Private Practice : Choose your Route
Plan Before You Set Off
It is important to plan a route for the practice drives in advance, especially during the early part of the learning period.
You may wish to incorporate driving practice with other errands by getting the learner to drive you instead. You should still plan the route in advance and make notes about the journey so that you can talk about it with your learner afterwards.
When your learner knows the local roads well enough, it is a good idea to encourage him or her to plan a route with your help.
Make sure that there are no distractions that will prevent the learner from concentrating, such as young children or loud music.
Remember that learners cannot legally drive on the motorway.
Make Sure The Route Is Suitable For Your Learner
When your learner has first started driving, start with short and less demanding drives - learners get tired and lose concentration easily. Try to avoid traffic situations and roads that the learner may find difficult to cope with. For example, initially try to stay away from:
- Narrow Streets, as the learner may find it hard to judge the width of the car and it’s road position
- Busy Roundabouts, heavy traffic on a roundabout can be daunting.
- Dual carriageways, if your learner is new to driving then they may find it daunting to drive at speeds.
- Bad weather conditions with poor visibility.
As your learner gains more driving experience, you can introduce them to a wider range of situations of increasing complexity. Gradually increase the difficulty of the driving and include longer drives in a range of conditions:
- Daylight and Darkness
- Dry and wet (avoid severe weather conditions)
- Built-up and non-built up roads
- Single and dual carriageway roads (not motorways)
- Roads with different speed limits
Remember to discuss with your learner's instructor the best sort of routes and driving conditions to include in the private practice.
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