How To Learn To Drive Quickly and Safely

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At some point in most of our lives, there comes a time when we have a need or desire to learn to drive. Are you currently at this stage? Maybe you are nearly 17 and looking forward to getting some independence through driving, or you’re an older adult who never learned to drive but a change of circumstances means you need to learn.

Whatever your situation, you probably want to get driving as quickly as possible, but of course, the most important thing is to be a safe driver. In this post we’ll be exploring how to learn to drive quickly but without compromising on safety.

How To Learn To Drive Quickly and Safely

Take a Fast Pass driving course

As the name suggests, Fast Pass driving courses will get you on the fast track to passing your driving test. They offer intensive driving courses across the UK, lasting between 6 and 48 hours. All their instructors are experienced, fully qualified and DVSA Approved, and both manual and automatic tuition is available.

All Fast Pass courses include a Fast Track driving test, so it takes the hard work out of booking your driving test. The Fast Pass team will find you a suitable driving test date in your area and they guarantee to find you a test date within 28 days of booking your course.

When I learned to drive, I had lessons once or twice a week, and it took me around 5 months from starting lessons to taking my test (which, luckily, I passed first time!) so you can see by comparison just how much faster it would be to take an intensive driving course like Fast Pass. It’s a great option if you need to learn to drive quickly!

Get a good driving instructor

It makes logical sense that having a good driving instructor will help you not only to learn to drive more quickly but also more safely. Therefore it pays to take time and care in choosing your driving instructor. It’s best to choose an experienced instructor and it goes without saying that you should make sure they are fully qualified. If you learn with Fast Pass, you have this covered because as mentioned earlier, they only use fully accredited driving instructors.

It’s also important to find an instructor who is well suited to your personality and style of learning, because if you click well with your instructor you are likely to progress much faster and feel more confident. Of course, you won’t really know how well you’ll get on with an instructor until you try, but you can get a good idea of who might suit you by talking to friends and family and getting recommendations.

If you find your driving instructor is not right for you, there’s no shame in switching to a different instructor. I’ve heard of a lot of people doing this so don’t worry about offending the original instructor. They will understand that their teaching style may not be well-suited to everyone.

Start learning your theory right away

You can’t take your practical driving test until you’ve passed your theory test, so it’s never too early to start learning your theory! Even if you are not yet 17, get a head start by learning your theory now so that you can sail through the theory test as soon as you are old enough, and then focus on the practical. If you’re over 17, then start learning your theory as soon as you start planning to learn to drive.

Learning your theory early and thoroughly will also make you a safer driver. Remember, you are not learning your theory just to pass a test – you will need to apply it in real life on the roads so it’s important to learn it properly.

Practice regularly

As with any skill, the more you practice, the better you get. If you want to learn to drive quickly, try to schedule regular lessons or an intensive course like Fast Pass.That way, you’ll retain more knowledge and skills between lessons rather than forgetting from one lesson to the next.

Also, if possible, practice in between driving lessons with a trusted family member or friend, ideally someone who is an experienced driver. When I was learning to drive, my dad and my sister who could already drive used to take me out to practice in my sister’s car between lessons. This helped consolidate my new skills, and also got me used to driving in different cars!

Ask questions

Asking questions comes more naturally to some people than others. If you’re unsure about anything in your driving lessons, just ask. Even if you think it’s a stupid question, don’t worry about sounding stupid – you can be sure they’ve heard all sorts of questions before! By asking the questions that are on your mind, you’ll learn more quickly as well as becoming a safer and more informed driver.

You can also ask questions and ask advice from your friends and family who drive. They may be able share their experiences of some unique driving situations that you might not encounter in your lessons.

Watch instructional videos

Driving is a practical skill, and of course it’s something you learn by doing. But there’s no reason why you can’t supplement your learning by watching instructional videos and other driving-related content. The easiest place to find these for free is on YouTube. Instructional videos can obviously help with the theory side of things, but they can also give you practical advice on what to do (and what not to do!) in different situations when driving.

Get your eyes tested

It’s worth getting your eyes tested before you learn to drive, even if you think they’re okay. You don’t want your learning to be held up when you discover you can’t read the number plate at 20 metres as required. Even if you can read it fine, get tested anyway. If your eyesight is anything less than perfect, you’ll be that little bit safer with glasses even if you’re legally able to drive without them.

Take a Pass Plus course

Pass Plus is an optional practical driving course that is usually taken by new drivers who have just passed their test. It gives you more experience with driving in different conditions, including rain, night time, country roads, towns and motorways. Although you will have already passed your driving test, taking the Pass Plus will help give you extra confidence and improve your safety as a new driver. I did the Pass Plus and I found it really helpful, especially the motorway lessons because it was my first time in driving on a motorway.

Learn To Drive Quickly and Safely: Ready, Steady, Go!

If you want to learn to drive quickly, your best option is to take a Fast Pass driving course which will make you a qualified driver in next to no time. Alternatively, make sure you find the right instructor for you, take regular driving lessons, and practice in between.

Whichever path you take, make sure to get ahead with learning your theory, as you’ll need to pass your theory test before you can take your practical. To accelerate your learning even more, search for instructional videos on YouTube and ask plenty of questions to the experienced drivers in your life.

To boost your confidence further, consider taking a Pass Plus course, and remember to get your eyes tested to make sure you are as safe as possible on the roads. By putting in the time and effort to follow all these steps, not only will you learn to drive quickly but you’ll be a safer driver too.

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