Learning to drive can be a daunting prospect, and it’s only natural that you might feel nervous before your first ever lesson. Don’t worry – everyone driving today had a first lesson at some point, and survived to tell the tale. But what does a first driving lesson involve, and how much driving will you do?
A Safe Space
One thing’s for sure – you won’t be launched straight into driving when your instructor picks you up, whether that’s from your home or your workplace. The instructor will drive you to a nearby quiet area – probably a peaceful corner of a residential or industrial estate. There, you will be able to get used to the car in safety and take those all important first steps.
The Cockpit Drill
Once you’re actually in the driving seat, there’s still a while to go before you start driving. Expect to learn the cockpit drill during your first lesson – this is the series of checks any driver should do before they start driving, and it consists of doors, seat, steering, seat belt and mirrors. Basically, you will check that the doors are securely closed, that your seat is properly adjusted, that you can reach all of the controls comfortably, that your seatbelt (and everyone else’s) is fastened, and that your mirrors are correctly positioned.
Explaining the Controls
Next, your instructor will explain to you how to work the indicators, the gears, the clutch, accelerator and brake, the windscreen wipers and the other car controls, and you will practice while stationary.
Moving Off
And finally, it’s time to drive. Your first few moments of actual driving will be both exhilarating and terrifying, but don’t worry – your instructor has dual controls, and you will be in no danger. You will learn how to move off safely, and you’ll start to drive slowly around the quiet space. You may well stall the car (few first time drivers don’t) and you’ll learn how to deal with that too. Clutch control is a difficult thing for a learner, but in time it will become instinctive.
How Long Will the Lesson Be?
A typical first driving lesson is two hours long rather than one hour – this allows time for the instructor to drive you to a suitable place, explain all the basics, and time for you to do a little bit of driving before being driven back to your pickup point.
Don’t be disappointed if there isn’t a huge amount of actual driving; baby steps! You’ll drive much more on your second and subsequent lessons. If you live in/are picked up in a suitably quiet area, you’ll get more driving done as you won’t have to waste time getting to a safe destination – but either way, your first driving lesson will set you up well for the adventure which is to come.
(Image source: geograph)
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