Teaching Someone to Drive: Lesson Plan Suggestions

If you’re thinking of teaching someone to drive, in this post we’ll share some ideas for some of the things you could cover in your lessons.

Please note that these are just general suggestions! You should not treat this as a detailed lesson plan.

Before you start, make sure you read our full guide to the various rules for learner drivers in the UK.

Who Can Supervise Learners?

In the UK, if you want to teach someone to drive, you must meet the following criteria:

Be at least 21.
Be qualified to drive the type of vehicle you’ll be driving. So, if you’re teaching someone to drive a manual car, you must be qualified to drive a manual car yourself.
Be in possession of a full driving licence for at least three years.

Read our full guide to who can supervise learners.

Can I Teach My Child to Drive?

Some parents choose to teach their children to drive. There are no laws against doing this, but it’s important to know what you’re getting into. Read our full introduction to teaching your child to drive.

We also have some general tips for teaching someone to drive, which includes some steps you can take to ensure you’re ready to take on such a responsibility.

How to Get Your Car Ready For a Learner

You will need to take some steps to get your car ready for the learner. As well as attaching L-plates to the front and rear, you may want to attach an additional mirror to give you greater visibility from the passenger seat. You may also want to remove all possible distractions, such as window stickers, and empty the boot to improve handling and braking distance.

Read our full guide to preparing your car for a learner.

Don’t Forget Learner Driver Insurance

Finally, it’s important to ensure that both you and the learner are fully insured for all of your lessons.

Your car insurance will not automatically cover the learner, even if you drive in your own car. You could make the learner a named driver on your policy. But for best results, get a dedicated learner driver insurance policy.

Lesson Plan Suggestions for Teaching Someone to Drive

Remember when you learned to drive? Your instructor probably helped you slowly build up your confidence and competence over the course of multiple lessons, and over the course of many weeks and months.

You should do the same. Be patient with your learner, and don’t throw them in the deep end. Instead, aim to do things as gradually as possible.

Here’s how your first few lessons could look:

Lesson 1 – The Basics

Drive to an empty car park, or a very quiet residential street. Let the learner sit in the driver seat and talk them through the basics. Start by showing them how to adjust their seat position so that they can comfortably reach the pedals and steering wheel. Then show them how to use their mirrors. If you’re learning in a manual, talk them through the gears.

If there’s time, and there are no cars or pedestrians around, end the lesson through letting them drive the car themselves – very slowly, in first gear.

Lesson 2 – Moving off

Again, head to an empty car park, or a very quiet residential street, and let the learner sit in the driver’s seat.

This lesson is an introduction to moving off. Talk them through all the checks they’ll need to make when moving off from a parked position, being sure to check their blind spot as well as their mirrors. Then talk them through the process of starting the car before moving off – pressing the clutch down, choosing first gear, gently pressing the accelerator, finding the biting point, and so on.

This lesson could also include the basics for following traffic, including the road position, the speed, the signalling, and the ongoing checks they’ll need to make. You could also cover some basic road markings and signs.

Lesson 3 – Approaching Junctions

To begin with, cover the basics of approaching junctions to turn left, as this is significantly easier than approaching junctions to turn right.

Talk the learner through the basics regarding which drivers have priority for turning, along with all the checks they’ll need to make (mirrors and signalling). Also cover road positions (learners should “point” their car in the direction they intend to turn), speed (learners should slow down when taking turns), and discuss how to look out for oncoming traffic, and pedestrians.

Let the learner try a few left turns themselves. If there’s time, and if they feel confident, you might then try a right turn or two.

Continuing Your Lessons

Different learners may progress at different rates. While it might take one learner multiple lessons to build up any confidence, others might take quite naturally to driving.

The important thing is to pay attention to your learner’s performance, to ensure they’re ready for whatever you ask them to do. Never force a learner to do anything too soon.

But once your learner’s comfortable with the basics, your ongoing lessons should cover:

Emerging from junctions and joining traffic.
Hazard awareness and emergency stops.
Starting on and stopping on hills.
Progressing onto main roads.
Approaching and managing roundabouts.
Driving on dual carriageways.

Don’t try any manoeuvres, such as parking, parallel parking, or reversing into a bay, until your learner’s built up sufficient control of their vehicle. This might not happen for months!

Learner Driver Insurance

As we mentioned above, both you and your learner will need adequate car insurance to cover your lessons. And for learners, there’s nothing better than dedicated learner driver insurance.

At Go Girl, we specialise in flexible and affordable learner driver insurance policies. Plus, once your learner gets their full driving licence, they can change their learner insurance for a new driver policy, and immediately start building up a no claims discount.

Find out more about our specialist learner driver insurance, and get a free quote online in minutes.