Driving Lessons - Is driving the car for 40 minutes normal

[dsfbrit]

I found what is considered to be a decent driving school in Naklua, opposite Numchai on the traffic lights. It is 3500 baht for 10 lesson of 1 hour each. I made sure before I booked the lessons, that the learner (a Thai) would drive the car for an hour. It seems though that the instructor drives for 10 minutes to an area where they do the actual teaching and then 10 minutes back. So the learner only drives for 40 minutes.

I suppose this is reasonable (is it?).

Is it just the case that the learner is not yet good enough to drive in Naklua and after a few lessons and becoming a better driver will be allowed to drive the full 1 hour starting from the driving school, or is it that this is just normal here in Thailand as the learner does not have 'L' Plates so has to be taken somewhere 'safe' for all the lessons?

Yes I know I can ask the driving school what is going on, but before I start moaning about it being a con etc... I thought it best to find out what happens elsewhere.

So any feedback would be appreciated.

[KittenKong]

It seems reasonable to me that the first few lessons should take place somewhere where there is no traffic. If the learner could drive there he surely would be allowed to, but obviously a real beginner could not. The time spent is the same so that's why it's included in the hour.

[robblok]

Seems real reasonable the car and the teacher work for an hour.

[properperson]

...my missus learnt to drive with them...

The price also includes them taking you to the driving centre for your test and borrowing their car...

Compared to what this would cost in the west - it's a steal...

[Rimmer]

Troll post removed

[DLang]

...my missus learnt to drive with them...

The price also includes them taking you to the driving centre for your test and borrowing their car...

Compared to what this would cost in the west - it's a steal...

Agreed.

2,800 baht here in BKK.

This includes them taking them to the local DoLT for their test at the end of the 10 hour course.

[DLang]

Personally, it's so cheap, I would do two of the 10 hour courses for a total of 20 hours, before them being unleashed into the Thai traffic.

[dsfbrit]

Kittenkong, robblok, Properperson, Dlang (and Rimmer for removing the troll post).

Thanks to all of you for the feedback. I had never read anywhere that an hour of lessons was only 40 minutes, so now I know it is the norm then fair enough. We intended to pay for another 10 (probably 20) hours anyway, but maybe next time we will take the package that has 2 hour (1 hour 40 minute) lessons instead.

Properperson, did your wife take the 1 hour or 2 hour lessons? Did she drive the car from the office in Naklua when she got to be a better driver, or always from the 'safe' area a 10 minute drive away ? I am just curious that's all as to what is your experience, as I have no knowledge at all (apart from some googling) of the driving lesson format over here.

This driving school also offers to provide a bike for a motorbike test as well, so it seems to be very flexible in its approach.

Thanks again for you help

[robblok]

I think its that the car and teacher are hired for an hour. Because of special circumstances the first few lessons are shorter. Seems normal for me. But i get your point too looking at it from a customers point of view.

[dsfbrit]

robblok, yes I suppose it seems normal to me really, I had just never read that to be the case and I read a lot of posts before I signed up to the lessons.

So as I understand it, it is legal (but sometimes a bad idea with new drivers) for a learner driver to drive on the road with a proper driving school instructor, but if I were to teach someone to drive then I would not be allowed on the road - I would have to find a large car park or somewhere similar?

I have no intention of teaching anyone to drive by the way.

[Asiantravel]

OP like you I also accompanied a Thai person as they did their driving lessons from scratch at a school and not once did it involve the learner driver using the car on the open road (although towards the end of the course there was a short bit of driving allowed on a quiet road).

Usually they went out to the sports stadium on Chaiyaphruek 2 Rd where there is a huge parking area and that’s where they go to practice manoeuvres like reversing and parking and the charges included the time taken to reach that facility.

Having watched the process from the beginning it’s not surprising to me that there are so many accidents because even when they sit the test they are never assessed on their ability to handle the vehicle on the open road or relative to such things as care and attention to other drivers, driving at speeds suitable to road conditions

Edited November 19, 2015 by Asiantravel

[properperson]

Kittenkong, robblok, Properperson, Dlang (and Rimmer for removing the troll post).

Thanks to all of you for the feedback. I had never read anywhere that an hour of lessons was only 40 minutes, so now I know it is the norm then fair enough. We intended to pay for another 10 (probably 20) hours anyway, but maybe next time we will take the package that has 2 hour (1 hour 40 minute) lessons instead.

Properperson, did your wife take the 1 hour or 2 hour lessons? Did she drive the car from the office in Naklua when she got to be a better driver, or always from the 'safe' area a 10 minute drive away ? I am just curious that's all as to what is your experience, as I have no knowledge at all (apart from some googling) of the driving lesson format over here.

This driving school also offers to provide a bike for a motorbike test as well, so it seems to be very flexible in its approach.

Thanks again for you help

She had the "2 hour per day" lessons.....

From the shop in Naklua, they took her by car to a place over the Sukomvit to some private land, where they started teaching her......once her skills improved she went onto "quiet" public roads in the area, but she never drove from the Naklua shop - the instructor did that.....

On the day of her test, she and 3 other pupils were driven from the shop to the test centre, where they took it in turns to drive the driving school round the test centre....

She also took her motorbike test the same day, so came out with 2 driving licences...

Hope this helps....

[topt]

OP like you I also accompanied a Thai person as they did their driving lessons from scratch at a school and not once did it involve the learner driver using the car on the open road (although towards the end of the course there was a short bit of driving allowed on a quiet road).

Usually they went out to the sports stadium on Chaiyaphruek 2 Rd where there is a huge parking area and that’s where they go to practice manoeuvres like reversing and parking and the charges included the time taken to reach that facility.

Having watched the process from the beginning it’s not surprising to me that there are so many accidents because even when they sit the test they are never assessed on their ability to handle the vehicle on the open road or relative to such things as care and attention to other drivers, driving at speeds suitable to road conditions

Yes that is where my gf was taken - she used the school based on Pattaya Klang.

A couple of times the instructor allowed her to drive back along Sukhumvit but never from the office.

As AT notes above it appears that the driving schools teach the pupils to pass the test and as the test does not include any on-road driving unfortunately a lot does not get taught.

[thailand49]

I know the school you are using.. the owners are my next door neighbors. They rent a number of dirt lots in the Nongprue area and basically the lot is set up exact like the test course.They drive around my neighborhood making right and left turns the lesson barely touch on actual driving because they do not carry insurance for their vehicles. This is why so many Thais drive the way they drive! The paper test questions do not apply on the road since many of the rules or laws aren't explained to the student. They drive around in circles, learn how to stop and go, back up and park basically to make sure they pass the test. They have them drive around the If she is a real bad driver the day of the test the instructed will ask you for a tip to make sure she passes?

Edited November 19, 2015 by thailand49

[dsfbrit]

Topt and AsianTravel - That parking area looks very good for learning to drive - but like you say, that hardly prepares them for driving on the road does it. I am planning to hire a car with full insurance as soon as she passes the test and then get her to drive the family to Hua Hin. That way she can begin to get her road sense in a car that is not owned by us!

Properperson - that is what we are planning to do. Two licenses in one day. She has a 2 hour lesson this Saturday and has told me she can drive the car from the office if she wants to. I think she is getting it all wrong, so I am going down there as well and will see just what does go on.

Edited November 19, 2015 by dsfbrit

[wombat]

if you where a driving instructor would you turn a novice loose in pattaya traffic first time out ?

the instructor has to get some where safe to make an assessment ........all sounds normal to me but then what do i know ?

[dsfbrit]

Thailan49, thanks for the information. She said she went to Nongprue. I will pop up there and have a look around just out of interest. I think we will pay for 20-30 hours of lessons and then see if she passes without any 'tip'. If she fails then I will think what to do next. I am going that way tomorrow, could you tell me roughly where you are please.

[ripstanley]

All driving schools are the same. They teach or try to teach you how to pass the local driving test. They do not teach you how to drive a car correctly in traffic.

Edited November 19, 2015 by ripstanley

[dsfbrit]

wombat, well that's what we do in the UK. Well we did when I had my driving lessons all those years ago (1972). It may all have changed now. I lived in London, so it was not some country village.

The driving instructor came to my house, I got in the driving seat - he told me about the controls - mirror/signal/manoeuvre and we were off into the traffic.

My road was pretty quiet, but when we joined the main road there was a lot of traffic. I recall gripping the steering wheel too tightly, crunching a gear (not an automatic which they all seem to learn on nowadays), forgetting to look in the mirror enough and arriving back home and stalling the car when I forgot to put it in neutral when I stopped. I didn't hit anything.

Where the office is in Naklua, there is not much traffic at 2pm and I could certainly have handled it on my first driving lesson. In the UK though the vehicles are fully insured and we have an L plate on the vehicle so other vehicles know to avoid us.

Edited November 19, 2015 by dsfbrit

[dsfbrit]

ripstanley, I guess that will have to do then. Like I say, I intend hiring a car with lots of insurance after she passes the test and she will pick it all up as she goes along like the rest of them over here. A trip down to Hua Hin should help her hone her skills I hope!

[CarolJadzia]

Lowest common denominator!

The driving standards of any country tend to be based on the standards of test. It is human nature than when someone passes their Driving or Riding test then they consider themselves a good driver.

In the UK about 80% of people have not taken any post test training for example. Then market forces cause competition between the the driving and riding schools so the training gets stripped to the bare minimum required to pass the test. Thailand is a little different in that it does not have the same competition but it also does not have the same driving standards.

So with Thailand's test requirements being so poor the standards of Instruction will only match the test.

What this has caused in Thailand is many drivers have never been taught to deal with a huge variety of different road situations, when they then face the situations they use what they already know - so they apply pedestrian rules.

[ripstanley]

ripstanley, I guess that will have to do then. Like I say, I intend hiring a car with lots of insurance after she passes the test and she will pick it all up as she goes along like the rest of them over here. A trip down to Hua Hin should help her hone her skills I hope!

Good luck

[thailand49]

Thailan49, thanks for the information. She said she went to Nongprue. I will pop up there and have a look around just out of interest. I think we will pay for 20-30 hours of lessons and then see if she passes without any 'tip'. If she fails then I will think what to do next. I am going that way tomorrow, could you tell me roughly where you are please.

Unless you know the Darkside coming from Naklua you will mostly get lost. The school as you know is called Pattaya Klang or something like that. If you come from Sukhumvit into Soi Siam Country club make a left turn into Siam C.C., then just continue down this road pass the railroad tracks.. in terms of miles it is a long ways down. As you continue down you will see one of the food chains called KISS, it is just after the Kings Arch. continue pass the outdoor Wanasin Market on the right. Continue pass the Electrical station on the left until you get to Soi 13, at Soi 13, there is a 7/11 on the left across from the store is a large outdoor market lot.

Make a left go down the road pass the Montara homes and Permsum Homes, around the curve pass the new constructions of homes on the left.. continue and continue around another curve until you get to a cross road (BE CAREFUL NO ONE AT THIS INTERSECTION HAS ANY IDEA WHO HAS THE RIGHT AWAY) LOOK TO YOUR RIGHT THERE ARE THE TWO LOTS CURRENTLY BEING USED?

You might also think about going to the Department of License around 3 pm, with your Wife/GFE the testing course is closed and she can get a good look at it. You can also good during testing hours to see actually what is going on!

My son just got his license I taught him myself just like I taught him how to ride a motorbike. I also took him up to the Chaiyaprek the Indoor stadium. I use to have a lience to teach commercial driving and was endorsed by the DMV, in the States to test. Teacht her yourself how to use both mirrors and how to properly make left and right turns. How to merge into traffic. I took my son to the Home Pro parking lot on Sukhumvit down below and had him make figure eights around the cement poles forward and backwards.

Most of all teach her to get the BIG PICTURE when driving. Good luck

[thailand49]

Thailan49, thanks for the information. She said she went to Nongprue. I will pop up there and have a look around just out of interest. I think we will pay for 20-30 hours of lessons and then see if she passes without any 'tip'. If she fails then I will think what to do next. I am going that way tomorrow, could you tell me roughly where you are please.

Unless you know the Darkside coming from Naklua you will mostly get lost. The school as you know is called Pattaya Klang or something like that. If you come from Sukhumvit into Soi Siam Country club make a left turn into Siam C.C., then just continue down this road pass the railroad tracks.. in terms of miles it is a long ways down. As you continue down you will see one of the food chains called KISS, it is just after the Kings Arch. continue pass the outdoor Wanasin Market on the right. Continue pass the Electrical station on the left until you get to Soi 13, at Soi 13, there is a 7/11 on the left across from the store is a large outdoor market lot.

Make a left go down the road pass the Montara homes and Permsum Homes, around the curve pass the new constructions of homes on the left.. continue and continue around another curve until you get to a cross road (BE CAREFUL NO ONE AT THIS INTERSECTION HAS ANY IDEA WHO HAS THE RIGHT AWAY) LOOK TO YOUR RIGHT THERE ARE THE TWO LOTS CURRENTLY BEING USED?

You might also think about going to the Department of License around 3 pm, with your Wife/GFE the testing course is closed and she can get a good look at it. You can also good during testing hours to see actually what is going on!

My son just got his license I taught him myself just like I taught him how to ride a motorbike. I also took him up to the Chaiyaprek the Indoor stadium. I use to have a lience to teach commercial driving and was endorsed by the DMV, in the States to test. Teacht her yourself how to use both mirrors and how to properly make left and right turns. How to merge into traffic. I took my son to the Home Pro parking lot on Sukhumvit down below and had him make figure eights around the cement poles forward and backwards.

Most of all teach her to get the BIG PICTURE when driving. Good luck

[bazza40]

Including the teacher's time of travel is stretching it a bit. Although with the quality of Thai driving instruction I've observed, it probably doesn't matter anyway.

Thai instruction is aimed at passing the test. It doesn't teach stuff like anticipation of, and reaction to, threats ahead or behind. IMHO, one of the reasons for Thailand's number 2 ranking behind Libya as the world's most dangerous place to drive is Thai driving instructors.

[1FinickyOne]

I think 40 minutes is fine - it can be stressful for a first time driver… My wife recently got her license. we are upcountry with far less traffic and still the lessons had her driving about 30-40 minutes. It was enough. Of course it was much cheaper here, but near everything else is too…

She liked one of the instructors, the other not as much so. I think he did not let her drive as much. The lady teacher was best but advised her not to read the manual for the written test - too serious. Just go in and relax. That didn't work so well, but all 's well that ends well. And she has her license now for a few months and is careful and doing great.

[sead]

The driving lessons in Sweden are 40-45min.

[onemorechang]

The driving lessons in Sweden are 40-45min.

Ha Ha

Whats that got to do with Pattaya.

[sead]

The driving lessons in Sweden are 40-45min.

Ha Ha

Whats that got to do with Pattaya.

He did ask if its normal. Well yes its quite common the lessons are 40min in many countries. but you pay for 1h.

[rocketboybkk]

Usually the lesson is an hour, as stated the instructor usually drives a little in the first few sessions until the learner is confident to drive in traffic

You could avoid any lessons buy learning to drive up country & taking the test there - I.e pay the tester a 'bung'

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