Hello to Parents of New Drivers

Signing up your student driver for professional driving lessons just may be one of the most important decisions you can make as a parent. DIRECT DRIVE offers comprehensive training packages as well as individualized lessons and assessments to suit the needs of each learner.

If you’re just thinking of doing a few driving lessons, I would recommend splitting them up… two or three lessons early on to set the protocols in place, so that they learn the proper way to perform the maneuvers (as defined by ICBC), and more later in the training to pick up on areas of weakness.

Don`t wait too long though if you are intending to seek out professional instruction… I have had a few students presented to me who had been driving for a year, and days away from their road test, looking for a brush up lesson (having never taken one previously). Correcting bad habits can be challenging!

Ideally, I recommend that you initially drive with your learner in short sessions in order to give them a sense of the very basics of vehicle control, steering, braking, in low or no traffic situations (for your sanity and theirs!)

Ensure that they have a good working knowledge of all the basic driving features of your vehicle. Once we start driving with a student, the learning experience will be expedited if they have a basic familiarity of rules of the road, right-of­-way etc… all of this information is excellently presented in the ICBC Learn to Drive Smart manual which they studied to pass the written exam to obtain their “L” (Learner’s Licence). Also read the ICBC Tuning up for Drivers manual… they received this when they received their “L”. (I always recommend that all students have a solid understanding of all the information in these books by the time they start driving). I also recommend that parents also read the books… that they take advantage of a great opportunity to brush up on their own knowledge and become familiar with the newest expectations that ICBC is setting forth for new drivers.

The lessons we teach are all “practical training” in the DIRECT DRIVE Training cars (2021 and 2023 Hyundai Kona), and the lessons cover all aspects of driving including valuable defensive driving strategies, the emphasis of course being on safety. Winter driving is an important application, but the student needs to be at a certain level of competency before we would subject them to the extra demands of poor road conditions. Each student will be given a folder at the end on lesson 1. Each 90-minute lesson or assessment is followed up by a written review that is given to the student at the end of the lesson. Often there will be documents or templates given to explain more complex skills. We encourage parents (or supervising drivers) to review these notes as well. This allows the parent/supervisors to stay connected with what elements are being taught, recommendations for skills to practise or correct, as well as a list of upcoming elements that will be covered at the next lesson.

A student’s success lies in proper instruction from their supervisor(s), and giving them opportunities to build their driving hours consistently over the year. Every student learns these important skills in their own unique way, and our scheduler will have developed a recommended training schedule at sign-up. When we do the first drive, we take into consideration a student’s learning style, skill and confidence level, ability to practise and improve, and any preferred deadline for road test. If we feel the schedule needs adjusting we will advise you. It’s a great idea to keep a log of driving hours, as ICBC requires 60 hours of driving time in order to be ready to take the road test to obtain their “N” (Class 7 Novice Licence). Lots to think about. Please contact me if you have any further questions,

Lisa Bennett, Owner/Operator
Certified Driver Training Instructor
directdrivetraining@gmail.com
(250) 804-5472