Your 12 EDT lessons in Tallaght, taught on the roads you'll be tested on.
Every learner does the same 12 Essential Driver Training lessons before the test. We teach them on the Belgard Road junctions, the Old Bawn Road pinch points and the roundabouts near The Square, and sign off your logbook as you go.
See all 12 lessons, in plain English
Twelve lessons, a logbook, and a reason behind each one
EDT means Essential Driver Training. It's the 12 one-hour lessons the Road Safety Authority brought in back in 2011, and every car learner does the same 12 before the test. You need a category B learner permit to start, and an approved instructor to teach them. That's us.
Each lesson is signed off and uploaded to your logbook as you finish it, so the record builds itself. No prior driving needed. We start where you are.
Every EDT lesson, what it actually is
Essential Driver Training is the same 12 lessons for everyone, set by the Road Safety Authority. Here they are in plain English, in the order you'll take them, taught on the roads around Tallaght. Tap any lesson.
Car Controls and Safety Checks
Where everything is and what it does. The cockpit drill, the checks before you turn a key, moving off and stopping smooth, on quieter Tallaght streets with no traffic to mind.
Correct Positioning
Holding the car where it belongs in the lane. It sounds small. It's the habit every later lesson is built on, so we get it right early.
Changing Direction
Turns and junctions done properly. Mirrors, signal, position, the lot, taken slowly on the quieter roads before you bring it into traffic.
Progression Management
Making proper progress. Knowing when to go and when to hold back, instead of crawling along and stacking up the bus behind you.
Correct Positioning
Positioning again, this time where it's tight. Old Bawn Road narrows where cars park both sides, and that is exactly the kind of spot this one is for.
Anticipation and Reaction
Reading what is about to happen. The cyclist, the door swinging open, the child at the kerb, and reacting early rather than late.
Sharing the Road
Everyone else out there. Cyclists, buses, pedestrians around The Square, and how you fit in with them without holding it all up.
Driving Safely Through Traffic
Real traffic, properly. Lane choice and the Belgard Road junctions at half eight, where plenty of learners freeze. We work them until they feel automatic.
Changing Direction (More Complex Situations)
Turns and junctions when it gets busy. The multi-lane roundabouts near the town centre, the ones with three minds changing at once.
Speed Management
The right speed for the road, the weather and the traffic in front of you. Not the limit on the sign. The right speed for the moment.
Driving Calmly
Keeping your head when it is busy. Frustration and tiredness make poor decisions, and this is the lesson about not making them.
Night Driving
Driving in the dark. Lights, judging distance, and the dazzle coming off Greenhills Road on a wet evening.
The order, and the gaps in between
The first eight lessons are taken in order, since each one leans on the last. The final four can be done in any order once you're there. The Road Safety Authority suggests leaving around a fortnight between lessons so each one settles before the next.
Between lessons you can practise with a sponsor driver, as long as they've held a full licence for at least two years. A few goes around Tymon or the quieter Kilnamanagh roads is how the 12 actually stick.
How many lessons beyond the 12?
Everyone does the same 12 EDT lessons. The real question is how much practice you'll want on top before the test. Four taps for a rough total, on real Tallaght prices.
A rough total, not a quote. The 12 EDT lessons are fixed by the Road Safety Authority; the practice hours on top are the part that moves.
You can do your EDT in an automatic
The same 12 lessons, the same Tallaght roads, in an automatic car. If the clutch is the part holding you back, an automatic frees your attention for lane choice and the Belgard Road junctions instead.
One thing worth knowing: pass in an automatic and your licence is automatic-only (a stamp called code 78). Automatic costs a little more than manual, and both rates are on the pricing page.
Pretest lessons on the Tallaght test routes
The 12 lessons aren't there to tick a box. They're there to make lane choice, signalling and judging gaps stop feeling like decisions. The test centre is in Premier Business Park on Broomhill Road, a few minutes from The Square, and it isn't a gentle one.
A pretest hour on the kind of roads its routes use, around Kilnamanagh, Tymon and Cookstown, ties it all together before the day.
What the EDT course costs in Tallaght
The full 12-lesson manual EDT course is €587.95, and a single lesson is €53.27. Automatic costs a little more. Lessons aren't cheap, we know that, so we'd rather you needed fewer of them. See the full driving lessons Tallaght prices.
Questions, answered
How many EDT lessons do you have to do? +
Twelve. Essential Driver Training is 12 one-hour lessons, set by the Road Safety Authority, and every car learner does the same 12 before the test. You need a category B learner permit to start them.
Do I have to finish all 12 before I can sit the test? +
Yes. All 12 have to be done and logged before you can be given a test date. We sign off and upload each one as you go, so nothing holds up your application.
How long does it take to get through the 12 lessons? +
There's no fixed timetable, but the Road Safety Authority suggests leaving around a fortnight between lessons so each one settles. Most learners spread them over a few months with practice in between.
Is 12 EDT lessons enough to pass the test? +
The 12 are the minimum the law sets, not a promise. The Broomhill Road test centre isn't a gentle one, so most learners add a few pretest hours. We'd rather you needed fewer lessons, so every hour counts toward the test.
Can I do my EDT in an automatic? +
Yes. The same 12 lessons, taught on the same Tallaght roads, in an automatic. One thing to know: pass in an automatic and your licence is automatic-only. Automatic costs a little more, and both rates are on the pricing page.
How long after I get my permit can I sit the test? +
You must hold your first learner permit for at least six months before you can sit the driving test, whether or not your EDT is finished. We time the lessons and the pretest hour around that.
Can I practise between lessons? +
Yes, and it's how the 12 stick. Your sponsor driver just needs to have held a full licence for at least two years. A few goes around Tymon or the quieter Kilnamanagh roads between lessons makes a real difference.
What if I change instructor halfway through? +
Your completed lessons are recorded on the Road Safety Authority's system, not just with one school, so switching doesn't wipe what you've already done. You pick up from where you left off.
How much is the EDT course in Tallaght? +
The full 12-lesson manual course is €587.95, and a single lesson is €53.27. Automatic costs a little more, and both rates are on the pricing page.
Start your EDT in Tallaght
Tell us where you're based around Tallaght and we'll sort a first lesson that suits you. Use the availability check above, or get in touch.