Legal Requirements

Display L plates that are regulation size and are clearly visible from the front and from behind. You can get up to 6 penalty points if you don’t display an L plate or if it isn’t the right size.

Remember to position them on the same side of the car as the driver, not the Passenger!

• You should take L plates off your vehicle when it’s not being used by a learner.
• Supervisors must be over 21, and have held a full driving licence for 3 years or more and be qualified to drive the type of car the young driver wants to learn in. Eg: If the parent’s licence is automatic, then they can only supervise a person who is learning in an automatic car. If the parent’s licence is manual, then they can supervise both manual and automatic.
• Car Insurance must cover the “learner!” ………….check your policy!
• Provisional licence holders must be fully insured on any car they are driving, whether it is your own car or you are using someone else’s. Make sure the correct motor insurance is in place for the car, drivers and for what the car is being used for.
• Ensure your car is roadworthy. Get involved with them in basic vehicle checks, lights, oil, coolant, windscreen wash, ohh… Don’t forget to check the tyres – make sure they meet the legal requirements by having no less than?……….. 1.6mm tread depth.
• Last but not least, an extra interior rear-view mirror for the passenger side to help you see what’s happening behind the wheel when you are out with them practicing their driving
• Chequered Flag Tip*  It’s illegal for your friend or family member to use a mobile phone while supervising you.

The aim of private practice is to give the learner more experience in dealing with situations they have been introduced to in their professional lessons.

Before you take a learner driver out on a private practice drive, decide on the skills that you want to focus on. These could be things that the learner wants to practise in order to gain more confidence, or areas that the instructor has said need improving.

Chequered Flag Tip*

  We recommend before taking your learner out, they should be reasonably confident using the clutch, changing gear and braking on their own, including the emergency stop

Route Planning

Planning a route and the time of day are extremely important. Make sure you are familiar with the route and know it like the back of your hand. Selecting inappropriate routes may lead to lots of arguments! Stay on quiet roads until the they have mastered the basics. Try to avoid traffic situations and roads that your learner may find difficult to cope with.

Do not start by going out during the rush hour! Start with short and less demanding drives – learners get tired and lose concentration easily. Take it from us after all we have the experience!

Remember your pupil has little experience of being in charge of a vehicle and will find it difficult to judge speeds, distances and varying traffic conditions. Your pupil may become embarrassed/discouraged by for example stalling and lose interest in the whole process. Many drivers you encounter will be unforgiving of a car displaying ‘L’ plates

Chequered Flag recommends that before going out on to the road your learner should be reasonably confident about using the clutch, changing gear and braking on their own!, including carrying out an emergency stop. 

Use each private lesson as a chance to improve on a specific skill or type of driving.

Your CF instructor will tell them what skills he or she needs to brush up on after each lesson, and you should concentrate on these skills.

 Remember you are not a passenger you are a “supervisor”. You must also remember that you have a legal responsibility for the safety of your driver, yourself and other road users.

Although your learner will probably have some idea of the parts of their driving they need to improve, encourage them to ask the instructor at the end of every lesson what they should practice before the next lesson.

Chequered Flag Tip!

Ask to sit in on some of the lessons, we at Chequered Flag are happy for you to do this. It will help you pick up how we structure professional lessons and how the Chequered Flag driving instructor helps your Learner and encourages them to develop their skills as a safer driver. It will also give you a good idea of the routes being used and traffic situations they encounter on them.

If you have any concerns about the driving techniques being taught by the instructor, discuss these with him or her rather than contradict them during practice drives.

If in doubt, speak to your Chequered Flag driving instructor who will be able to advise you when and where you should take a learner.

Giving Directions

Directions should be “Clear and given well in Advance”. Remember Learner drivers have to process everything; they don’t drive like people with experience..!

They treat it a bit like a shopping list – check mirrors, tick, slow down, tick, change gear, tick…etc

An example of the way to give an instruction to your pupil:

 “At the end of this road, turn left please”, Keep it simple and make it clear. “At the roundabout take the second exit off please”, Help them by when you are on the roundabout as you are coming up to the first exit by saying,

“This is the first exit and we are taking the second.” That is how your instructor and the driving test examiner will give instructions.

Chequered Flag can update your knowledge and skills and help you to understand the current Driving Test.

Chequered Flag Tip..!        DON’T change your mind at the last minute, your learner will fall apart and will more than likely stall.

Safe Attitudes and Behaviour

Be proactive about encouraging safe attitudes towards driving and other road users. Remember your pupil is not learning only to pass the test but to survive thereafter on the road. So” road rage” is out!

Encourage positive attitudes to speed limits. They exist to protect you and everyone else on the road including children, pedestrians and cyclists etc. Car drivers will be very conscious of traffic larger than themselves but must take particular care to notice traffic smaller than themselves

Stay calm and patient. Avoid  shouting –  even if you’re tempted to do so! Remember that it takes learners on average two seconds longer than experienced drivers to react to hazards. Don’t just criticise, give praise when it is due. Try to avoid contradicting the instructor’s advice.

If in doubt speak to your Chequered Flag instructor.

At Chequered Flag, learning to drive is a “team effort” Interaction between parents, sons, daughters or any other learner driver and your Chequered Flag instructor is vital.

 Feel free to talk to your driving instructor at the end of your learner’s lesson and ask them how it went. If you wish to sit in the backseat during a lesson with them, don’t be afraid to ask. (but be careful not to be a “backseat driver”!).

You never know, you may/might pick up some tips on what to cover with them and how to instruct them on your next time you venture out with them.

How to know if your lesson has gone well when you have taken them out?

The way to monitor your Learner’s lesson is going well is by how much the You are saying. If you are commenting very little, you know the lesson is going well because you are not having to remind your learner to do things such as change gear or slow down all the time

Remember the learning doesn’t stop when you get out of the car. Always discuss with your learner what happened during the practice afterwards. Review what happened during the drive and ask your learner what they think about the situations that arose, and how they dealt with them.

It is important to bring out the positives of the drive. If the Your learner did something well, then tell them and discuss why it was good. Don’t be afraid to give praise where it is due. If you encountered situations where Your learner had difficulty, discuss what they could have done to deal with it better, and what they would do next time in the same situation.

You may have spotted several hazards that the learner missed. If so, talk about them. However, if there are several faults to discuss, deal with the higher risk ones first and leave the others for later. This helps to keep the learner optimistic, rather than becoming discouraged.

 Chequered Flag Tip*

The “National Driving Standard for driving cars and light vans” describes the skills, knowledge and understanding needed to be a safe and responsible driver of a category B vehicle. It is available free at www.gov.uk/government/publications/car-and-small-van-driving-syllabus.

Good Luck and enjoy your practising!!