Should I learn to drive now or later?
The following are my own observations and experiences over the last 29 years as an DVSA ADI.
Hopefully these thoughts will help you make the right decision for you!
Firstly does the potential learner actually need a full driving licence now? It is tempting to think of leaving learning to drive until the driving licence is actually needed, however, is this really the best option? Let me give you a couple of examples that I experienced.
I received a phone call inquiring about driving lessons from someone who had finished their university course and had now returned home and were now looking for ajob in their chosen profession. Unfortunately, after applying for numerous jobs they had been unable to even get any interviews. When they enquired with some of the potential employers about why they weren’t getting an interview. They were told that during the course of their work they would need to make their own way to different locations at short notice. This would not be practical for someone without a full driving licence and transport. The employers, therefore, would not even consider an application from someone without a full driving licence!
Another pupil contacted me to arrange driving lessons. They had also finished university and had managed to get work on a management training program with a national company. Although the location of their work was very close to their home they were told that they would not be considered for promotion until they had their full driving licence. This was because they would need to be able to visit other branches at short notice and without their own transport, this would be very difficult?
Hindsight is a wonderful thing! Both of the above pupils passed their driving tests. However, both really wished they had learned earlier, i.e. before going to university.
The costs of learning to drive has to be considered. When looking at the costs involved in learning to drive I believe that in the short or medium term that these costs are likely to either continue at the current level or increase. I therefore see no monetary benefit in delaying learning to drive.
Finally the cost of car insurance. As we all know this is a major problem for many young drivers. There are however things that you can do to minimise these costs. Adding a parent as a named driver to the policy. Agreeing to a mileage limit or times of day the vehicle can be driven to keep the premiums down. Even if the young driver does not have a car when they first pass, the longer they have their licence before they insure a car the cheaper the insurance becomes. This is because most insurers add a loading to the cost of the insurance policy for inexperienced drivers. This loading is usually based only on the length of time the driving licence has been held!
My own view derived from all of the above is where possible it is better to learn now,rather than postponing learning to drive until later.
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