The official DVSA guide to learning to drive

So, you’ve taken out insurance for your son or granddaughter to practise for the driving test in your car. They’ve had professional lessons but are now hoping that practice with you will enable them to get through. You’ve been driving safely (mostly) for 30 … 40 years or more. What could be simpler?Many things, it turns out. For one thing, when you took your test, you didn’t have to do half the things they now have to do in a driving test: reversing into or out of a parking space, parallel/reverse parking, following a satnav or a route by road signs, showing how to check oil, coolant or brake fluid levels, etc., etc. You and I just had Mirror-Signal-Manoeuvre, now there’s Position-Speed-Look as well and side-door mirrors to check and double-check before every turn.The roads are a lot more complicated now too, with multi-laned roundabouts and speed limits that constantly change, for example. Added to which, you’ve forgotten things and fallen into bad habits (breaking the speed limit, taking one hand off the wheel, checking your mirrors when you signal instead of before, signalling when you turn and not before—yes, that’s probably you). And there are new rules of the road to obey, such as giving way to pedestrians at junctions. You need help!Well, here it is. 'Learning to Drive' is the key to helping your son or granddaughter embed good habits and be ready to pass the test (and to renovate your driving too). There is a short, three-page chapter for each aspect of driving a car (e.g. Moving Away and Stopping, Roundabouts, The Emergency Stop). Each chapter gives a list of what you need to know or be able to do, what to remember, tips from the experts and what to expect on the test, as well as revision questions and a sobering thought to reflect on.Each chapter has a footnote referring you to sections in 'The Highway Code' and pages in the much larger volume, 'The Official DVSA Guide to Driving', where you will find further information. The second half of the book gives extended advice for you, the amateur driving instructor/adviser, on how to help your son or granddaughter, with a chapter for each of the aspects covered in the first half of the book.This is an invaluable book. It gave me the confidence to be a helpful instructor and advisor, and not just an observer. My one beef would be that it could helpfully include model answers to the recap questions. Oh, and one more thing. If your son or granddaughter is taking the test in your car, do make sure that you turn up with it in a safe, roadworthy condition. I saw one candidate failed before he got into the car because there was a crack in the windscreen.

As a learner driver, I purchased this book as tips for an experience driver to know when we go out in the experience driver's car to practice leading up to my driving test. For example it recommends that an extra interiormirror be put in the car so that the experience driver can also see what is happening behind, giving themselves confidence in the learner driver.

As a driving instructor, I definitely recommend this book as a good read. ALL dvsa material should be trusted.

This book has some negative reviews from people complaining that it does not actually tell you how to drive, but that's not the purpose of the book.The purpose of the book is to help you organise your learning to prepare for your driving test. It tells you how to to get started (applying for your provisional license, finding an instructor, etc.), what to expect during the test, and what skills and knowledge you will need to demonstrate to pass your test.The book is meant to be used in conjunction with "The Official Highway Code" book and "The Official DVSA Guide to Driving - the essential skills" book, AND in conjunction with your driving lessons and practice in e.g. a family or friend's car between lessons.Some people were complaining that the book doesn't tell you how to drive, but you can't learn to drive just by reading a book.The book helps you to organise you learning from the other two books (to learn driving theory) and to know what you need to learn and practice during your driving lessons to prepare well for the test.If used for the correct purpose, I think it's a useful book. I have passed my theory test and am preparing for my practical test, and I am finding this book useful to know what I need to study up on and practice during my driving lessons in preparation for that.

Great for starting

Very handy if your starting to learn to drive

Grandson happy with this for Chrismas

Some good tips throughout the book but we were a bit disappointed. For example....doesn't give you the instructions on how to do particular skill....just tells you that you need to do it. Need to buy a different book for the 'how to'