Popular Driving Lessons Areas:

FInd a list of areas where Eastern Suburbs Driving School specialise in below:

Albert-Park | Armadale | Ashburton | Balwyn | Bayswater | Belgrave | Bentleigh | Berwick | Blackburn | Boronia | Box Hill | Brighton | Bulleen | Burnley | Burwood | Camberwell | Canterbury | Carnegie | Caulfield | Chadstone | Cheltenham | Clayton | Collingwood | Cranbourne | Croydon | Doncaster | Donvale | Emerald | Ferntree Gully | Fitzroy | Forest-Hill | Glen Waverley | Glen-Iris | Hawthorn | Healesville | Heidelberg | Kallista | Kalorama | Kew | Keysborough | Kilsyth | Knox | Kooyong | Lilydale | Lysterfield | Malvern | Melbourne | Menzies-Creek | Middle-Park | Mitcham | Monbulk | Mont Albert | Montrose | Mooroolbark | Mount Waverley | Mt-Evelyn | Mulgrave | Nunawading | Oakleigh | Olinda | Park-Orchards | Prahran | Richmond | Ringwood | Rowville | Sassa Fras | Scoresby | Selby | Silvan | South Yarra | St-Kilda | Surrey Hills | Tecoma | Templestowe | Toorak | Tremont | Vermont | Victoria | Wantirna | Warrandyte | Wheelers Hill | Windsor | Wonga-Park | Yarra Ranges | Yarra-Valley | Australia

VicRoads creates its tests to ensure that drivers have the right combination of skills for safe driving. These represent the final challenge for most learner drivers, a kind of gateway before the world of solo driving is at last opened up for them. The result of these tests are a Probationary license, which now exists in a graduated system of red and green plates. Driving tests consist of two main parts, the Hazard Perception Test and the Drive Test.

It’s usually recommended by VicRoads that the two tests be completed on separate days. This is is done because, if the Hazard Perception Test is failed, you won’t have to relinquish your booking for the drive test immediately afterwards - a costly mistake to make. The Hazard Perception Test is a video-based test that takes place at a selected VicRoads office. A image appears on screen, and the potential licensee must indicate using a mouse when a hazard (such as a cyclist or passing traffic) arises or clears. With adequate preparation, the Hazard Test can be easily surmounted by most young drivers, placing the learner in a good position for the drive test.

The Drive Test is what most people think of when they consider going for their Probationary license. This involves an on-road test where a VicRoads assessor conducts a series of exercises designed to test driver’s abilities in actual traffic. This is often the most daunting and challenging part of the licensing ordeal. Of course, like the Hazard Perception test, it can be managed with prior preparation. Driving lessons are useful in their capacity for preparing young drivers for the test. The instructors at ESDS know exactly what skills are necessary for passing. That’s why it’s a great idea to book a lesson with us before your next drive test.

Remember, once you get you P-Plates, don’t forget to display them prominently on your vehicle. The tests are the first steps towards the world of independent driving.

It’s a fact that teenagers love independence. The thrill of breaking out into the world is universally appealing; going places, meeting people and building a life outside of school and home. Teens on the verge of adulthood, often around eighteen, are generally just finishing their studies and beginning to understand how the world works. There are just as many risks, of course, as there are assured benefits for these young men and women. Getting one’s first car is one of those great moments in any person’s life - not just as a practical means of transportation, but also as a symbol of freedom and independence. Once a teenager gets their P-plates, a brand new world is essentially opened up to them. They’re no longer relegated to the complicated realm of public transport or forced to bum rides off their parents, guardians or peers.

With such freedom, though, comes a considerable degree of responsibility. It’s a tragic fact of life that road fatalities are highest amongst drivers in their early twenties. This is often the result of inadequate road education. Learning road skills isn’t just about memorising the ‘highway code’ of road rules. It’s also about avoiding reckless behaviour, developing courtesy for other drivers and ultimately responsible driving. The best way to ingrain this kind of safe, rational driving attitude is through professional driving lessons, with a qualified instructor. At ESDS, for example, we teach skills that will stick with drivers for many years to come, ensuring safety on the road and sound behaviour. Explore our website for more.

Our drive school is a local business that services all of Melbourne. We cater to learner drivers in all the eastern and outer eastern suburbs, so you know that you’re getting quality, localised service. We also service the major VicRoads testing stations, both inner and outer eastern metropolitan area. Pick-up and drop-off in included in our rates for convenience. Our instructors will travel to provide lessons for our students, ensuring a minimum of fuss for parents of young drivers and older learners alike.

Our considerable experience has lead our students to have an exceptionally high pass rate. We pride ourselves on this fact so much, that we offer a First-Time Pass guarantee for all of our learners. If they happen to fail their first drive test, we will cover the cost of a re-test with no charge to the student. We’re confidence that our tutelage is second to none, and this guarantee is our mark of assurance that you will receive the best of service. Check out the terms and conditions, and rest in confidence with ESDS.

We have a selection of special offers available for those who wish to book a series of lessons. These are a great way to start off the learning process, arranging for a progression of lessons that teach you new skills as you develop. If you are a parent of a young driver, these special deals provide excellent value for money as well as high quality of service.

Our promotional package deals can be found elsewhere on our website . Simply by browsing these pages, you are eligible for one of our package discounts. For example, if you buy five driving lessons, you can get one free. This represents a saving of $55. Or, book a series of  ten lessons, and you can save an incredible $110. ESDS provides some of the best value for new drivers, as well as those needing to consolidate their skills for the final test. Peruse our special packages page, and quote one of the codes when booking your next group of lessons. It’s great value, and a convenient way to get quality instruction.

Some learner drivers tend to rely on a parent or guardian to provide them with driving knowledge. It’s easy to see why; many older drivers have considerable experience on the roads, often in a wide range of conditions, and are familiar to the learner. Unfortunately, the scope of focus of parent ‘instructors’ is generally limited, and this can take a regrettable toll on the eventual skills of the learner. While driving with a parent can be a great way to get the raw hours of driving experience and culture a sense of independence and confidence, it’s virtually essential that professional instruction is available for the young driver. This will allow them to develop proper skills consistent with the demands of the VicRoads assessors and the regimen of safe driving.

Driving lessons focus on developing crucial skills within pupils. Many supervising drivers, despite their often sound experience, all too often lack an extensive knowledge of the road rules and situations outside of their routine driving patterns. Instructors are trained to educate young drivers on all essential facets of driving, ensuring that there are no holes in their knowledge base. This is one of the reasons behind our very high pass rate. Surprises may often come up in the drive test that can throw inexperienced young drivers, and at worst cause them to fail their drive test. Taking lessons greatly improves their chances of succeeding and remaining responsible drivers.

Whether at the beginning of the learning process or the final stretch before the final tests, driving lessons are excellent ways of consolidating driving ability or establishing a firm, reliable and secure skill base for aspiring motorists. Book a lesson today, and ensure that your skills are honed for the world of driving.

The two second rule is about the following distance behind the vehicle in front.

The following distance is the space or gap between you and the vehicle in front.

You must keep your vehicle a safe distance from any vehicle in front of you. A safe distance should be enough to allow time to slow down and avoid trouble.

You should be at least two seconds behind the vehicle in front. You can check this by a simple test:

>> Focus on a marker in the distance such as a signpost or tree and note when the vehicle in front passes the marker, then count the number of seconds before your vehicle passes the same marker. Ask your supervising driver to also do this and compare your results.

If your count is not at least two seconds then you are to close.

At least two seconds of time and the distance this represents under ideal driving conditions are necessary to give you time to react to any changes which may happen.

Often, you may need more than two seconds,

This includes:

>> when visibility is poor

>> if conditions are dark

>> if conditions are wet or slippery

>> when you have a heavy load

>> when the road is unmade

You need to develop your judgement skills about what distance at different speeds represents two seconds. This skill will only come with lots of supervised driving experience.

But remember , under any conditions that are less than ideal, a longer gap is recommrnded.

Souce:  The Road to Solo Driving

Drivers of all ages are involved in crashes. However, young drivers have more crashes than others and are more likely to be involved in the same types of crashes.

Two important things that can help reduce the involvement of young people in road crashes are:

1  Having plenty of driving practice during the learner period.

2  Slowing down to provide plenty of space and time to be able to react to the unexpected.

Common errors made by learner drivers are often as a result of:

>> Not scanning the environment well.

>> Misjudging the speed of other vehicles, particularly oncoming cars.

>> Travelling too close to other vehicles.

>> Travelling too fast, both for the road conditions and for their level of experience.

>> Being overconfident in their ability.

>> Speeding.

>> Inattentiveness or fatigue.

The three most common crash types for young drivers involve:

A  Both turning and driving straight ahead at intersections.

B  Rear end crashes.

C  Veering off the road to the left.

A. Both turning and driving straight ahead at intersections

Why do young people become involved in this type of crash ?

>> Poor or insufficient scanning of the driving environment.

>> Not judging the gap in the traffic well.

>> Overconfidence in driving ability.

>> Speeding.

>> Reliance on other drivers to avoid a crash.

B. Rear end crashes

Why do young people become involved in this type of crash ?

Driver at rear :

>>  Speeding.

>>  Not enough space left between vehicles.

>>  Relying on other drivers to avoid a crash.

>>  Driver distraction.

>>  Misjudging the required stopping distance.

Driver in front: 

>>  Driver distracted.

>>  Not doing enough or any mirror or head checks.

>>  Indicating intentions late or not at all.

>>  Misjudging stopping distance, and late braking.

C.    Veering off the road to the left.

Why do young people become involved in this type of crash?

>>  Speeding.

>>  Lack of steering control.

>>  Distraction from the driving Task.

>>  Fatigue.

Source:   ATSB   Key Facts for New Drivers

Imagine you are in a 60 Km/h zone

In which of the following situations would you slow down ?

When travelling near or through a shopping centre

When near a school zone just before school begins or after school ends

When there is more traffic than usual

When it is raining heavily

When it is raining lightly

When the sun blinds you for a moment

When there are road works

When the area you are driving in is unfamiliar to you

The answer is in every one of the situations listed above

Speed limit signs indicate Maximum speeds allowable

In every State and Territory of Australia you must adjust your travelling speed below the posted limit if the driving conditions mean that the maximum speed is unsafe.

It is not enough to be within the law: you need to be in control and able to cope with the unexpected.

Being legally in the right is not much comfort once:

* your car is off the road damaged, or

* you or someone else is injured or dead.

Source   Key Facts For New Drivers

120 HOURS: IS THE MESSAGE GETTING THROUGH?
LEARNER DRIVERS AND DRIVING PRACTICE
Probationary drivers are over-represented in crashes, particularly in their first year of solo
driving. Studies have shown that a minimum of 120 hours supervised driving practice as
a learner is associated with reduced risk of crashing in the first year of solo driving.
VicRoads, TAC and other bodies have implemented programs to encourage and facilitate
the accumulation of 120 hours of supervised driving practice. Beginning in 1999,
VicRoads and TAC commissioned a series of surveys to evaluate the success of these
programs. Each survey samples a cross-section of learner and newly licensed drivers at
different stages of the learner permit period. Responses are used to estimate learner
drivers’ hours of supervised driving practice and professional lessons. The results of the
2004 survey stated that estimated total of hours of supervised driving has risen
substantially since the first survey, and this paper demonstrates where the increases
have occurred as well as charting the variety of driving experience accumulated.
Respondents’ exposure to and perceived helpfulness of the programs is assessed.
Hindrances to practice, attitudes towards supervised practice, and respondents’ thoughts
on what would encourage more practice are also reported.
Introduction
Probationary drivers are over-represented in crashes, particularly in their first year of solo
driving (VicRoads 2006). For more than three decades, the problem of inexperience has been
recognised as a primary contributing factor to crash involvement for novice drivers (see for
example: Pelz & Schuman 1971, Spolander 1983, Levy 1990, Drummond et al. 1993, Cavallo &
Triggs 1996 [cited in Gregersen 2000]).
Studies have shown that a minimum of 120 hours supervised driving practice as a learner is
associated with a 30% reduction in risk of crashing in the first two years of solo driving
(Gregersen 2000). VicRoads, TAC and RACV have implemented programs to encourage and
facilitate the accumulation of 120 hours of supervised driving practice. These include:
• VicRoads’ Keys Please seminars
• VicRoads’ Getting There: from Ls to Ps booklet
• VicRoads’ L Site website
• VicRoads’ Learners Log webpage
• TAC HELP Information Pack
• TAC Drive Smart CD ROM
• RACV Parent Plus driving school program.
TAC has also implemented advertising campaigns on television, radio, print media and roadside
billboards emphasising the importance of 120 hours of supervised practice.
Commencing in 1999, VicRoads and TAC commissioned a series of surveys to evaluate how
successful these programs have been in increasing the number of hours that learner drivers
spend in supervised driving practice. The surveys were conducted in 1999, 2000, 2004 and
2005. ARRB has published reports for the surveys conducted up to 2004 (see Catchpole &
Stephenson 2001, Catchpole & Coutts 2002, Catchpole & Pyta 2005). This paper reports on the
changes in the number of hours of supervised practice accumulated by learner drivers observed
in the 2004 survey. Respondents’ exposure to and perceived helpfulness of the programs are
assessed. Hindrances to practice, attitudes towards supervised practice, and respondents’
thoughts on what would encourage more practice are also reported.
Method
Sample
The sample consisted of 1322 learner permit holders and 209 newly licensed drivers. The
sample of current learner permit holders was stratified by length of time holding the learner
permit. Both the samples of current learner permit holders and newly licensed drivers were
stratified by region, sex and age when the learner permit was acquired.
There are naturally fewer learners living outside of Melbourne and fewer learners in the first two
stages of the learner permit period. To obtain reliable estimates of driving experience for these
groups, they were deliberately over-sampled. The survey response data was weighted prior to
analysis to account for this over-sampling and to ensure the results were representative of all
Victorian learner permit holders.
Design
The study is cross-sectional as it samples at one point in time a cross-section of learner drivers
during four ‘stages’ of the learner permit period. The stages are defined as:
Stage 1: 1-91 days after obtaining a learner permit (first 3 months)
Stage 2: 92-212 days after obtaining a learner permit (4th to 7th months)
Stage 3: 213-1461 days after obtaining a learner permit (balance of the first 4 years)
Final stage: last 28 days before acquiring a probationary licence.
Survey Procedure
Roy Morgan Research recruited and interviewed respondents for the surveys. VicRoads
supplied Roy Morgan with quotas based on the desired stratified sample and the name and
address of 16,496 current learner permit holders and 2782 newly licensed drivers. The surveys
were conducted using Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing.
Analysis procedure
The average amount of driving experience accumulated by drivers over the whole learner permit
period was calculated by:
1. Identifying people in stages 1 to 3 who might actually be in the final stage of the learner
permit period and then multiplying their weighting factor by 0.4081 to reduce their
influence (because these people spend more time practising per week).
2. Multiplying the average amount of driving per week during each stage by the average
amount of time spent in that stage to give an estimate of the amount of driving experience
accumulated in each stage.
3. Negating the bias which is present for stage 3 (people who spend less time in stage 3
also tend to do more driving per week in stage 3) by multiplying the estimated amount of
experience by a correction factor of 0.8982.
1 This weight was also calculated from data in the 1999 survey when the date of licence acquisition was available.
4. Adding together the estimates of the amount of driving experience accumulated in each
stage to give an estimate of the total accumulated hours of driving experience over the
whole learner permit period.
Results
Time holding a learner permit
The average time holding a learner permit was 82.7 weeks in 1999 and 83.9 weeks in 2000. In
2004, learner drivers held their learners permit for an average of 86.3 weeks before graduating
to a probationary licence.
Professional driving lessons
Time spent in professional driving lessons is generally low in the first three stages. Most
learners in this group reported not having had a lesson in the last four weeks, and the average
time spent in lessons for this group (including learners who had no lessons) was 4 to 7 minutes
per week. The average increases to 58 minutes per week in the last four weeks before they
attempt their licence test. On average:
• the total time spent in professional lessons over the whole learner permit period was 10.4
hours, a drop of 5% since the 2000 survey
• females spent more time in professional lessons than males
• learners from Melbourne spent more time in professional lessons than learners from the
rest of Victoria.
The latter two figures did not differ significantly between the 2000 and 2004 surveys.
Supervised driving practice
Time spent in supervised practice averaged 52 to 64 minutes per week in the first three stages,
increasing to 160 minutes per week in the final stage. In addition, 83-90% of learners reported
having undertaken supervised practice in the last week. On average:
• the total time spent in supervised practice over the whole learner permit period was 83.6
hours, an increase of 11% from the 2000 survey
• males spent more time in supervised practice per week than females in the first three
stages
• learners from Melbourne spent less time in supervised practice during the first three
stages but more time than country Victorians in the final stage.
Total driving experience
The total supervised driving experience over the whole learner permit period (comprising
professional lessons and supervised driving practice) averaged 94.1 hours, an increase of 9.5%
since 2000. On average, total driving time was:
• lower for females (82.7 hours) than for males (106.2 hours)
• lower for Melbourne learners (90.1 hours) than for residents of provincial centres (96.8
hours) and the rest of Victoria (112.0 hours)
• substantially higher for learners who acquired their permit at age 16 (124.8 hours) versus
at age 17 (71.0 hours) versus at age 18 to 20 (57.5 hours).
2 This correction factor was calculated for the 1999 survey when VicRoads was able to supply information about the
date of licence acquisition. From 2000 onwards, VicRoads was unable to supply this information, and so the correction
factor calculated in 1999 has been applied to subsequent years’ data.
Proportionately, experience was gained through 11% professional lessons and 89% supervised
practice. The proportion of experience gained through professional lessons was higher for:
• females than males
• learners from Melbourne than learners from the rest of Victoria
• learners who acquired their permit at age 17 or 18 to 20 years than those who acquired
the permit at 16.
Variety of driving conditions experienced
Compared with the 2000 survey, the variety of driving conditions that learner drivers were
exposed to increased by a statistically significant 25% in stage 3 (although the changes in the
other stages were smaller and not significant). Country Victorians generally gained greater
variety of experience than Melbourne learners and male learners generally gained greater
variety of experience than female learners in the first three stages.
Recognising the importance of supervised experience
When asked how many hours of experience they believed a learner needs to accumulate before
attempting the probationary licence test, 33-45% answered in the 101-150 hour range. Around
half of all learners reported that they kept a record of their driving practice, and there were
significant increases since 2000 in the number of learners keeping record of their driving
practice across three of the four stages.
Programs to increase learner driver experience
The programs are listed in order of greatest audience exposure:
• VicRoads’ Getting There: from Ls to Ps booklet
– information for supervising drivers and learners regarding safely and effectively
managing the process of learning to drive
– 73-81% of respondents received the booklet
– considered helpful by 59-70% of those who received it, but 15-20% said they had not
read it
• TAC HELP Information Pack
– information for supervising drivers and learners regarding safely and effectively
managing the process of learning to drive
– 45-67% of respondents had received the pack
– 42-64% of those found it helpful
• VicRoads’ Keys Please seminars
– dissemination of information to supervising drivers and learners regarding safely and
effectively managing the process of learning to drive
– 24% of respondents had attended by stage 3
– considered helpful by 87-100% of those who attended
• VicRoads’ L Site website
– interactive quizzes prompting learners to think about how their driving is progressing
and practical advice about how to improve their driving
– 11-25% of respondents had visited the website
– 71-83% of those who visited the site found it helpful
• TAC Drive Smart CD ROM
– interactive driving scenarios and quizzes designed to help learners make safe
judgements and improve real-world driving skill
– 9-25% % of respondents had used the CD ROM program
– 66-81% of those found it helpful
• TAC Learners Log webpage
– interactive website allowing learners to keep record of the hours and variety of
supervised practice they do
– 1-5% of respondents had visited the website
– 72-87% of those who visited the site found it helpful
• RACV Parent Plus driving school program
– a learner who has professional lessons with RACV DriveSchool can receive one lesson
free of charge if they bring a parent along for their lesson
– 0-3% of learners had taken part in the program.
Hindrances to practice
Most respondents (68%) reported that there was nothing limiting their involvement in
professional lessons, although a moderate proportion reported that lessons were too expensive
(10%) or that they didn’t have time for lessons (13%).
Similarly, most respondents (67%) reported that there was nothing limiting their involvement in
supervised practice; although a moderate number stated that they were too busy (18%).
Respondents who were living with at least one parent were much more likely to obtain the
learner permit at age 16, to report that their usual supervisor is a parent and to have two or
more cars and two or more supervisors available for practice. They also averaged more hours
practising per week, and were less likely to report hindrances to practice.
Attitudes towards supervised practice
When asked what would reduce the number of probationary driver crashes, 21-34% of
respondents recognised more driving practice as learners as an important protective factor.
Encouraging more supervised practice
When asked what would encourage learners to do more supervised practice, one third were
unable to answer, and the most popular responses were to allow more time and more access to
a car.
Discussion
There were some encouraging trends revealed in the 2004 survey. A moderate increase in
hours of driving experience prior to attempting the probationary licence test was observed. This
increase was the result of increases in the average time for which the learner permit is held and
increases in the average time spent practising per week in stage three. The variety of driving
conditions experienced also increased significantly.
Exposure to the programs intended to encourage and facilitate new drivers to accumulate their
120 hours of supervised driving practice was good. Most respondents were aware of at least
one of the programs, and most found them useful. Although these results are encouraging,
causation cannot be definitively attributed to them, as we cannot control for other potential
influencing factors.
There are some methodological issues to allow for when considering these results. Firstly, the
sampling method was changed in 2004 to be stratified on the respondent’s age when they
obtained their learners permit, where previously it had been stratified on the respondent’s age at
the time of the survey. This change occurred because results from the 1999 and 2000 surveys
revealed that the total driving experience accumulated by learner permit holders is closely
related to their age at the time of obtaining the learners permit.
Some systematic sampling bias may also have occurred due to potential respondents not being
available when the interviewers attempted to call. This rate was higher for newly licensed
drivers than learners. In future surveys, a higher call back rate will be stipulated for newly
licensed drivers.
This survey used a cross-sectional method to estimate total driving experience over the whole
learner permit period. Another method is simply to ask newly licensed drivers to estimate their
total driving experience. When these two methods were compared, the results showed that the
latter method tended to overestimate total driving experience by about 39% when compared
with the cross-sectional method. Therefore, simply asking newly licensed drivers to recall their
total practice is not a reliable method of gauging the total supervised driving experience
accumulated. It is possible that this over-estimate is influenced by a desire on the part of newly
licensed drivers to meet the ideal 120 hours of practice which is prominent in TAC advertising.
Importantly, the surveys reveal potential target audiences who would benefit most from
increased attention in future programs. These include:
• learners who do not get the learner permit until age 17 or older
• learners not living with a parent
• females
• learners living in Melbourne.
References
Catchpole, J and Coutts, M 2002, Continued monitoring of driving experience among learner
drivers: 1999-2000, Research Report ARR 357, ARRB Transport Research, Vermont South Vic.
Catchpole, J and Pyta, V 2004, Learner driver experience monitoring 2004, Research Report
365, ARRB Group, Vermont South Vic.
Catchpole, J and Stephenson, W 2001, Monitoring driving experience among learner drivers,
Research Report ARR 355, ARRB Transport Research, Vermont South, Vic.
Gregersen, NP 2000, ‘Sixteen years age limit for learner drivers in Sweden – an evaluation of
safety effects’, Accident Analysis & Prevention 32(1) pp.25-35.
VicRoads 2006, Young Driver Safety and Graduated Licensing Program: Discussion Paper,
viewed 10 August 2006
<http://www.arrivealive.vic.gov.au/downloads/Youngdriver_discussion/YDS_v10_web.pdf>,
VicRoads, Kew, Victoria.

Source: Victoria Pyta, ARRB Group, victoria.pyta@arrb.com.au
And
John Catchpole, ARRB Group, john.catchpole@arrb.com.au