Many prospective learners have loads of questions about learning to drive and the actual driving test process. Can you take the test in your own car for instance, and what sat nav is the best one to use for practice?
One of the queries I get asked most is whether you can really learn as much in an intensive driving course as you can with conventional lessons. After all, if you could save time and money compared to regular weekly lessons, wouldn’t everyone do it?
Well, the answer’s not quite as simple as a yes or no, but it would be difficult to deny the benefits of intensive and semi-intensive courses. In this article, I'll try to answer the question: do intensive driving courses work?
Put simply, yes! For many people, intensive driving courses offer a comprehensive, convenient and efficient way of learning to drive. And many are now choosing to book intensive courses as a result of delays to learning caused by COVID19. There are a number of key reasons for this.
#1: You have enough time to learn the skills properly.
One of the main problems with conventional hourly driving lessons is that, as a student, you can often spend nearly the whole hour struggling with a specific aspect of driving. Just as you start to get the hang of it, you then find that you’ve come to the end of your lesson! Now, you have to wait a whole week until the next lesson, where you effectively start again from scratch. Intensive and semi-intensive courses help massively with this. With longer lessons, you have the time to work over the aspects of driving that you struggle with, making sure you perfect them before moving on.
#2: You retain information better.
Common complaint's that students have with individual weekly lessons is that they are either too short in time and / or find it difficult to retain information between lessons. This is a real issue if you don’t have the ability to do additional private practice; use it or lose it! Muscle memory is also a key element. Leaving a week between lessons is a long time, and it’s easy for your body and brain to forget the complex movements that it learns during an hour-long session. We find that more concentrated lessons allow learners to retain information much more thoroughly. Hopefully, getting in the car and driving will feel like second nature by the end of your course!
#3: Everything is sorted out for you.
With an intensive driving course, the lessons and tests are all arranged for you in advance. This takes much of the hassle out of learning to drive, compared to organising hourly lessons on a week-by-week basis. Also, because the practical test is typically booked before lessons start, you get a definite date to work towards. We find that this often motivates learners to pull out all the stops when learning to drive, which in turn leads to a greater likelihood of passing!
How to be successful with an intensive driving course?
Intensive driving courses do provide noticeable advantages over conventional driving lessons, but that doesn’t mean that learning to drive will be a walk in the park for everyone! There are a few things you’ll need to do to be successful.
Firstly, you need to be committed. It’s important that you’re well prepared mentally and ready to spend extended periods of time concentrating. Everyone is different and we all learn in different ways, styles and a different paces. It's a good idea to think about your preferred learning styles and discuss these openly with your instructor - it's better to work as a team than to endure concerns or worries over practical topics that can be sorted out in advance.
Judge what kind of schedule is going to be the most productive for you before you book onto a course. There will be a point in the course where your brain will say "STOP, I CANT PROCESS ANYMORE" Thankfully, both intensive and semi-intensive courses are available, so there are different options to suit everyone. If you’re unsure of which course might be right for you, perhaps consider any past experience of driving you may / may not have or even ask for an assessment lesson prior to doing a course. That way one can assess the instructor too and gauge how and how comfortable you feel with that person.
Secondly, you need to plan your time accordingly. For instance, if you’re a complete beginner and you’re dedicating 10 consecutive days to a course, you ideally shouldn’t have any other major commitments in that time period. Especially if you choose to take a course on the most intensive type of schedule, you’ll certainly appreciate being able to go home and relax! So, if at all possible, make sure that you have the opportunity to do so. Again, this comes down to ample preparation.
Aside from commitment and time management, all you need to succeed on an intensive driving course is a positive mental attitude and a provisional licence!
Contact Chris on 07983 689500 or email enquiries@greersgears.co.uk to discuss options available to you.