Poor route planning will lead to the learner making mistakes that are, in reality, the fault of the supervisor. It will be virtually impossible for you to assess a learner’s driving accurately when routes are poorly planned.

Distinguishing between those mistakes that are made because of the route 'pressure' and those which occur because of a lack of skill or understanding will prove extremely difficult. Inappropriate routes will lead to lack of motivation and a slow learning rate (and lots of arguments!). Consider that on unsuitable routes many of the other drivers you encounter will be unforgiving of a car displaying 'L' plates.

In these situations 'road-rage' is all too often witnessed but perhaps the biggest issue would be the negative feelings of the learner (embarrassment after stalling, or panic if rolling backwards, for example) which will knock their confidence.

Your learners’ driving instructor will be able to advise you when and where you should take a learner. Some learners are suited to going out with a supervising driver from the very start of their training, whilst for others it may not be wise to take them out until they have reached a certain level with their instructor – this is why it is important to speak to the instructor before planning to supervise a learner driver on the road.

Directions provides a unique service for people considering supervising their friends or relatives in this way. We can update your knowledge and skills and help you to understand the current Driving Test Syllabus. For many people, the way they learned to drive or indeed the driving habits they have, bear little resemblance to the style of driving required to pass a driving test today! You never know you might even improve your own driving whilst helping somebody else to gain much needed experience on the road.  Even if you don't want to take a supervised learner course - you can always sit in on some lessons with the instructor to see how it's done!