Driving Lessons Bolton

How Many Hours Does It Take To Pass A Test

Let me start by asking a question, “Would you jump out of a plane without the correct training on how and when to pull your chute, or how to direct yourself to the landing zone?”

No!

Is it because you may end up splattered on the ground? (sorry to be so specific), so why do people think driving a car is easier than jumping out of a plane; both very dangerous with life threatening consequences, if not done properly.

This is one of two questions that all instructors get on a regular basis,
“How many hours does it take to pass a driving test?”.

I guarantee you that the answer that is going through most instructors’ heads is “How long is a piece of string?” No matter how that sounds, it is true. There are so many factors that effect each student.

Here at ‘RichMorrisDrivingSafe Bolton’ students have passed first time after just 10 hours and some have completed 60+ hours to get that pass.

Our students achieved a pass rate in 2020 of 92% when they completed their driving lessons Bolton

So what kind of factors affect each student?

The biggest factor, which can be a good one or can be a disastrous one is ‘influences’.
On driving lessons, I see all sorts of poor driving, some of it I post on the Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Drivinglessonslittlelever) to try to show others the effect that it has on the other road users around you.
I often see a parent with a child in the passenger seat cutting mini roundabout’s completely, not knowing that their child is watching them and thinking it’s an acceptable thing to do. Their thought behind this being “Well if Mum or Dad do it, it must be ok.”
Then they are sent to a driving instructor and we have to change their beliefs that cutting roundabouts is not only dangerous but can have terrible effects on people’s lives; including their own.

Just this morning of writing this, while I was walking the dogs, I observed a mother with her daughter in the passenger seat coming to the end of a closed junction. She did not stop to check that the road is clear but kept going, I estimate approximately 10 mph, the daughter was clearly watching mum doing this; setting a poor example. I bet if I asked the mother why she did it that way and didn’t stop I would have an answer something like “Nothing ever comes”.

Now the road is the main one in and out of the estate and at 8.45am it is prime school time, so what happens if just this once a child is crossing the road that the driver is turning into? I’m sure that at that speed, the mother would have been able to control a stop; probably scaring the living daylights out of the child but alas, still stop.

Assume that that driver is a student driver and they do not have the control that mum does, what could be the risk? I would expect not a good one.

I have used poor Mum and Dad as an example but what about friends as well!

Other things that affect students are-

1- Have they had enough sleep
2- Have they eaten/had a drink
3- Had to much to drink and don’t want to ask to stop
4- Had an argument with someone
5- Anxiety/Depression
6- Medication

The list could go on here.

driving lessons bolton

How many hours does it take your average student to pass?

A bit of a pointless question, as a figure could just be plucked out of the air. The table above gives an indication of age and the amount of hours it takes to pass the test.

Test centres have a very different pass rate in areas that can be close together, here in Bolton the pass rate hovers around 50%. Whereas over in Bury it is in the low 30%, so choosing the correct test centre can sometimes make a difference to the amount of hours it takes to pass a practical driving test.

An instructor could also specialise in older students, for example, or ones with anxiety – as you can see from the chart above, age can effect the amount of hours it takes as well.
When you have a student with anxiety, it takes time to build their confidence and can be easily destroyed by other poor drivers in which you’d have to start again.

Furthermore, you have the pandemic that hopefully will be coming to an end very soon. The students that have had tests put back are faced with taking extra lessons to ensure they are ready, as the wait for a re-test could be up to a 6 month wait.

Almost all the students would rather take an few extra lessons to ensure they are more confident and ready to drive on their own. Looking at the bigger picture, staying safe could save thousands in insurance claims for fault crashes, plus don’t forget 6 points in the first 2 years and you have to do it all again. Most importantly, it most definitely would save lives!

Have you heard of ‘The Belief Window’? you know those days where everything seem’s to go wrong? this is because you are willing it to do so! you are looking for evidence in, ‘that the day can’t get any worse’.
So next time you’re having a bad day, keep your thoughts positive and look at what goes well, instead of negative effects.
This is just one thing that effects students and their belief that they can’t drive, however it also works the other way and over confidence becomes just as a bigger risk to them.

Book your Driving Lesson Bolton here