When it comes to learning to drive, all too often it is the idea of driving in busy built-up urban areas that scares new drivers. Whilst it is true that there are plenty of things that you may need to consider when driving around a big city like Manchester, there are several steps that you can take to make sure that your time on the roads is safe and as stress free as possible. Whether you are about to begin driving lessons in Manchester or have already passed your test, our helpful tips will help you to have more confidence driving around a busy town or city.  

Tips for Diving in Manchester

Be aware

One of the best ways in which you can prepare yourself is to make sure that you are fully aware of your surroundings before you actually find yourself immersed in them. For driving in a busy city centre or built-up area it is important to think about the fact that you will most likely encounter cycle lanes, bus lanes, one-way streets and lots of stationary traffic that just doesn’t seem to move. Of course, there are also pedestrians who all too often will step out into the traffic in an attempt to cross the road when there really isn’t the gap in the traffic that they think there is. Remember to look for those all-important road signs which will help you navigate through a busy city centre.

Anticipate

When you are driving in a busier area there will be a lot more going on around you so it is important to anticipate everything that might happen. The traffic might stop and start a lot more you will need to keep your eye on the road in front of you for cars moving. You are also more likely to get people crossing the road or even opening doors of parked vehicles. All of this is not bad when it comes to building up your driving skills and, of course, your confidence.

The right instructor

The key to learning to drive and feeling confident in your abilities is finding the right instructor. You want to have confidence in the person who is teaching you to drive and know that they will go at a pace that suits you. With the right instructor you will learn the skills that you need to give you the confidence to drive around Manchester, or indeed any other large city.

There are, unfortunately, many learner drivers who may begin taking lessons but for whatever reason stop before they have reached their test. There can be any number of reasons that they might become a lapsed learner. Perhaps finances are an issue, or time, or they perhaps don’t feel they are ready to take to the road after all. When a lapsed learner decides that it is time to get back behind the wheel it can be a good idea to look for someone who will be able to offer them lapsed learner driving lessons. There are a number of reasons why lapsed learners can benefit from driving lessons that are specifically geared towards them rather than learner drivers. Here, we list just three.

Not starting driving lessons from scratch

Taking lapsed learner lessons means that your driving instructor will not have to go over some of the things that you have already covered. They may want to touch on the basics to check that you still remember things from a safety point of view, but there is no point them wasting your time going over everything you have already learnt.

Tailored help 

A good driving instructor will be able to tailor your lessons more to your requirements. So, if there are some things that you struggled with when you first began learning to drive, let them know and they will be able to spend more time helping you with those aspects rather than going over the things that you are more comfortable with. This will help you to practice the things that you didn’t feel that you had really understood fully first time round. 

Feel confident

It may be that the reason your driving lessons lapsed in the first place is that you simply lacked confidence. If this was the case, then it is really important to boost your confidence so that you feel comfortable behind the wheel. Lapsed learner driving lessons will allow your instructor to help you boost your confidence by reinforcing all of the things that you are confident with and gaining confidence with the things that you are less certain about. Being more confident behind the wheel will give you a real boost in the skills that you do have and help you to learn more, and hopefully very soon you will be sitting your driving test and passing with flying colours.