Driving Courses

All drivers have memories of that most dreaded time period in their lives – learning to drive.

It’s different for everybody. Some will soar through it, adapting like a duck to water. Others will struggle with it for months, even years. Some will pass their test first time, and never let anybody forget about it. Others will hope “42nd time’s the charm”.

But did you know that the standard driving test is just the tip of the iceberg? There are several driving courses you can take in this country, from courses designed for newly qualified drivers, to those looking to take up an adventurous new hobby.

Intense Driving Courses

Learner Driver
We’ll start with one that is actually for learner drivers, but on an accelerated time scale. Some driving schools run intensive driving courses, that are designed to get you qualified in a fraction of the time it would normally take. If the learner is a blank slate, this can take up to two weeks. Those with more experience can choose to spread 24 hours worth of driving out over 8 days. Some schools will even do two 10 hour classes on concurrent days!

The benefits are obvious – you can be out driving in under a week if you pass! But it comes with significant drawbacks. For one, the money has to be paid upfront, and these courses can easily clock in at over £800. There’s also the “experience” factor, as there is simply no way to replicate the experiences picked up over a few months worth of driving lessons within a week.

Pass Plus

When new drivers pass their test, there is an option to take on 6 extra modules, in the form of the Pass Plus system. These 6 one hour modules are:

  • Driving in town
  • Driving in all weathers
  • Driving on rural roads
  • Driving at night
  • Driving on dual carriageways
  • Driving on motorways
Pass Plus

There is no test at the end, as you will be assessed constantly throughout the process. The benefits may not seem immediately apparent (why do more lessons when you have passed?), but insurance companies do offer discounts to those who take the course, and most local councils run schemes that make the course cheaper for those who take it.

Further Lessons

Winter Driving
Even though at this point, drivers will be equipped with all they need to know for UK driving, there are still some lessons that can be taken. For example, a few driving schools in the south of England offer European driving lessons, aimed at getting you used to driving on the right hand side of the road. This will mean a trip through the Eurotunnel to learn on the roads of France and Belgium.

 

Also, some schools offer winter driving courses too. Obviously in this country, these lessons are dependant on snowfall, and will only be truly useful for a handful of days a year (if that). But those looking to drive to Scandinavia, for example, will experience the extreme weather with more regularity, so it may be worth it.

For Fun

OK, now for the good stuff! It’s time to have fun in your car, and the best two options available are race track driving and off-road driving. Both are available in this country, in a variety of locations. You could be traversing the Forest of Dean one day, and tearing around Silverstone the next!

Off-Road Driving

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