My daughter recently passed her driving test. It took nearly 15 months and 5 tests. At £62 per test and £20 an hour for a driving lesson this has been a massive financial strain. I totally underestimated how long it would take and the total expense (which I haven't dared work out fully). 12 months and 3 driving tests in, it was touch and go as to whether we could afford to carry on.
I had driving lessons when I was 18 and threw in the towel after I failed my first test. I was 30 before I got around to taking it up again. I didn't want history to repeat itself. We persevered, but it will take a long time to pull the money back.
On another note, I took her to her 4th driving test and was left in a waiting room with 3 driving instructors for 40 minutes. The conversation between them was about the changes in the rules that are to come in to effect in October 2010, one of which is that an instructor will be required to sit in on the driving test, to avoid the common argument of whether a learner should have actually failed. Another change is that rather than being told to take 'the next left' or 'go straight on at the roundabout', the learner will be told to head for a particular town and then it will be up to them to plan their route and follow the signs.
I should stress that this was an overheard conversation between driving instructors and therefore may or may not be fact.
I had driving lessons when I was 18 and threw in the towel after I failed my first test. I was 30 before I got around to taking it up again. I didn't want history to repeat itself. We persevered, but it will take a long time to pull the money back.
On another note, I took her to her 4th driving test and was left in a waiting room with 3 driving instructors for 40 minutes. The conversation between them was about the changes in the rules that are to come in to effect in October 2010, one of which is that an instructor will be required to sit in on the driving test, to avoid the common argument of whether a learner should have actually failed. Another change is that rather than being told to take 'the next left' or 'go straight on at the roundabout', the learner will be told to head for a particular town and then it will be up to them to plan their route and follow the signs.
I should stress that this was an overheard conversation between driving instructors and therefore may or may not be fact.