Why short intensive courses don’t work
There are many reasons why short intensive courses don’t work.
- Most peoples attention span is about 90 minutes maximum
- You need time to take in what you have learnt
- Some courses have 3 or 4 pupils in the car at the same time
- Some courses demand you have undertaken 30 hours tuition before attending
- Think how tired you get as a passenger during a long trip
- You only have 1 shot at each subject
- It leaves no time to practise
- It does not allow for experience to develop
- It does not give varied weather conditions
- It is a set programme not designed for you
- It does not take into consideration any fears or hang-ups
These are just some of the reasons. There are many more but at the end of the day the main reason they do not work is that they are designed so that the driving instructor can make maximum profit by either filling his diary without gaps or taking 3 or 4 pupils at one time. The whole course is designed with the instructor not the pupil in mind.
It is human nature to want to short cut so when you see an advert proclaiming “Start on Monday – Take your test on Friday” it seems like a dream come true. Just take a moment to think – Is this really an area where you can afford to short cut? Let’s not get into statistics – we all know that far too many people die on the roads and a high percentage of those killed are young people. Learning to drive isn’t just about passing the driving test. It is learning how to stay alive on the roads. This requires many different skills, which can’t be acquired quickly.
Think about this saying a moment: “You can teach a monkey to drive but would you lend him your car?”
Learning the mechanics of driving (how to operate the controls of a car) takes very little time. What does take time to learn is the road systems and how drivers interact. Give yourself a chance out there – don’t undertake an intensive course!
Having said all that, it is not recommended to take a 1-hour driving lesson each week. It will probably take you a year to learn to drive and most of your time will be spent trying to remember what you learnt last lesson.
Aim for 2 or 3 90-minute lessons per week. This will give you the best chance of learning to drive quickly and properly. You will end up understanding a lot more about how to stay alive on the roads.
