There are typically two key reasons why practising with family or friends is not always best in the early stages of your learning. The first is to do with the location of your practising whilst the second is to do with your driving knowledge & what you have learned so far.

Let’s take the first reason first. You are at best relatively new to driving or at worst it’s your first time behind a wheel of a car. Either way you are far too inexperienced to be out on a major, or even many minor roads for that matter, without first learning the basics thoroughly.

For a first time practice lesson or in the  early stages of your driving lessons, off road driving, away from traffic is always the best cause of action allowing you, as the student, to gain confidence in handling the car.  Driving in heavy populated areas where there is a lot of traffic can seriously damage your confidence as you discover how daunting it is to get to grips with the sheer basics  amidst a stream of traffic.

The second reason why family or friends are not always the best to practice with in the early stages of learning is because they may not be aware of your driving abilities or lack of them and we as experienced drivers tend to forget or overlook the basics.

For example, talking through the basics of simply starting up a car & setting off on your journey will likely be totally different from what an authorised driving instructor would teach. We have a habit of doing things as second nature when we know how to do things, particularly if they are done so often. The slightest difference can be crucial to a learner driver.

The problem with this second issue is that it can often lead to disagreements which can not only leave the person learning to drive with a shattered confidence but also slightly disheartened & ready to quit before they have even started. Of course all this can be easily avoided by good preparation before hand.

Before you head out with anyone who is going to supervise your practice make sure your family member or friend knows exactly what you have learned so far and knows exactly where you have been driving on your lessons. Ideally if you can practice at the same location as you take your lessons then you should feel a lot more comfortable In familiar surroundings.

Don’t try to learn too much when practising with family & friends. It’s important to learn at your own pace so if something is not sinking in for you then go back & repeat it until it does. Taking in a little at a time is far better than trying to learn too much & not taking on board half of it. Small amounts of learning will help you understand more & progress at a steady pace.

How to obtain your 1st Provisional licence.

Main Area Served: Basildon.