Is it possible to become a better driver by doing an online course?

Driving requires two sets of skills: theory and practical. The theory component comprises road rules from the Highway Code (i.e. things you must or must not do) and guidelines (i.e. things it is best to do or not to do). This is backed up by our licence process which makes us take both a theory and practical test. Is it possible to learn new driving skills just by reading about them or watching videos?

Learning the theory of driving is the same as learning the theory of cooking. In fact, the oldest recipe books in the world are from 1750BC, so this is nothing new. The concept of a recipe is the same: you read about the recipe, follow the instructions and examples and then you apply that knowledge in a practical sense.

With the exception of those who prefer to learn solely by trial and error, the advent of video-based learning has made it much easier to learn any type of skill. Watching drivers perform a particular manoeuvre while explaining what they are doing is much better than reading about it. It also removes the potential for damage when you adopt a trial-and-error approach

Reducing the chance of having an accident and damaging your car

The best type of learning is to have a short lesson on a specific concept so you can focus just on that concept in a practical sense. The course Parking, Reversing and Low-speed Driving Made Easy takes students through a set of learning outcomes which increase in complexity with each module. They are all designed to eliminate annoying minor scrapes and dents that you get when manoeuvring at a low speed.

The key to transferring knowledge from a theoretical setting to a practical driving setting is your ability to remember and act upon the information. This course explains the basics of manoeuvring and parking through to complex scenarios on busy streets where you have to reverse into a driveway across a cycle lane where there are deep gutters, poles and a narrowing driveway with foliage on one side.

Dents and dings reduce the value of your vehicle and make it look terrible. But, it can cost several hundred pounds to get them fixed. Learning how to manoeuvre and park properly will reduce the risk of this and, at around 15 quid or less, it’s going to pay for itself over and over again.