Why Would You Consider Spending Money On Driver Training This New Year
Professional driver training for getting a new licence or upgrading to a higher-class licence has become pretty much standard practice. Driving schools do two tasks in the time that they’re with students:
- teach them to drive;
- teach them how to pass a road test.
Expertise
Like a licenced electrician that bring specialized knowledge, experience and tools to fix your house’s wiring problems so too does the driving instructor. Vehicles are specially equipped to instruct new and upgrading students.
And the majority of driving instructors have experience that allows them to conduct assessments of your current skills, abilities and knowledge. Upon evaluating the student, the driving instructor is able to tailor the teaching to each individual student.
In the short time that the student and instructor are together, the training focuses on those aspects of driving that require the most work. Consequently, driving schools’ students have a high licence test success rate.
Assessment
Like hiring a mechanic to fix the clanking in your vehicle’s engine, the driving instructor does a diagnostic to determine which part or parts on which to work.
The first lesson with a driving instructor is more of an assessment than an actual lesson. In a short space of time and most often in a controlled environment, the driving instructor assesses several skills & abilities:
- Control of the vehicle’s primary controls.
- Driver’s observation skills.
- Knowledge of road rules.
- Ability to incorporate feedback into the driving lesson.
- Cognitive spatial arrangements.
Teaching
Many parents set out with good intentions to teach their teens to drive. However, after a short space of time in the vehicle, they realize that the situation is emotionally laden. The high intensity of learning to drive, combine with emotion makes it difficult for a parent to be effective teachers.
This is not to say that the teaching lessons with a student and instructor are not emotional, because often they can be just that. Yet, the “professional divide” affords driving instructors a space in which they can effectively work with students.
Also, owing to the fact that driving instructors teach driving every day with a wide cross-section of students, they are able to deliver lessons that draw heavily on the student’s lived experiences. This teaching strategy accelerates the student’s learning.
As well, many of us learn quicker if we understand – in other words, if we know why something is the way it is. Understanding often comes from making a mistake and then correcting said mistake. Driving instructors provide a safe environment where students can practice and see the evolution of their skills and abilities as these improve.
Good teachers and instructors do one of two – sometimes one right after the other:
- Push their students out of their comfort zone
- At one and the same time provide a safety net.
In doing so, instructors must first build a relationship that’s steeped in trust. If trust is not present, the learning environment is stymied.
If you find yourself in a situation where there is a conflict between you and the instructor, you might need to request another instructor, or simply go elsewhere. Clash of personality sometimes happens and moving to another instructor may be in your best interest.
Return on Investment
Most see the inherent value in driver training, yet they also see it as somewhat unaffordable. Owing to this fact, driving instruction focuses on the essentials:
- Competence with the vehicle’s primary controls.
- Adherence to and understanding of road rules.
- Speed Control.
- Due care and diligence.
- Execution of slow speed maneuvers.
For return on investment, driver education remains the best option. Students gain valuable driving skills and learn good fundamentals that prepare them for a driver’s licence test.