Intensive driving course...anyone done one?

SideWinder · 8 Sep 2008 at 20:36

I did a very quick Google and this popped up...

http://www.intensivecourses.co.uk/index.htm

There is a price list on there as well but just asking for feedback. I had a quick go on my Mum's VW Golf a couple of years ago and i seemed to have a natural knack and i'd rather pass in a week or two as opposed to waiting around...plus i'd probably spend the lesson money so i'd rather put it all in one go!

Comments/opinions?

Meatball · 8 Sep 2008 at 20:55

It's simply not enough time to gain the experience needed IMO. Intensive courses teach you just how to pass the driving test, not how to be a safe driver. They're intended for people who have had driving lessons before. What experience have you had already?

SideWinder · 8 Sep 2008 at 20:58

Meatball said:
It's simply not enough time to gain the experience needed IMO. Intensive courses teach you just how to pass the driving test, not how to be a safe driver. They're intended for people who have had driving lessons before. What experience have you had already?

Really? The impression i get is that they just teach you everything in one go as opposed to having 1 lesson a week for months on end. I have no experience.

ganesh · 8 Sep 2008 at 21:07

You can't learn and get used to normal road driving in such a small amount of time. If you do use such a course to pass then it would probably be best to take it easy on the roads for a while.

shifty_uk · 8 Sep 2008 at 21:07

If I had the choice and money again I'd probably have taken an intensive course over months of weekly/fortnightly lessons. I've been learning since March and only sat my first test the other week. Probably all down to inconsistency with my lessons but it's still far too long as I consider myself to be a decent driver. Just my opinion!

Fropome · 8 Sep 2008 at 21:10

I didn't do an intensive course as such but i did learn to drive, pass my theory and my driving test only a week or two after my 17th birthday with no prior driving. So essentially i took about 16 hours worth of lessons in this week and then found an instant cancellation and passed my test. So you could call it an intensive driving session.

Now although i passed my test first time round and much faster than anyone i know, i'd never recommend what i did. It simply isn't enough time to get to grips with being on the road. The day i passed and went out on a drive in my own car was incredibly scary, i felt like i had no control and even after picking up a couple of friends to help me ease into driving on the roads, it really was a daunting task.

You're much better off taking it slowly and becoming a better driving throughout it.
Saying that it only took me a month from there on to get into the groove of driving my own car on my own, so it was successful you could say. But even then i think i would have become a better driver a lot quicker if i took it easy to begin with.

It's only now, 20k of driving after two and a half years that i feel comfortable hopping into any powerful rwd car and can be sure i know what i'm doing.

Take it easy, it will come with time, theres no rush!

SideWinder · 9 Sep 2008 at 10:58

Thankyou for all the feedback!

m4cc45 · 9 Sep 2008 at 11:19

I did a semi-intensive course which was 2 x 2 hours at the weekend (Saturday and Sunday). I had already done my Theory and it took me around 6-7 weeks to pass. If I had to do it over again I would recommend this as I doing 1 hour per week is rubbish IMHO.

If you do the time then I would suggest you are as safe as someone else who has done the same time.

M.

Nebzor · 9 Sep 2008 at 12:54

You get as much experience doing an intensive course as you do with regular lessons. Either way you're getting similar amounts of road time.

Most people taking their bike tests do intensive courses (for example I did 3 5-hour days and passed with two minors, having never ridden a geared bike before) and ride just fine, so they work perfectly well.

Avalon · 9 Sep 2008 at 13:16

Meatball said:
It's simply not enough time to gain the experience needed IMO. Intensive courses teach you just how to pass the driving test, not how to be a safe driver. They're intended for people who have had driving lessons before. What experience have you had already?

That pretty much covers it. I had a few years on the road with a full bike licence before I did my car test and did 2 hours a night 3 days a week + practice in family cars. The two people I know who did intensive courses couldn't actually drive to a competent standard when they passed, one even had to take additional lessons after passing.

Nebzor did you have road experience prior to that though ?

York · 9 Sep 2008 at 13:22

I very nearly did an intensive course, but decided that I'd rather learn on my local roads - no one around here seemed to offer intensive courses, so would have had to have taken a residential course.

In the end I booked an 8 hour first lesson with my instructor. It was great for getting all the basics over and done with, without having to repeat them for the first few weeks.

cheets64 · 9 Sep 2008 at 13:40

m4cc45 said:
I did a semi-intensive course which was 2 x 2 hours at the weekend (Saturday and Sunday). I had already done my Theory and it took me around 6-7 weeks to pass. If I had to do it over again I would recommend this as I doing 1 hour per week is rubbish IMHO.

If you do the time then I would suggest you are as safe as someone else who has done the same time.

M.

Rubbush? how are they rubbish, You did over 28 hours of learning but just squeezed it into 2 months rather than 6 months, I don't understand how 1 hour a week is any hindrance to doing 4 a week, unless you need a licence quickly then the intense course are great.

Nebzor · 9 Sep 2008 at 14:30

Avalon said:
That pretty much covers it. I had a few years on the road with a full bike licence before I did my car test and did 2 hours a night 3 days a week + practice in family cars. The two people I know who did intensive courses couldn't actually drive to a competent standard when they passed, one even had to take additional lessons after passing.

Nebzor did you have road experience prior to that though ?

A year's worth, yes. However, you can learn the rules of the road in a day and the theory test (assuming you bothered to go through the highway code) teaches you it anywho.

And still Avalon I don't see how you can agree with him.

18 hours worth of lessons is the same as an 18 hour intensive course. You gain exactly the same amount of experience. Some might argue that you gain more on an intensive course, as things sink in quicker - e.g. "I just made that mistake, let's not make it again because I've still got 3 hours left!"

Avalon · 9 Sep 2008 at 15:15

Nebzor said:
A year's worth, yes. However, you can learn the rules of the road in a day and the theory test (assuming you bothered to go through the highway code) teaches you it anywho.

And still Avalon I don't see how you can agree with him.

18 hours worth of lessons is the same as an 18 hour intensive course. You gain exactly the same amount of experience. Some might argue that you gain more on an intensive course, as things sink in quicker - e.g. "I just made that mistake, let's not make it again because I've still got 3 hours left!"

And that's my point, you had a years experience on the road, as such your situation is different. You are the ideal candidate for an intensive course because you already have the road awareness from the last 12 months.

Now imagine a brand new driver who's never so much as sat in the drivers seat, you're expecting them to focus for 4 hours absorbing and applying both the finer points of controlling a vehicle and the practical application of the highway code for 4 hours a day over 4 days straight then on the 5th day do the test. Every study on learning i've read over the last decade has suggested that the drop off in concentration is way less than 1 hour and certainly nothing like 4 hours.

Now consider the same person doing the same 18 hours in 2 hour sessions across 8 days and a test on the 9th. Everything else being equal i'd expect the 2 hour approach to give better results.

Nebzor · 9 Sep 2008 at 15:17

You're talking about learning ability/concentration/memory, not road experience.

The two are not the same thing.

Deleted User 234324 · 9 Sep 2008 at 15:18

Im currently doing one now, between 6 and 10 hours a week, my test date is booked for end of october.

Its the only way to learn really, doing 1 lesson a week takes too long.

Someone who does 40 hours in the space of a month has just as much or equal road experience to someone who does 40 hours over 40 months.

Avalon · 9 Sep 2008 at 15:26

Nebzor said:
You're talking about learning ability/concentration/memory, not road experience.

The two are not the same thing.

I didn't say they were the same but surely you can see how the two are related in terms of learning to drive (a person's experience and ability to learn) ? Someone who has road experience is ideally suited to an intensive course, someone who doesn't isn't as well suited, naturally each person is different but that's the theory.

Avalon · 9 Sep 2008 at 15:31

MadMossy can you tell me what you did 40 weeks ago please between the hours of 14:30 and 15:30 exactly ?

Nebzor · 9 Sep 2008 at 15:31

Avalon said:
I didn't say they were the same but surely you can see how the two are related in terms of learning to drive (a person's experience and ability to learn) ? Someone who has road experience is ideally suited to an intensive course, someone who doesn't isn't as well suited, naturally each person is different but that's the theory.

You're not going to magically be any better at driving by taking 40 hours over 40 weeks instead of 40 hours in two weeks.

You're just going to have to wait longer to drive

Fropome · 9 Sep 2008 at 15:32

MadMossy said:
Someone who does 40 hours in the space of a month has just as much or equal road experience to someone who does 40 hours over 40 months.

Sorry but this is simply an excuse people use to try convince themselves they are doing the right thing.

10 hours over 5 months != 10 hours over 5 days.

you simply do not get the time to absorb all that information and feel comfortable in such a short space of time.

I did it and i can tell you first hand, most of you are just guessing what it's like.