THERE was relief all round when my daughter passed her driving test.

“Third time lucky,” I told her as she set off, before thinking that it maybe it wasn’t the best thing to remind her of previous fails.

But she passed, which pleased us all, not least because of the cost of lessons, but she’s leaving soon for university and the chances for a further test would be limited.

Learning to drive is very different from when I first got behind the wheel 36 years ago.

Back then many of us learned with our parents and, once people passed, they would sit in with their friends. The idea of a newly-qualified teenager teaching a mate would be unheard of today, but I spent many an hour with my friend Wendy, who I have to say handled my ‘lessons’ very well.

She kept calm throughout, unlike my dad, who picked faults even before I’d plugged in the seat belt. Today, drivers have to be aged over 21 and hold a licence for three years before they can accompany learners.

Learners now have a theory test to complete, answering questions within a time limit. It isn’t easy, and is certainly harder than the aural test I had to undergo in which the instructor asked about three questions from the Highway Code before pointing to a number plate which I had to read.

I think we got off lightly — nowadays learners also need to know what's what on the car’s instrument panel as well as basic vehicle maintenance.

Identify a safe level of brake fluid? I wouldn’t have a clue.

We did, however, have to do more manoeuvres — I remember having to do reverse parking, parallel parking, a three-point turn and a hill start, although where I lived a hill was a barely noticeable rise in the gradient.

Today’s tests choose just one or two of those. When my daughter told me she did a “bay park” I asked what she was doing in Scarborough. It didn’t dawn on me that it’s a space in a large parking area, like a shopping centre. When I was young such places were in their infancy. Now we spend half our lives in vast car parks.

It’s a great feeling when you pass your driving test. A lot of people sail through first time, but for those who fail, as I did, the pressure is on.

You can be a competent driver, but the test is unpredictable — you don’t know what potential hazards will crop up during your 40 minutes and when nerves kick in, it can easily go wrong.

So will I let my daughter drive the family car? It depends on the cost of insurance: 18-years-old, newly-qualified? She may have to wait until she can buy her own car.