When should you learn to drive? It is not an easy question to answer, not least because there are so many different dimensions to think about before you book your driving lessons and eventual examinations.

You can learn to drive as soon as you receive your provisional driving license up until it expires, as long as you are 17, meet the minimum guidelines for your eyesight, have L plates on the car you are driving in, and are being supervised by a qualified driver, usually your tutor.

This gives you a lot of options to choose when and where you want to drive, and whilst some people want to get their license as soon as possible, others would prefer to wait.

For many learner drivers, particularly younger ones, summer is the preferred time to learn; the weather is relatively warm and predictable, the days are longer, and learner drivers at college or university have a long summer holiday to make as much progress as possible.

Winter, by contrast, is far less popular, but why is this the case, and what are the potential benefits of booking lessons during the winter?

What Are The Challenges Of Learning To Drive In Winter?

One of the challenges of driving in the UK is just how unpredictable the weather is, oscillating rapidly from beaming borderline heatwave sunshine to thunderstorms and sheets of fog, and this unpredictability is at its worst in winter.

Alongside heavy rain, fog and strong winds, blankets of snow and black ice are particularly treacherous, and can be potentially dangerous to drive on for the uninitiated. This is particularly important if you are learning to drive in areas with twisty roads and hills.

Because it is difficult to see, it is difficult to predict when a puddle, a lump or snow or a slightly colder patch of the road is hiding a frictionless surface of black ice, and it is important for drivers to avoid panicking or making sudden moves when they do hit a patch.

Similarly, hailstones can affect visibility, traction and potentially cause damage to cars whilst on the road.

As well as specific types of extreme weather which can affect road conditions, there are additional skills that are needed to drive in winter, from thawing a car’s windscreen safely, to cold starting a car and getting a feel for a car’s traction on multiple road conditions.

Finally, the biggest challenge to driving in winter is time. As the sun sets in the middle of the afternoon during winter, lessons need to be scheduled during the middle of the day, which can limit progress for some people in full-time employment to weekends.

What Are The Benefits Of Learning To Drive In Winter?

Despite, or perhaps because of these additional challenges, there is a good case to be made that taking at least some lessons in late autumn or winter is a vital part of developing a comprehensive skillset as a driver.

If you intend to commute or otherwise drive regularly, you will inevitably have to drive in winter at some point. If you have lessons during the winter months, particularly after you are more comfortable driving in general, you can develop skills and confidence with an instructor.

Most people who pass their test in the summer generally learn winter skills on their own, lest they be caught by surprise by the unpredictable driving conditions, but it pays to get professional support during this, either before passing your driving test or through a scheme such as Pass Plus.

Finally, it gives you more experience driving in nighttime conditions, which is another skill that drivers must learn but can minimise during summer.

Top Tips For Safe Driving In Icy Conditions

• • Gently push down on the accelerator when driving on snow or ice to avoid wheelspin. Starting in second gear and easing off the clutch (if you are driving a manual car) whilst keeping the engine revs low can help make this easier.

• • Use cycle braking by changing down gears instead of suddenly slamming on the brakes, or use feather braking to come to a controlled stop.

• • Lower the regenerative braking settings on your hybrid or electric car.

• • Leave as much room as possible between you and the car in front.

• • Avoid changing gears excessively; get to a relatively high gear for the road, such as third or fourth and stick with it.

• • If you end up skidding, calmly steer into the skid and avoid slamming on the brakes.

• • Use your headlights, particularly at night or during foggy conditions.