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Top tips for learning to drive from the experts

We’ve collated several tips from the experts on learning to drive.

Some top tips on learning to drive from those in the know.

Some top tips on learning to drive from those in the know.

Oliver Hammond – Author of blogs Contract Hire a Car and The Root

Driving instructors – it’s always worth asking your friends, relatives and others who they learned to drive with, but if you find that you don’t gel with the instructor, it might be wise to try another. After all, you’ll potentially be spending over 40 hours in a car with them, learning one of life’s most responsible skills.

Private practice – practising your driving skills with a parent or other responsible adult will often give you a better chance of passing your test first time, so as long as the car you use is covered by provisional insurance, use such opportunities to fine-tune various tricky manoeuvres, away from the watchful eyes of an instructor.

Shoes – a car’s pedals can feel quite strange at first and you’ll only make things harder if you wear chunky boots, high heels, sandals, or trainers with thick, spongey soles. Wearing sensible footwear will make you feel much more in control and will reduce the risk of your feet slipping, the wrong pedal being pressed or too much force being applied.

Susie Wolff – former F1 test driver and co-founder of Dare to Be Different an exiting new community for women to inspire, connect and celebrate women who work in every aspect of motorsport.

Start slowly and build up. The more you drive, the more your confidence will grow. Don't worry at the beginning of you are nervous, just focus on learning as much as you can each time you drive.

Don't be afraid to ask your instructor any questions you are not sure of or any worries you may have. They are there to help you, not judge you. You’re all on the same team.

Enjoy it! Driving can appear challenging initially but it gets easier with time until eventually it becomes second nature.

Phil Huff – Motoring journalist and author of Front Seat Driver.

The main advice I'd give to any young driver starting out is to get in as many different types of car as often as possible – spending all your time in one model limits your experience, and makes it a lot harder to adapt once you've passed your test. By experiencing small or large, slow or fast, hatchbacks, saloons, 4x4s and so on, any driver will get a better sense of awareness of their car and their surroundings.

Steph Savill – MD, FOXY Lady Drivers Club

Learner drivers are influenced by parental driving behaviour from an early age. When cautious parents observe speed limits, treat other motorists with respect and maintain their cars regularly, their children are more likely to follow suit when it's their turn behind the wheel.

On average young females take about 15 more lessons than young males to pass their driving test. This then makes the females statistically safer. So this and anecdotal evidence from the Under 17 Car Club seems to suggest that the more controlled the driving experience you can get before sitting your test, the better and safer driver you are likely to become.

As tempting as it is for many parents to volunteer to teach their children how to drive, this is usually too stressful for all parties. Best to invest in more driving lessons with an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) that is registered and tested with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). Choose a female instructor if you'd prefer one.

This is an ideal opportunity for parents to refresh their driving knowledge alongside family learners so they're all up to date with the latest Highway Code, motoring tips and road rules.

While you're learning to drive, make sure you find out about basic DIY car maintenance jobs and why this makes compelling financial sense.

Insurance services that cater for females only, such as the one reserved for members of FOXY Lady Drivers Club, aim to cut the cost of car insurance in nine out of ten such cases by not paying towards the accidents that boy racers cause.

Graeme Greenless – Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) and owner of website XLR8

When selecting a driving instructor you should make sure that the driving instructor is qualified and registered with the DVSA.

There are two types of instructors which are Fully Qualified ADIs who must display a green badge in the windscreen, and Trainee PDIs who have passed two of the three qualifying exams, these must display a pink badge in the windscreen of the tuition vehicle.

By using an unregistered instructor you may be driving uninsured and possibly receiving poor or dangerous instruction. When it comes to selecting an instructor it’s important to remember that cheaper is not always better.

About the Author

Sophie McGraw

Staff writer at Arnold Clark

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