Ollie Bird, 17, ditched professional lessons after taking one that cost him £40 and started surfing the web for cheaper alternatives
A clever teenager managed to save more than £1,000 on driving tuition by turning to YouTube for guidance – and sailed through his test on the first go. Ollie Bird, 17, abandoned conventional instruction after a single £40 lesson and began hunting online for budget-friendly options.
The resourceful lad discovered YouTube videos created by qualified driving instructors and practised the techniques using a computer-based driving simulator. Having accumulated 30 hours of preparation – the amount his original tutor had recommended – he sat his examination on June 6 and was amazed to succeed at the first attempt. Ollie, who is from Scotby village near Carlisle in Cumbria, discarded his L-plates merely three weeks following his 17th birthday.
The teenager said: “I was hearing horror stories from my friends about all the money people were spending on driving lessons – I didn’t want to be getting into all of that.
“The instructor estimated that I would need 25-30 hours of tuition, if not more if I failed the first time round. That’s at least £1,200, which is a lot of money.
“I do a lot of things my own way, so I told my mum and dad that I wanted to research on YouTube instead of cramming in lessons. When examiner said I passed, I was shocked. I also felt very lucky.”
Ollie, an avid go-kart enthusiast, impressively passed his driving theory test the day following his birthday on May 16. In preparation for his test, Ollie dedicated 30 hours over two weeks to watching specialist driving instructor YouTubers, who “taught him the ins and outs of how to drive”.
He also honed his skills using a racing simulator computer game to practise steering, gear changes, and braking.
The teen said: “I’ve taken part in go-kart racing for a couple of months last year and I also have my simulator – they both helped. YouTube, along with all of the indirect driving experience, were definitely useful in my eventual success.”
Additionally, Ollie practised driving with his parents around his local area to get to grips with road signs and master parking and reversing techniques.
He said: “The main thing that I learned from driving with my parents was not the theory of it and the strategy of driving well. It was more of the gears, the car control, clutch control and handling an actual car and being on an actual road which became more natural.
“I wasn’t going to go into it and just stress out and mess up – I had nothing to lose. The actual test was really enjoyable, me and the examiner had really good conversations about school and random stuff, it was quite relaxed.
“When the instructor ended the test and I found out I had passed, I was shocked more than anything. It was also really satisfying as a couple of people, including my parents, as they didn’t think I was going to.
“I felt very lucky after hearing how hard to process can be from friends and family.”