1hr lessons?

NotTotallySure

Since the first lockdown I have started to learn to drive again. I've done some of my EDT lessons. Is it now the norm for standard lessons to be 2hrs long? I've found 2hr lessons to be physically and mentally tiring, as well as finding it difficult to get childcare to cover 2hrs needed. I seem to hit a brick wall when I ring places asking about 1 hr lessons.

When I last tried learning to drive, 2hr lessons always had to be a specific thing to ask for as 1hr seemed to be more standard.

J_R

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058230289/1hr-lessons

Hi,

A learner will not learn twice as much in two hours as he would in one

Pupils can only absorb a certain amount of new information and in a two hour lesson perhaps most of the last hour could be of little or no benefit to them. That is why the EDT specifically states twelve one hour lessons.

When I was an instructor I did not give two hour lessons. (However if I did I would of course expect full pay for that hour)

I did receive a few calls requesting a two hour lesson. I would advise against it but I did get a few callers that insisted on a two hour lesson. I would then book them in for a two hour lesson but inform them that we would stop after one hour and I would give them the option of continuing on or stopping. Not one single person ever carried on but booked for another day instead. I would then have a free hour and go have a coffee and catch up on my paper work.

NotTotallySure

Thank you. I find it strange that two hour lessons are being considered normal by so many places I ring. I've got half my EDT done using two-hr sessions but I don't want to do that to finish out the EDT.

You're right, in my case anyway, I don't learn twice as much by having a two hour lesson. It feels like I've been looking for a unicorn the last year - EDT, 1hr lessons, automatic car, for a non-essential worker (stay-at-home parent). I have another 2hrs worth of lessons paid for and unused with my last driving school, and they keep saying I must take it as a 2hr lesson. I think at this point I'll just book the 2hrs and let the instructor enjoy a cuppa coffee by himself for the second hour.

J_R

Hi,

The reason it has become popular amongst driving instructors is that having two hour lessons cuts in half the unproductive unpaid dead time between lessons,

Here is the overall

Syllabus

The 12 lessons in the Essential Driver Training (EDT) programme are designed to:

z help you prepare for the practical driving test;

z cover some of the most important skills and behaviours (driving habits) that a learner driver must have;

z guide your progress; and

z highlight the contribution the Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) and Sponsor (person who accompanies

you while you’re practising) make to this process.

We have also developed a separate Learner Driver Training (LDT) syllabus. It sets out the ‘best practice’ that

you and your ADI should follow so that you can develop the full range of knowledge, skills and behaviours that

a safe and responsible driver needs. While you are learning to drive you should cover all of these skills over

time. In addition, the EDT programme focuses on the particularly crucial driving skills.

Essential Driver Training syllabus

The EDT programme does not cover all of the LDT syllabus. Instead, it focuses on the driving behaviours that

research shows contribute most to collision and injuries. The EDT works with the driver to improve their

knowledge, understanding and behaviour. It is designed to avoid high risk of harm to learner drivers and other

road users by checking and, if necessary, correcting the driver’s:

z habits;

z attitudes; and

z skills.

Each lesson should be covered in one hour. Your ADI should choose a route for your lesson that gives you the

most opportunity to have relevant practice and demonstration. At the end of each lesson you should have

achieved certain ‘outcomes’. These are statements that will either be:

z accurate descriptions of your competence at the end of a lesson; or

z can be used by your ADI as reference points for advice to you or your Sponsor about the areas of your

driving where you need more practice and what you should focus on.

Essential Driver Training syllabus

Do Lessons 1 – 8 in order

You must take EDT Lessons 1 – 8 in that order. By then, you will have built up skills and experience so

Lessons 9 – 12 can be taken in any order.

Leave two weeks between lessons

You should leave at least two weeks between lessons to allow for practice and learning. This may

involve further lessons with an ADI, but must also include practice sessions with a Sponsor or a

mixture of both.

J_R

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118560929#Comment_118560929

Hi,

I would not do this

I think at this point I'll just book the 2hrs and let the instructor enjoy a cuppa coffee by himself for the second hour.

Instead if you can not get a driving instructor that is following the guidelines of the EDT then accept the two hour lessons then towards the end of the first hour, pull over, park. Then ask the instructor for feedback on your just completed EDT lesson. After discussion, summary advise him/her that you do not feel capable of starting the next EDT lesson but instead what you would like would be a nice calm drive, say a quiet trip into the country.

You could point out that the RSA recommends two weeks between each individual lesson.