Got my fake drivers license last week, check and mate =P

Speak for yourself. I was a perfectly responsible 17 year old. Tut tut

Its I think because I was itching to learn and at 17 youre not too interested in the patience of learning! I just got in the car and took off (and crashed soon after!)

Thats because you're bad

Am I the only one who didnt bother with lessons or books/DVDs or any of that?

I noticed a lot of my friends had lessons and bought rules of the road etc, and had pre tests before their test, but I never bothered with any of that at all.

Machie wrote:
> Got my brother to give me a tour of his car and teach me all the
> basics. It was going really well until we did the licence plate
> reading which I failed completely. I just cant focus on any of
> the letters or numbers. *pout* Looks like I'm going to need
> glasses if I want to pass my driving test.
>
> Apparently this is how my dad first learnt that he needed
> glasses.
>
> You don't think it might be because I spent the last 13 years of
> my life infront of a PC, 9 hours a day do you?

well it could be that because i've found that my eyes are giving me jipp and ive only been sitting playing football manager 2008 for a few hours a day since i finished school for the last month or so...

Got my brother to give me a tour of his car and teach me all the basics. It was going really well until we did the licence plate reading which I failed completely. I just cant focus on any of the letters or numbers. *pout* Looks like I'm going to need glasses if I want to pass my driving test.

Apparently this is how my dad first learnt that he needed glasses.

You don't think it might be because I spent the last 13 years of my life infront of a PC, 9 hours a day do you?

Being able to drive is quite important to my work now. I use to manage without one but then I became more dependant on other people so it'll be great to have freedom to drive whenever and wherever I want.

Bob_The_Moose wrote:
> I'm 21 now and I still can't drive :-

Question to all:

Could you apply for a job in today's market, your first or otherwise, and hope to be successful without a driving licence on you cv?

A 19yr old started two weeks ago at my workplace and spent 3 hours on the bus each day to get to and from work. She's now passed her test and also had the presence of mind to have bought a car in readiness for the 'great day'. She's over the moon:-)

I'm 21 now and I still can't drive :-\
I had a go with it last summer, if I remember right, lessons were about £17 per hour. I had about 8 or 9 lessons then uni started up again and I never got around to booking any more; partly through laziness, partly due to the cost issue and partly because I didn't really enjoy it. I'm probably going to be alright for the next year as I'm (probably) still going to be at uni but after that I'll struggle to get a job around here without a car. Given that I'll have £3.5k of tuition fees and no student loan, God knows how I'm going to afford driving lessons.

Machie wrote:
> Wow I wasn't expecting this many posts, thank you guys, you're
> all a big help. :) Some great tips and Timmarghs one is spot on
> as a pedestrian I've nearly been run over a few times when
> drivers either wrongly or don't bother indicating at all.

Thats drivers in the West Country for you. You really have to be on your toes because they're completely oblivious to speed limits and signalling. I nearly got run over a couple of times while i lived there.
I was learning a while ago but i quit because of the cost. I can afford the lessons but when you factor in fuel costs, insurance and mechanic bills there's no way. Living in London i dont really need a car anyway unless i want to get out of town, which has become a more recurrent feeling recently.

Wow I wasn't expecting this many posts, thank you guys, you're all a big help. :) Some great tips and Timmarghs one is spot on as a pedestrian I've nearly been run over a few times when drivers either wrongly or don't bother indicating at all.

Just to update you all, I've cut up my provisional licence and had to send it back to them as it still had my old address on it. I should be getting a new one soon.

I bought the highway code and the DSA Driving Essential Skills book, oh and the Driving Test Success software which only cost £5 compared to the £15+ for the office DSA software and hazard DVD.

It's pretty good software and has lots of videos even of the practical exam so that's better than nothing. I've been doing lots of practicing on the theory test and either get full or pass marks so hopefully in a week or two I'll have memorised all the answers.

When I'm ready I'll take the theory test and get that over and done with then I'll get in touch with an instructor who taught my younger brother. He said he was very good so I'll give him a call.

I've been googling for tips on the practical exam, they suggest sticking to the speed limit exactly, not 1 mile under or over. Check the mirrors constantly and try not to hit the kerbs.

@schummi -  Oh dear I was hoping you would pass with flying colours because I need to do lessons in Chelthenham and do the practical test there too. :(

My lessons used to cost £20 an hour but my instructor used to insist we have an hour and a half lesson so you could drive somewhere half decent for your lesson.

My brother girlfriend just passed using the same instructor and several of my mates have. Anyone in Essex should give Maltings Driving School a try, Ken is a legend and a very good teacher and very reasonable.

www.maltingsdrivingschool.co.uk

as a learner at the moment i can tell you that lessons are about £20 a hour, i'm paying £22 ph. But it is great fun, you end up looking forward to your lessons. My instructor is good. She's very calm and is a really good teacher, as are most instructors i would imagine. The worst bit about it is the first time you get in the drivers side, honestly, after that you'll be fine. :)

I've had a terrible time learning to drive, back last october I started an intensive course, I took my test on the 29th November with Ian well I say took it, I tried to, this was the one I was most confident about, but the battery warning light came on literally 2 minutes into my test and I had an hour and half lesson before, anyway so my examiner said we had to abandon it. Anyway turned out the problem was just a faulty light nothing wrong with the battery at all. Anyway after this there was a long waiting list so I booked my test the next available one was for February I tried to get a cancellation around my schedule, baring in mind exams in January etc..

Anyway I had no such luck and had to wait till February anyway I bagged some free lesssons I think about 10 hours worth from my instructor because it was his car that made my test abandoned, anyway I failed this test with Scott 1 major 5 minors, I was pulling on to roundabout going left, and this driver was indicating right, well as soon as I pulled out she changed to indicating left and so apparently I was supposed to stop for her but I had already pulled out by the time she changed :S!!!

Anyway I got a cancellation about 2/3 weeks later with Scott again :( , I had a few more lessons which I paid for and failed again =( 1 major and 4 minors, this time it was petty I took a wrong turning and therefore we was late running back and then I wasn't sure of a speed limit and so drove at 40 in a 50 :( and he failed me for that and I wasn't even holding anyone up because if someone had steamed passed me or was close I'd of probably realised that I was meant to go faster. Anyway after this I gave up mainly because I didn't have enough money for another test and driving lessons. I am hoping that I'll have enough money next month to start again. After I've practised with my Aunty in her car.

Wow I've written alot, must be my longest post :)

pb wrote:
> As for the US, it looks manic on the smaller roads, but there
> are some lovely looking long stretches too. I don't understand
> why so many people drive in NYC when there is decent public
> transport, it looks like a nightmare.

It wouldn't be NYC if there werent a million cars driving around beeping their horns! It's part of the culture. Saying that outside the city it's not so bad, the roads are awful I've found though but maybe that's just my expirences.

I'll be driving in Spain while I'm over there.  It takes a bit of getting used to, but it's not bad once you've done it a few times.

As for the US, it looks manic on the smaller roads, but there are some lovely looking long stretches too. I don't understand why so many people drive in NYC when there is decent public transport, it looks like a nightmare.

Machie wrote:

> How much were your lessons and how many did you do?
I think I payed about £15 per lesson, that was about 4 years ago.

> How did you find the lessons and was your instructor helpful?
The lessons were horrible at first then they weren't to bad but by the end I hated them (basically I was nervous at first, then I was more confident then I was just plain fed-up.)

> Did you pass on your first attempt?
Nope first time I went up the curb slightly as I did a reverse round the corner, I wasn't checking my mirror probably. (BTW I have NEVER had to do a reverse round the corner since passing my test)

> What was your first car?
A Vauxhall corsa! The beast I love that car so many good memories...

> What car are you driving now?
The Vauxhall Corsa for about a week longer.

> Do you suffer from road rage at all?
All the time I get annoyed by slow and overly cautious drivers who stutter at every junction/roundabout. I also get annoyed at the under cautious drivers who drive way to fast and sit about 2 inches from your bumper.

> Since learning to drive, have you been involved in any accidents
> or bumps?
So far no...

> And finally, what great advice could you give me that you wish
> you knew when you started learning to drive?
Can't really think of anything in particular, it is amazing how quick you pick it up and how quickly it becomes second nature. But you should never lose that alertness you have as a new driver. If you can keep that and gain the confidence you should do just fine.



Driving is one of the best things I did, the freedom it has allowed me is awesome, from going to theme parks with friends to popping to the shop just to grab some stuff quickly. I definitly would not be without it.

Yet to get round to learning to drive myself, with 20 almost approaching, basically owing to the fact I haven't got much money and can't be bothered.

Plus I live in a small town, and get to use the bus system for £135 a year or something when I'm at Uni, so I've no real need right now.

I learnt to drive nearly 3 years ago at the grand old age of 20, I just couldn't be bothered up until that point. When I started to get sick of my job (which I walked to) I decided the time was right to learn. IIRC my lessons cost £12 or £13 an hour and I did one 2 hour session a week. I probably had 16-17 lessons.

Obviously me lessons helped as I had never driven a car before, plus my instructor was a fellow Spurs fan so there was no danger in us not getting along.

I failed my first test because I apparently cut someone up leading to a roundabout (debateable), second one I failed because I hit the kerb (fair enough, but then I did have an instructors supervisor in the car at the time!), third one I failed for overuse of the handbrake (huh??!) and I finally passed fourth time around.

My first car was a Saxo VTR, had it for about 6 months (see a couple of paragraphs below). Now I am driving a 106 GTi that has been lowered and has alloy wheels and twin exhaust :)

The only time I suffer from road rage is when people insist on driving at 40 in a national limit zone (60), also when people go even slower if there is a bit of rain in the air...

My first car got written off when some pillock drove into the back of my Saxo at some traffic lights. He was a nice enough bloke, admitted fault and paid me off £1500 to got go through the insurance, I ended up keeping the money and selling the car in the condition it was.

As for advise:
- The longer you leave 'unhealthly' noises unchecked in your car the more expensive it gets to repair them
- Get a Haynes manual for your car (saved me more than a few quid for simple jobs)
- Washing your car is overrated!

I don't have to pay car tax either.

:^P

Timmargh wrote:
(crips can drive a year earlier)

What! How unfair. Not only you can park closer, but you can get there a year before anyone else anyway

3 tests, but for the first 2 I was way too nervous to think straight.  By the third I was a lot better at keeping my nerves under control.  It was actually the week of my Birthday when I passed (19th if I remember rightly).

Anyway, can't do anything without the car these days, especially here in Devon where public transport is so bad.

As for first car, I had many as my dad is a mechanic.  I had a little Fiat 125, a Datsun estate that wouldn't go up hills due to engine size, a Morris Traveller (the Morris Minors with the wooden back) - which was a great little car and a load of others.

"Assume that everyone else on the road is an idiot and people who indicate wrongly are more common than people who don't indicate at all."

So so true!

What a lot of words. Don't know how to reply, but man you did good:-)

> How much were your lessons and how many did you do?

They were £11 each (yes, eleven pounds) and I had nine of them. I did a hell of a lot of driving in between, though, as I got a car through Motability three months before my 17th birthday (crips can drive a year earlier). Between starting to learn in January and passing in May I'd driven over three thousand miles.


> How did you find the lessons and was your instructor helpful?

Fairly easy but then I was driving an automatic. My instructor was great: he was an oldish guy and was the only A rated instructor in Worcester -- Mr. Fagence was his name.


> Did you pass on your first attempt?

No, I failed on hesitancy amongst other things. There was an old lady in the car behind me who was getting angry because I took so long to pull out of the junction ... irony at its best!


> What was your first car?

A Vauxhall Astra.


> What car are you driving now?

I can't drive any more but I have a Renault Kangoo as my transport.


> Do you suffer from road rage at all?

No, never have done.


> Since learning to drive, have you been involved in any accidents or bumps?

Erm, yes ... lots!

When I got my first car it was more or less just handed to me (to get a car from Motability you generally pay a non-refundable deposit and then use your Disability Living Allowance as payment over three years) so I had no respect for it at all and so didn't take car of it. This lead to loads of little dings and bumps and one semi-serious accident, although that wasn't my fault.

I had no accidents with my second, third or fourth cars but a woman pulled out into me in my fifth car.


> And finally, what great advice could you give me that you wish you knew when you started learning to drive?

Assume that everyone else on the road is an idiot and people who indicate wrongly are more common than people who don't indicate at all.

Trish wrote:

> looking at what kind of car you want yourself, you will find you
> have a preference very quickly if you get a feel for a couple of
> different ones.

Trish is right, you're more likely to choose the car you learnt to drive in or at least one similar.

If you are worried about the cost, dont forget you dont need to buy a car to learn to drive!

Get lessons and use the cars the driving school provides, or cheaper still, get someone you know who owns a car to teach you and just provide them with the cost of the petrol in return.

You wont need too many lessons to get the hang of it, and when you feel confident enough to drive on your own then maybe start looking at what kind of car you want yourself, you will find you have a preference very quickly if you get a feel for a couple of different ones.

Rather alot to take in there Machie, but I've been driving for 30 odd years in cars, had two 'not a fault accidents' and currently drive my baby, 'Black Panther' - Focus ST170 2.0!
Best advice, learn to drive a motor bike first as I did. Drive it for a few years and then apply for you car licence. Probably not a practical suggestion at your age but it does give you a far better appreciation of 'the road'.
My driving instructor during the first lesson realised that I'd had previous driving experience from my road position and awareness of other traffic etc.
My eldest son passed last year aged 22. He had 19 lessons and passed first time - within 8 weeks he had been caught speeding and attended a three hour course to avoid penalty points and a fine!! He's more sensible now!

Put your worries aside and go for it. Costs are always going to be a major part of motoring, just hope that your wage increases enough to cover the cost of 'freedom'. Good luck:-)

PS

First car Renault 5 - drove to south of France twice in this.
Followed by a Cortina Mk2 (at same time as Renault 5), Austin Maxi (family began to arrive!, Ford Sierra 1.8, two Minis, Cavalier 2.0 CDI, new Renault Clio Sport (at that time) until present 'baby'. My son now has the Clio Sport. I also work for ManheimEurope - direct competitor to your brother's company - but I don't owe them anything, rather they owe me:-D

I've just turned 28 and I still can't drive. There's quite a few reasons why I've never bothered, the main one being I just don't have the money. One of the other reasons is I'm a little worried about having an accident. My older brother lost his fiancee when they got in a crash and my younger brother and dad have been in a few accidents aswell.

I hate being on fast rides and always shut my eyes on rollercoasters. I even have those panic sensations when Im in the front passenger seat and the person driving goes too fast towards bends or up hills. I guess it's because I have no control, I'm not behind the wheel and I'm not the one with the foot over the brakes.

I don't really know much about cars. My older brother helps run the British Car Auction (BCA) in Peterborough and my younger brother drives lots of vehicles at the golf course hotel where he works. Even my girlfriend who use to work for her families car rental business knows more about cars than I do.

So anyway, I got a provisional licence when I was 18 but that was only so I could get into pubs. It was just a bit of paper so the bouncers would ask you what your star sign was incase you were using someone elses.

In 2004 I finally got one of those new photo card provisional licences, only again this wasnt so I could drive but so I could open up a bank account as they wanted photo ID. However at the same time my younger brother was taking his practical test, I did the written test which now had video clips you had to watch. We both passed and I was very pleased as was my dad who sadly died of cancer a week later.

I think they've changed the written test again, it's annoying because I have to do it a second time as they're only valid for 2 years. Can't believe I never got round to doing some lessons but I hear they're quite expensive. Probably even more so now that the price of petrol has gone up. My mum said her little car costs £8 more to fill up than when she got it a few years ago.

My reasons for wanting to drive is because I finally have some money and I really want to be more independent. Although public transport in Singapore is wonderful my work involves travelling in America and you just can't do anything without a car there. Have any of you driven over there at all? I'm sure you have some experience Garin and pb.

So where do I start? I don't think watching Top Gear will teach me anything about driving. My dad always wanted us to do what he did when he was young, by taking a car apart and putting it back together. That sounds awfully messy.

Maybe I should buy some books and other learning material and just study it all again. Then I'll get my brother to give me a tour of his car and tell me what everything is and what it does. After that I'll convince him to let me have a few goes in his car before I start looking for a driving instructor.

For me I need to be well prepared before I do anything. It's just like with Final Fantasy VII when I spent 80 hours building up Cloud and the gang before heading off to kill Sephiroth. I want to be good at driving before I even have my first lesson infront of the wheel. Or is that a bad idea?

---

The reason why I'm starting this thread is because I want to hear of your own experiences with learning to drive. So heres a few questions for you if you've finished reading this and have no idea how to reply.

How much were your lessons and how many did you do?

How did you find the lessons and was your instructor helpful?

Did you pass on your first attempt?

What was your first car?

What car are you driving now?

Do you suffer from road rage at all?

Since learning to drive, have you been involved in any accidents or bumps?

And finally, what great advice could you give me that you wish you knew when you started learning to drive?