Generally, non-drivers can be divided into two groups of people: those who would dearly love to learn but don t have the means (i. e. money or car); and those who do have the resources but refuse to learn for any number of feeble reasons annoying car ads, the melting of the polar ice-caps, Jeremy Clarkson, or if you re like me, sheer laziness.
Driving, however, is a basic life skill in today s society and without it, your working, familial and social activities can be quite constrained. Not knowing how is sort of like expecting to thrive in a hunter gatherer society – without the ability to hunt animals or gather berries.
And the anti-car principles of us non-drivers are, of course, nowhere to be found when a journey requires quicker and more reliable transport than the bike or bus. In this situation, a friend, partner or relative is shamelessly wheedled into giving us a lift. Well no more my non-driving friends! Yours truly is ready to take the lead and be a proud full license holder by summer 2013.
You may be tempted to save some cash and seek to learn from a friend or family member, but there are three very good reasons not to go down this path.
First, a qualified driving instructor is more than likely a better driver and trained to teach; second, you will pick up all the bad habits of your amateur teacher which can be very damaging come your driving test; and finally, learning to drive is probably the most stressful activity known to man and thus liable to lead to irreconcilably damaged relationships. You d be surprised how quickly a mild misunderstanding regarding gear shifts can degenerate into blood-spitting fury.
That said, extra driving time spent with a loved one will hasten the learning process. But to get the on road with full confidence and in the quickest time, driving lessons from a qualified instructor are your only option. Driving theory and pre-test programmes ensure the whole learning experienced is covered.
