Is Private Practice Important?

Have you considered learning to drive with mum and dad? Are you keen on private practice or are you sitting on the fence wondering whether you should or not? Whether you have made your mind up – read this guide to help you understand why it is important and WHY you should consider doing some!

Private Practice and The Law

Private practice is ‘extra’ driving that learner drivers do to help gain invaluable road experience prior to taking their driving test. Usually, private practice is done with a parent,  sibling or a partner. Sometimes close friends will sit with a learner driver to help them gain more road experience prior to an exam.

Learners aren’t allowed to drive on their own without a full licence holder. The law requirements are:

1. The accompanying driver should be at least 21 years old
2. The accompanying driver should have held their driving licence for at least 3 years
3. The driver should be from the UK or part of the EU.
4. The accompanying driver should hold a licence for the vehicle type that the learner is driving
5. The learner should display L plates on the back and front of the car.
6. The learner driver should have valid car insurance

As long as the accompanying driver meets the above conditions then they should be good to go!

Is Private Practice Compulsory?

No. Private practice is a personal preference. Not everyone wants to do private practice and many learners have gone against doing private practice since the coronavirus lockdown. It really is up to the individual to decide whether they want to or not. Not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to do some – if you are, you are one of the lucky ones!

Advantages of Private Practice

There are many advantages to private practice. I am an avid pro-private practice supporter. There is no other experience than driving a car without dual controls but with the notion of a bit of support if you need it.

Not only do you NOT have the dual controls – but for the first time, you now have to be completely responsible for your own driving. Your accompanying driver doesn’t have a brake after all! The advantages of private practice:

• Responsibility increases
• Road awareness improves
• Route planning improves
• Problem-solving skills improve
• Responses improve
• Experience increases
• A cheaper way of gaining experience than paying for more driving lessons
• We are allowed to in the UK unlike EU countries
• Can take a test in your own car
• Can become familiar with driving your car with a bit of support prior to passing a driving test
• Real-life experiences

Disadvantages of Private Practice

To be honest – there aren’t many disadvantages of private practice as the advantages far outweigh any possible negatives. But, it’s not for everyone, so here are some of them!

• No dual controls
• No professional driving instructor
• Increase in bad habits
• Higher chance of an accident
• Increased anxiety
• Increased fear of driving on own
• Arguments with family members and loved ones

Types Of Private Practice

I do believe the benefits of private practice far outweigh the negatives. Even if only a little bit is done prior to a driving test – the extra experience has got to worth the time and energy into private practice with a loved one. After all, you’ll be driving at some point – why not experience it before you finally go out on the road all by yourself?

Some learners do a little bit of private practice and many learners do a lot! It really does depend on the individual. Here is a breakdown of the typical routes to private practice.

The ONLY Private Practice Route 

More and more learners are deciding to learn to drive solely with mum and dad. Driving lessons are no longer affordable to some, and with the current climate more and more candidates are opting not to have professional driving lessons. As the article by the Express reports (here), the average age of the ‘new learner driver’ is 26 years old. So what happened to the booking of driving lessons for your 17th birthday?

The demise of the paper round and the death of the high street has meant there are fewer jobs for young teens who are able to afford driving lessons with a professional driving instructor. So, the ‘school of mum and dad’ has been an ever-increasing niche within the driving industry and more and more pupils are opting for this route. The other reported factor to the demise of the 17-year old embarking on professional tuition is the increase of university fees which came into force in 2012. An increase of £6000 for a typical year of tuition up from £3250 to £9250 per student per year.

So inevitably more and more learner drivers are seeking to cut costs by embarking on the ‘school of mum and dad’, whether these learner drivers become great drivers is another topic – but, many learners do so with much success.

The Half & Half Route of Private Practice

The half and half route is another route popular amongst young drivers. This enables them to have some professional driving lessons and then ‘top-up’ with the ‘school of mum and dad’. From my own experience – I find most new learner drivers will start training with a driving school to learn the basics and then opt to have ‘ experience’ in their own car. This not only brings the overall cost of driving lessons down but enables them to clock up the mileage which in turn increases their road experience. Some learner drivers will finish their training with their driving instructor when it comes to the driving test.

The Dippers Of Private Practice

These types of pupils tend to be students who prefer to learn with a driving instructor but know the benefits of private practice and dip their toes into the water. Again, the benefits outweigh the negatives – and they get to gain invaluable road experience before going solo!

Whatever your route – private practice will help you become a better driver and help prepare you for life on the road post-test! If you plan the dipper route with your intensive driving course you’ll have the best of both worlds when it comes to passing your driving test on the first go! What’s your route? Leave a comment at the bottom!8