The Sponsor is not a passenger. They are a legal requirement, a practice partner, and a key part of the RSA’s EDT programme. This guide covers everything the Sponsor — and the learner — needs to know: who qualifies, what the law requires, how much practice the RSA recommends, what to focus on after each session, and the mistakes that undermine learners’ progress.

Source & Credit: All requirements, recommendations, and session content in this guide are based on the RSA Essential Driver Training (EDT) Learner Driver Information Booklet, Version 2, April 2019 and the RSA’s Sponsor’s Guide, published by the Road Safety Authority (Údarás Um Shábháilteacht Ar Bhóithre) of Ireland. Official EDT resources available at rsa.ie. BP Driving School is an RSA-approved driving school (ADI) in Swords, North Dublin.
All 12 EDT Sessions
S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 S10 S11 S12
In This Guide
  1. What Is a Sponsor in EDT?
  2. Who Can Be a Sponsor — Legal Requirements
  3. Legal Checklist Before Every Practice Drive
  4. How Much Practice Does the RSA Recommend?
  5. What to Practise After Each EDT Session
  6. How Sponsors Should Give Feedback
  7. What Sponsors Cannot Do — Hard Restrictions
  8. The Sponsor at EDT Sessions
  9. The EDT Logbook — What the Sponsor Signs
  10. Common Sponsor Mistakes That Slow Progress
  11. Frequently Asked Questions

What Is a Sponsor in EDT?

Under the RSA’s Essential Driver Training programme, every learner driver must have a Sponsor — a qualified driver who accompanies them during supervised practice sessions between professional EDT lessons with their ADI.

The Sponsor is a formal, defined role in the EDT framework. The RSA is explicit that professional lessons alone are not sufficient to produce a safe, competent driver. Between each of the 12 EDT sessions, the learner is expected to practise what was taught — and they cannot practise alone on a learner permit. The Sponsor makes that practice possible.

In most cases the Sponsor is a parent, guardian, or close family member. It does not have to be a family member — any person who meets the legal requirements can act as Sponsor. Some learners have multiple Sponsors (for example, a parent and an older sibling), which is perfectly acceptable provided each person meets the requirements.

The Sponsor’s core purpose: To provide the learner with a safe, legal, supervised environment to practise and consolidate the skills taught by their ADI between formal EDT sessions. The Sponsor is not there to teach — they are there to supervise, encourage, and provide calm, constructive feedback on skills the ADI has already introduced.

Who Can Be a Sponsor — Legal Requirements

The RSA sets clear legal requirements for who may act as a Sponsor. Every person accompanying a learner driver must meet all of the following conditions:

Important: If you accompany a learner driver without meeting these requirements — for example, on a licence held for less than 2 years, or while over the legal alcohol limit — you are committing a road traffic offence. The learner driver is also driving without a qualifying accompanying driver, which may invalidate their insurance and constitute a separate offence.
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Before each supervised practice session, both the learner and the Sponsor must confirm that the following are in place. Missing any one of these items means the practice drive should not take place.

Learner Driver — Must Have
  • Valid learner permit (Category B) — must be current and not expired. The learner permit must be in the vehicle during every practice drive.
  • L-plates displayed — on the front and rear of the vehicle, clearly visible. L-plates must not be obscured or missing.
  • Motor insurance that covers the learner — standard policies do not automatically cover learner drivers. The learner must be specifically named on the policy or covered under a learner driver extension. Confirm this with the insurer before driving.
The Vehicle — Must Be Roadworthy
  • Valid motor tax — the vehicle must have current motor tax displayed.
  • Valid NCT (if applicable) — any vehicle over 4 years old must have a current NCT certificate.
  • Vehicle is roadworthy — tyres, lights, brakes, mirrors, and windscreen all in serviceable condition. See EDT Session 1 for the full pre-drive safety check routine.
The Sponsor — Must Have
  • Full driving licence — held for at least 2 years, currently valid, not expired or suspended.
  • Licence available in the vehicle — Garda may request to see it during any check.
  • Not under the influence — of alcohol, medication that impairs ability, or any other drug.

How Much Practice Does the RSA Recommend?

The RSA is explicit on this point. The EDT booklet recommends a minimum of 3 hours of supervised practice with the Sponsor between each EDT session. Over the full 12-session programme, this amounts to a recommended minimum of approximately 36 hours of additional practice — on top of the 12 professional lessons with the ADI.

PROFESSIONAL LESSONS 12 EDT Sessions with your RSA-approved ADI Bojan Petric — BP Driving School + SPONSORED PRACTICE 36+ Hours Recommended min. 3 hrs between each session with your qualified Sponsor = RESULT A Safe, Confident Driver Ready for the RSA Test Source: RSA EDT Booklet v2, April 2019
The RSA’s intended EDT structure. Professional lessons and sponsored practice are both required — neither alone is sufficient. Source: rsa.ie

The 3-hour figure is a minimum. The RSA’s research shows a strong correlation between total hours of practice and driving test pass rates. Learners who arrive at their test with significantly more than 36 hours of practice perform considerably better than those who meet only the bare minimum — and far better than those who skip practice altogether.

Quality over quantity: Three hours of focused, directed practice after a session is worth more than three hours of driving the same familiar route on autopilot. The Sponsor’s job is to create conditions where the learner is practising the specific skills introduced in the most recent session — not simply accumulating time behind the wheel.

What to Practise After Each EDT Session

After every EDT session, Bojan will advise you and your Sponsor on exactly what to focus on before the next session. The table below gives a session-by-session guide to the key practice focus areas, based on the RSA’s session content requirements.

Session-by-Session Sponsor Practice Guide
S1
After Session 1 — Car Controls & Safety Checks
Sit in a stationary car and practise identifying every primary and secondary control without looking. Carry out the full pre-drive safety check routine. Read the RSA’s Rules of the Road. Short drives in a quiet car park or empty road to practise moving off and stopping smoothly. See our Session 1 guide.
S2
After Session 2 — Correct Positioning 1
Drive on quiet local roads focusing on maintaining approximately 1 metre from the left kerb. Practise correct lane positioning at T-junctions and simple roundabouts. Session 2 guide.
S3
After Session 3 — Changing Direction 1
Practise the MSMM routine on every turn — especially left turns with the left door mirror check. Use quiet residential streets with simple junctions. Narrate each step of MSMM aloud to reinforce the habit. Session 3 guide.
S4
After Session 4 — Progression Management
Focus on smooth acceleration, progressive braking, and correct gear selection. Practise matching speed to posted speed limits. Find a stretch of road with varying speed limits and practise transitioning between them. Session 4 guide.
S5
After Session 5 — Correct Positioning 2
Gradually introduce more complex roads — dual carriageways, roads with multiple lanes, busier junctions. Practise keeping correct position when approaching complex roundabouts. Session 5 guide.
S6
After Session 6 — Anticipation & Reaction
Practise scanning ahead and narrating hazards before they develop. Ask the learner what they can see 50 metres ahead. Introduce slightly busier roads to develop hazard perception under mild pressure. Session 6 guide.
S7
After Session 7 — Sharing the Road
Use roads with regular cyclists, pedestrian crossings, and bus stops. Specifically practise the door mirror check before left turns in areas with cycle lanes. Session 7 guide.
S8
After Session 8 — Driving Safely Through Traffic
Introduce busier urban environments — town centres, traffic lights, box junctions. Keep sessions short initially and build duration as confidence grows. Session 8 guide.
S9
After Session 9 — Changing Direction 2
Practise the full MSMM + PSL combination at complex junctions — T-junctions with poor sightlines, busy crossroads, and multi-exit roundabouts. Drive the actual test routes around Finglas and Raheny if possible. Session 9 guide.
S10
After Session 10 — Speed Management
Practise on national roads (80–100 km/h) and dual carriageways if the learner is ready. Focus on joining fast-moving traffic, maintaining safe following distance, and reading the road at speed. Note: no motorways. Session 10 guide.
S11
After Session 11 — Driving Calmly
Focus on consistent, calm driving across varied conditions. Introduce mild pressure scenarios — busier routes, time of day variation. Reduce verbal interventions to let the learner self-manage. Session 11 guide.
S12
After Session 12 — Night Driving
Practise specifically in low-light conditions — early morning or evening. Focus on use of dipped headlights, full beam on unlit roads, and adjusting following distance for reduced visibility. Session 12 guide.
Session content references above are drawn from the RSA EDT Learner Driver Information Booklet, Version 2, April 2019. LDT Syllabus references for each session are detailed in the individual session guides linked above.
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How Sponsors Should Give Feedback

One of the most important things a Sponsor can do — and one of the easiest to get wrong — is feedback. Poor feedback either gives the learner false confidence or creates anxiety that undermines their progress. The RSA’s guidance is clear: feedback should be calm, specific, and constructive.

What Good Sponsor Feedback Looks Like

1
Give feedback after the drive, not during it. Interrupting the learner mid-manoeuvre — particularly with alarm or criticism — creates panic and poor decision-making. Save feedback for when the car has stopped and the learner can process it calmly.
2
Be specific, not general. “Your left turns were good today — you remembered the door mirror check each time” is useful. “That was good” is not. Specific feedback tells the learner exactly what to repeat.
3
Focus on one or two things. A learner who receives ten pieces of feedback after a practice session cannot act on all of them. Focus on the one or two skills most relevant to their current EDT stage.
4
Link feedback to what the ADI has said. If Bojan has told the learner to focus on road positioning, the Sponsor’s feedback should reinforce that — not introduce different standards or techniques.
5
Stay calm regardless of what happens. A learner who stalls, makes a positioning error, or misjudges a gap is doing exactly what learners do. Reacting with frustration or alarm teaches the learner to be afraid of making mistakes, which produces a tense, over-cautious driver.
What to avoid: Do not contradict what the ADI has taught. If you learned to drive 20 years ago using different techniques, or if you have habits that differ from what the RSA now prescribes, keep those to yourself during practice sessions. The learner needs consistency between what their ADI teaches and what their Sponsor reinforces. Conflicting instructions are one of the most common causes of slow progress through EDT.

What Sponsors Cannot Do — Hard Restrictions

The following restrictions on learner drivers apply at all times, regardless of the Sponsor’s experience or wishes. The Sponsor must not permit — and the learner must not attempt — any of the following:

1
No motorways. Learner drivers are prohibited by law from driving on motorways in Ireland. This applies at all times — during EDT and outside it. The motorway restriction is lifted only upon obtaining a full licence.
2
No driving without L-plates displayed. L-plates must be displayed on the front and rear of the vehicle whenever the learner is driving. Driving without them is an offence.
3
No driving without a valid learner permit. The permit must be current and in the vehicle. If it has expired, the learner must renew it before any further practice.
4
No driving without proper insurance. Standard car insurance policies often do not automatically cover learner drivers. The owner of the vehicle must confirm with their insurer that the learner is covered. Driving uninsured is a serious criminal offence in Ireland.
5
The Sponsor cannot leave the vehicle or sleep while the learner is driving. The Sponsor must be present, alert, and in the front passenger seat at all times while the learner is driving.
6
No driving with a mobile phone. The learner may not use a mobile phone while driving — same as any driver. This includes hands-free use in some contexts. The Sponsor should model good behaviour by not using their own phone during practice sessions either.

The Sponsor at EDT Sessions

The Sponsor is welcome to be present at EDT sessions, and the RSA actively encourages this for at least some of the 12 sessions. Attending a session gives the Sponsor a direct view of what the ADI is teaching and how they are teaching it — which makes their feedback during practice sessions far more accurate and effective.

If the Sponsor attends a session, they should:

  • Observe quietly — the session is between the learner and their ADI
  • Listen carefully to the ADI’s instructions and feedback so they can reinforce the same language and techniques during practice
  • Ask the ADI any questions they have about what to focus on before the next session — the end of a session is the right time for this
  • Not intervene during the session itself — if the Sponsor has a concern, they can raise it with the ADI privately after the session
At BP Driving School: Bojan provides a clear session debrief at the end of every EDT lesson — covering what was covered, what went well, and exactly what the learner should practise with their Sponsor before the next session. Sponsors are always welcome to ask questions after the debrief.

The EDT Logbook — What the Sponsor Signs

The EDT logbook is an official RSA document. It is issued at the first EDT session and records the completion of each of the 12 sessions. This is an important point that causes confusion:

The Sponsor does not sign the EDT logbook. Only the learner’s RSA-approved ADI can sign and stamp entries in the EDT logbook. The Sponsor’s practice sessions are not recorded in the logbook — the logbook records only the 12 formal EDT lessons with the ADI. If a logbook contains entries not signed by a registered ADI, those sessions will not be recognised by the RSA.

The learner must bring their EDT logbook to every EDT session. The ADI will sign and stamp the relevant session entry at the end of each completed lesson. Losing the logbook does not erase the sessions — the ADI’s records on the RSA’s MyRoadSafety system are the definitive record — but the physical logbook is still required for the RSA driving test application.

Lost your logbook? Contact your ADI — they can arrange a replacement through the RSA MyRoadSafety portal. Sessions already completed are not lost. See our dedicated guide on the EDT logbook and what to do if you lose it.
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Common Sponsor Mistakes That Slow Progress

Based on the RSA’s guidance and the experience of BP Driving School’s ADIs working with learners across North Dublin, the following Sponsor behaviours most commonly undermine a learner’s progress through EDT:

  • Not practising between sessions. The most common and most damaging mistake. Learners who arrive at each EDT session without having practised since the last one force Bojan to spend the first portion of every lesson re-establishing skills that should already be embedded. Progress slows significantly — and the EDT programme costs more in time and money as a result.
  • Practising the same route every time. Driving the same familiar road repeatedly produces autopilot driving — not genuine skill. The learner needs varied conditions, different junction types, different speeds, and different volumes of traffic to develop adaptable competence.
  • Teaching techniques the ADI has not introduced yet. A Sponsor who says “I always do it this way” and introduces techniques ahead of the learner’s EDT stage creates confusion and inconsistency. Follow the ADI’s session debriefs. Only practise what has been taught.
  • Taking over the controls. Unless there is a genuine safety emergency, the Sponsor should not grab the wheel or demand the learner stop. Intervening prematurely prevents the learner from developing their own hazard response. If a situation arises where the Sponsor feels unsafe, they should calmly instruct the learner to slow down and pull over — not react with alarm.
  • Giving constant commentary during the drive. A running commentary of “slow down”, “watch that car”, “you’re too close” every few seconds prevents the learner from developing self-monitoring. The learner needs to learn to read the road themselves. Save the commentary for genuine hazards.
  • Skipping night practice entirely. EDT Session 12 is specifically titled Night Driving and must take place after dark — this is an RSA requirement. Sponsors often avoid night practice out of concern, but without it the learner arrives at Session 12 without any experience of driving in low-light conditions. See our Session 12 guide.
  • Not confirming insurance before the learner drives. This is a legal and financial risk that is frequently overlooked. Standard family car insurance policies in Ireland often require the learner driver to be named on the policy — they are not automatically covered simply because a qualified driver is present. Check with your insurer before the first practice drive.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can be a Sponsor for EDT in Ireland?

A Sponsor must hold a full Irish Category B driving licence held for at least 2 years, be at least 21 years old, sit in the front passenger seat at all times, and not be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. They do not need to be a family member.

How many hours of practice does the RSA recommend between EDT sessions?

The RSA recommends a minimum of 3 hours of supervised practice with the Sponsor between each EDT session. Over the full 12-session programme this amounts to approximately 36 hours of additional practice beyond the professional lessons.

Can a Sponsor take a learner on a motorway?

No. Learner drivers are prohibited by law from driving on motorways in Ireland under any circumstances. This restriction applies until a full licence is obtained.

Can the Sponsor sign the EDT logbook?

No. Only the learner’s RSA-approved ADI can sign the EDT logbook. Practice sessions with the Sponsor are not recorded in the logbook. The logbook records only the 12 formal EDT sessions with the ADI.

What should the Sponsor focus on during practice?

The Sponsor should focus on consolidating the skills introduced in the learner’s most recent EDT session. After each session the ADI will advise what to practise. The Sponsor should not introduce techniques or skills that have not yet been covered in EDT — their role is to reinforce what the ADI has already taught.

What documents must be in place for a practice drive?

The learner must have a valid learner permit, L-plates displayed front and rear, and motor insurance that specifically covers them as a learner driver. The vehicle must have valid tax and NCT. The Sponsor must have their full licence with them. All of these must be confirmed before every practice drive.

Full RSA reference: This guide is based on the RSA Essential Driver Training (EDT) Learner Driver Information Booklet, Version 2, April 2019 and the RSA Sponsor’s Guide, published by the Road Safety Authority of Ireland. Download the official EDT booklet at rsa.ie.

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