Has anyone any experience of this?
My wife's learning to drive and I've withdrawn from instructor duties
She's rather scared re the whole thing. I know they've got a whole 6 hour simulation thing down @ BSM but is it any good? Is it better just getting out there and getting bunny-hopping with the instructor?

WHAT? You can learn to drive in a stimulator? thats crazy...

Unless its a very very good similator... get out there on the real roads, with real conditions and learn the proper way :p

My advice would be to find a local independant instructor through recommendation, or failing that BSM through recomendation. The reason being BSM is full of trainees so the quality varies wildly from very good and would get a grade 6 when they get their green badge to 'still just going as the appeals process extends their right to work'.

Plus a good instructor will be able to read the person and teach them in the best way.

I would avoid the simulator. Whilst it may get over the very early nerves it will not help in real life. An instructor will probably start them off in a very quiet place like a car park to get the used to moving the car and build the confidence that way.

Hi Ben, as an ex-ADI myself, I would certainly agree with the other comments and arrange a course of lessons with a good instructor rather than spending out on a simulator.

Make sure that the instructor is fully qualified and not a trainee. Trainees are emplyed by some of the national driving schools and are for them, cheap labour. They will have pink licences. A fully qualified instructor has a green licence which must be fixed in the windscreen.

It is not commonly known that Instructors have to have check tests every so often and they are graded. The highest grade is 6. If it were me, I would only have lessons with an instructor of Grade 5 or 6, certainly no lower. If you ask them their grade, they are obliged to tell you and you can ask for proof.

A good instructor will inspire confidence and never ask or expect the pupil to do anything beyond their capability. Each lesson should end on a high with the pupil looking forward to the next lesson. In between lessons it's good to go out in your private car just to consolidate and practise what has been learned in the previous lesson.

hth

John

[Edited on 23/3/09 by John Bonnett]