How stressful is learning to drive?

Learning to drive can be both expensive and stressful. Expensive and stressful for parents mostly, as they have to foot the bill for their kids learning to drive more often than not and usually have to let them out in their car for some “practice”.

1985-1989_Volvo_740_GL_sedan_(2011-01-12)Although my driving instructor has a Nissan Micra, I was taken out a few times by my dad in the tank. Although not technically a tank, inasmuch as it didn’t have a gun and wasn’t a track laying vehicle, the Volvo 740 he took me out in was built like one. It was the most solid car I’ve ever been in- totally sound proof and huge (well, at the time, think Nissan Micra for comparison), and that’s entirely why I was still doing 85MPH when I reached the top of the A10 slip road for Hoddesdon. Thank goodness nothing was coming round the roundabout when I hurtled on to it that day in 1992!!! Poor old dad was too shocked to have a go at me, he just quietly told me to keep an eye on the speedo in future, and if I had to do an emergency stop, to try and do it in a straight line.

Stressful? Indeedy!

Drawing upon the expertise of Sandra Dodson, from Sky’s Driving School of Mum and Dad, carfused.com monitored the heart rate of a 17-year-old learner as she was taken out to practice driving with her father and then Sandra (who also is former deputy chief driving examiner at DSA, Driving Standards Agency). Evidently, the stress levels monitored were higher with Dad in the passenger seat – shouting and grabbing the wheel!

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