Frequently asked questions

The standard lesson is 1 hour long, but we do longer lesson if requested. We do find that inexperienced drivers begin to fatigue after about 1.5 hours, so on a 2 hour lesson, we will usually stop for a few minutes around that time. For very new learners, we would recommend sticking to 1 hour lessons to avoid overloading them with too much information.

Yes we are. We are more than happy to start lessons and finish lessons in different locations, as long as they are both within the Sutherland Shire. So if you want to start from school and finish at home, no problem. Or start at home and finish at work, no sweat.

No. At Copes, we believe each lesson is as valuable as the next, and we should never discount the value of the education we deliver. Buying packages can also lead to a feeling of being locked in, and we believe that clients should never feel constrained or obligated in any way.

Yes. At Copes we believe our sole focus should be on the one learner. Having strangers and other clients in the car at the same time can hamper the learning process. The only time we allow other learners in the car is if we are teaching siblings, where they are often in the car together with each other and mum and dad anyway, and this may not be an uncomfortable situation for them.

Absolutely. We welcome parents into the car and wish more would join us. By coming along for some lessons, supervisors help form that partnership that we are trying to establish, and it can often speed up the learning for the client, as supervisors know what we have been doing, and can see other ways of helping their learner driver.

Crashes for learner drivers are relatively rare. In fact, learner drivers are statistically the safest drivers on our roads. While every step is taken to avoid an incident during a lesson, somethings may be out of our control. The NSW Driving Instructors Act and Regulations require us to have full comprehensive insurance on our vehicles and prohibits us from charging you for any excess etc on any claims made. So there never any extra costs to you! At Copes Driving School, we also carry Public Liability and Professional Indemnity insurance, so we are covered for any claims etc that could arise.

That is one of the hardest questions to give a standard answer for. Every learner driver is different and learns at different rates. Some learners may only have a few lessons, while others may have heaps. At Copes, we recommend you think of how much you are prepared to budget on driving lessons. Then allocate about 70% of that budget to the early phases of their driving, another 20% to a point just after midway and a final 10% to sometime close to going for their driving test. But don’t limit your options. If they need more lessons, they need more lessons. We will do our best to get them learning as quickly as possible, but some people may take more time than others, and that is normal.

Not at all. Many people believe this to be the case because of the 3 for 1 hours scheme. Driving instructors can accredit 3 hours in a log book for every 1 hour lesson they have, but only for the first 10 hours. After that only the time spent on the lesson can be entered in the log book. It is this 10 hour limit on the 3 for 1 that has lead people to believe they can only have 10 lessons, but learner driver can have as many lessons as they want. At Copes, we have had clients only have a couple of lessons, and others who have done almost their whole 120 hours with us.

Unfortunately at Copes we don’t offer lessons in the client own car. We do this for the safety of the learner, the instructor and the public. Our cars are fitted with dual control pedals, including an accelerator, which means in the event of something happening that shouldn’t, we are able t quickly step in and keep everybody safe. Also our various insurances protect both the instructor and the client whenever they are in our cars, which may not be the case in a private vehicle.

Yes you can. When needed, we can provide our car for the driving test. This service involves a lesson starting 1 hour prior to the booked test time, arrival at the test centre in time for the test, support for the client while at the test centre, use of the car during the test and then dropping off at the prearranged finished point afterwards. We don’t push this service however, and believe that you are best to sit the test in the car you are most comfortable in and used to. In fact, we would rather have a couple of extra lessons with you beforehand and you use your car for the test, than take your money off you just for the privilege of using our car for the test.