social pressure. In fact, in-person courses are some of the best beginners’ guides to driving in the UK because of their social nature.
Visit the school
If you’re more interested in an in-person educational experience, you may have the opportunity to visit the driving schools that you’re most interested in. If this is the case, seize the moment! Scheduling a visit to your driving school of choice allows you to get familiar with your potential classroom before courses start.
Likewise, you may have the opportunity to meet with your course instructor and learn about the kind of work that will be expected of you.
Visiting your driving school of choice before committing to a class also allows you to assess:
The state of any driving simulators
The textbooks required to take the course
The state of the classroom, office, and affiliated spaces
Check the cars you will drive
Speaking of assessment: whether you’re visiting your driving school in person or researching it online, make sure you take a look at the fleet of cars that the school has at its disposal.
You’re not doing this because you want to learn how to drive a sports car. Instead, you want to look for a car that you feel you’d be comfortable learning the basics in, or one that would challenge you to learn something new.
Driving in reliable cars, like the one your mother’s had for the past ten years, is certainly comforting. However, learning to drive for the first time is all about stepping outside of your comfort zone.
The cars available through your driving school of choice need to challenge you, while also offering you a sense of security. You’ll only be able to tell if they do by looking at them ahead of time.
Student-to-teacher ratios
You should also investigate the student-to-teacher ratio that your driving school of choice boasts. This ratio will determine how much one-on-one time you get in the classroom and while on the road. An ideal class will have between fifteen and twenty five students in it.
That said, a number of these classes may have significantly more students in them. Don’t let this ratio knock one of your chosen schools off your list. Do note, though, that the larger a class is, the less likely it is that you’ll be able to have personalised interactions with your teachers.
Learning to drive with your parents may be fun, but it won’t have the same benefits as learning from a school. Take the time to research potential driving schools and you’ll find that you’re driving more safely, in the long-run.