Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What do I need to know to help my teen/novice driver learn to drive?

A: Teaching any novice how to drive is a serious undertaking. You need to be sure that you have the teaching and driving skills, patience, empathy and in-depth knowledge of Australia’s highway law before you decide to undertake this responsibility.

We have compiled a short list of questions that may help you decide if teaching driving is for you:

• Do I really believe that I could pass the driving test myself if I were to take it today?
• Do I really believe that I have the abilities needed to train someone to become a safe and confident driver?
• Am I really patient enough to teach driving skills?
• Do I really know how to respond in an emergency if something goes wrong when a novice driver is at the wheel?
• What about my own bad driving habits – what if any lazy or slack habits have crept in and I pass these on?
• Am I really familiar with all the nitty-gritty of current road laws?
• Do I know the most effective order in which to teach driving skills?
• Will I be able to recognize all the areas where the novice driver is weak?
• Will I be able to devise effective training strategies to help my novice overcome these weak areas?
• Do I fully understand the details of the licensing process and how to go about acquiring a full driving licence?
• Do I have the ability to explain the licensing process to my novice driver?
• What about my relationship with the novice – is there anything that might affect my ability to teach or my novice’s willingness to learn from me.

At Strive2Drive of Melbourne we believe that the best way to train novice drivers of any age is to establish an effective 3-way partnership between the learner driver, our professional and experienced teachers, and private practice time with the learner’s parents or experienced friends who hold a valid and full driving licence.

However, if driving alongside your teen or other novice driver is an experience you prefer not to undergo, do not despair. It is sometimes easier for people to learn from someone removed from their immediate circle of family or friends. If this is the case with your novice driver you can be confident that Strive2Drive instructors will ensure that he or she acquires all the competencies they need to become safe and reliable drivers with a complete knowledge of road law and defensive driving techniques.

Q: How long does it usually take to learn to drive?

A: The short answer is approximately 10-14 lessons for a total novice and less for learner drivers who already have some experience.

However, as with any skill, the amount of time it takes to learn varies from person to person according to their individual learning abilities, varying degrees of previous experience and specific needs.

But one thing remains the same for everyone – it is one thing to learn a new driving skill and another to master it sufficiently so as to be pronounced competent. Practice is paramount. The minimum legally-required target is120 hours of logged practice time before a learner may sit the test. However, in some cases this may not be enough for every driver to fully learn all the skills they need.

Always remember that much like a sport, driving is a combination of physical skills, co-ordination and judgement. Some people acquire these skills faster than others. The speed at which you personally learn is in no way a reflection of your academic or other capabilities.

With Strive2Drive’s Behavioural Learning methodology our instructors will ensure that you learn to drive step by step progressively throughout your course, acquiring new competencies with each lesson until you have fully mastered all the skills you need. In other words, you set the pace of your own learning curve and will advance according to your own progress and at your own speed.

Q: I am thinking of teaching my teenager to drive. Do you have any advice?

A:Some teens can learn competently from family members or close friends but others learn best from a third party who is more detached from their immediate life. It all depends on the relationship you have with your child. Analyse how you and your teen interact in stressful situations and ask yourself if you truly have the patience to keep your cool if your teen should makes mistakes.

That said, it also helps significantly if you have a teaching background and truly have sufficient time to devote to this important task.

At Strive2Drive we have found that often the best solution is for your teen to take lessons with one of our qualified instructors and then to go out and practice with you the specific areas recommended by the instructor before taking the next class. This gives you a structure to follow when you go out driving together with your teen and may help to reduce points of conflict.

However, if you do decide to go ahead and teach your teen to drive by yourself, we are also more than happy to provide one or two final lessons to assess your teen’s abilities and readiness for taking the test, if you would like a third party opinion.

Q: How long does a Strive2Drive lesson last?

A: Each lesson lasts for 45 minutes and for novices this is usually enough for the first few classes when your driving will be limited to quieter streets. Later, once you have mastered the basic skills, we also offer double lessons of 90 minutes that will allow you to get a good period of practice in more complex and hazardous road conditions. Some people prefer the longer 90 minute lessons because they can learn more in a single class which is important if you have had to drive some distance to be able to experience the type of road conditions you need to practice in Regardless of their length, all lessons must be booked in advance and we politely request that you cancel any lessons with as much notice as possible so that our instructors can reschedule their time.

Q: Is it best to learn in a manual car or an automatic?

A: There are pros and cons to both methods of learning.

If you learn in an automatic car you will probably find it easier and will require fewer lessons since you won’t have to learn to coordinate gear changes or use the clutch pedal. Getting your automatic licence first is a very good way to build up your confidence because you can then go out and get valuable experience driving alone on Melbourne’s hectic roads.

However, once you get your probationary automatic licence you will be restricted afterwards to driving only automatic cars in Victoria and will have to take a follow up test at a later date if you decide you want to upgrade your skills to driving a car with manual gear changes.

If you decide to go ahead and learn to drive in a car with manual gear changes you will be able to drive both manual and automatic cars afterwards in any state in Australia so you will have more flexibility if ever you have to hire a car, or drive someone else’s car, for example.

Ultimately, it’s your personal decision and depends on your unique set of circumstances.

Q: What is the Learner Log book?

A: All learner drivers are required by Vic Roads to keep a written record of the number of hours they spend practicing driving, the types of roads where they practice and the name of the licensed driver who accompanies them. All this information has to be written in the Learner Log book. Our instructors at Strive2Drive will explain in more detail how to keep these records at the end of your first lesson.