When to give up P plates?

[Meckity1]

I was thinking of having P plates for a year, but a lot of friends have been telling me to get rid after a few months.

I've been driving around 4 months, getting quicker out of junctions, still terrified and lacking confidence on dual carriageways and motorways.

@Ronsters Thank you. I may try the run to Hull, as it's somewhere new and that's a good thing.

I'm not actually that bad, I promise! I keep up to the speed limit, I watch my mirrors, I indicate and I'm sharp on familiar junctions and roundabouts. I'm not bad on unfamiliar junctions either. I let people out, and don't usually stress about idiots. I reverse and parallel park and while I still stay away from crowded parts of the car park, I don't give up and yesterday I reverse parked between two cars at the tip (gripping the steering wheel with a death grip, but I did it!). I don't roll back on hills and I can reverse around corners.

I just need to woman up and get on with it, I guess.

Just remember if you get in the wrong lane, it's not the end of the world, just pull into a side street and get your bearings and return to the route. Learn to use a sat nav. They are great but be careful not to forget other road conditions.

@yellowallpaper I don't mind admitting I'm lost and turning around. I've had fun with the sat nav. I can't work out 300m, so the sat nav will say, 'In 300m turn left' and then I guess the wrong left and I get 'recalculating' a lot. I'm really good at three point turns to say I only started lessons July 2018. I think I need to worry less.

Today I went on the dual carriageway, changed lanes and the world didn't come to an end. Then I reversed parked, nipped into Aldi, went home on the dual carriageway and was fine. I need to pull myself together. I'm still not sure about the P plates.

@yellowallpaper and thanks, I really appreciate the tips and advice I'm getting. I don't get to talk to many drivers irl

I’m fairly local to you and learnt to drive in Bradford & Halifax. Knowing the proclivities of our local drivers I would ditch the P Plates immediately; they’re a homing beacon for every fuckwit in the county to get right up your backside and hassle you.

You will learn to become more confident with unfamiliar surroundings, and I do think that your struggles at the moment are psychological. You’re overthinking this way too much and getting yourself worked up.

I assume you understand the basics of where you should generally be approaching a roundabout (I.e if you’re taking an exit to the right, be in one of the lanes on the right), in which case you need to start being a bit more observant to the road signs and markings to get yourself into the correct lane where at al possible. This seems to be a skill that a lot of drivers seem to be lacking to be honest, most of my friends couldn’t read a map and navigate to a destination without a smart phone if their life depended on it! But... What’s the worst that’s going to happen? You come off at the wrong exit and you need to navigate back to your root. Nobody else on the road knows where you’re going, so they won’t know that you’ve got yourself in the wrong lane

I use my P plates if IM doing something I haven’t down before, I’ve been driving 3 years but have never driven on a motorway (3 hours from one) so will still use them for that journey when I do it.

Yes some people will treat you badly because you have them but that’s because they are idiots and would probably do so regardless.

I like the fact that Ive given people fair warning so they know to be aware.

I used them for general driving for about 6 months.

*done not down

Have a run on the M1 or A1. Honestly duel carriageways are nothing to worry about. I can't remember where you're staring from sorry but I've driven on the A1 loads and it's always been fine.

@Orangesox that's the thing - I understand stuff like the theory of roundabouts, and there are two on the school run where I follow it diligently - approach, into second gear, indicate if appropriate, exit if safe, inner lane when turning right, outer lane when turning left or going straight, check mirrors before shifting out of inner lane to exit and indicate when leaving. That's how I was taught and I'm keeping to it. The approaches to the two roundabouts on the school run are fairly straightforward as you filter into the right approach from single lane traffic.

I have utter respect for anyone driving in Bradford. It's a world on it's own. I've had a few lessons that took me that way, and you have to have your wits about you.

Singleandproud that may be an idea. I'm really comfortable on the school run, so don't really need to warn people, but when I get on the motorway, it's only fair to warn people that I don't have much experience.

@QuestionableMouse I'm in Leeds, near the M62. Actually, the M1 is the other side of Leeds from me, which is an adventure for me to get to in itself. That's all the more reason to try.

J27 of the M62 is near me, and there are so many reports on the morning local news of 'incidents' on there.

At least I used the dual carriageway today, and I plan to go to the tip using the dual carriageway most days - there's a slip road that my husband hates, so it's good to practice early in the day and on the school holidays.

(husband is awesome, but doesn't enjoy driving, so it would cruel to ask him to drive with me)

Really appreciate the ideas and tips. I'm really careful about stuff like mirrors when I'm driving, and apart from multi lane stuff, I'm actually okay and don't get that stressed. I've even gone for a drive to cheer myself up - but not on a multilane road.

ISKE OF MAN
R plate restrictions for newly qualified drivers
The holder of a temporary restricted FULL licence must for the 12 months from issue:

Display the prescribed R plates clearly at the front and rear of the vehicle.
Not drive at more than 50mph.

Saw this when we were on holiday over thete, thought it was a brilliant idea

Have a run up to Weatherby services and treat yourself to a coffee and doughnut from the greggs there. Multi lanes roads aren't scary, I promise. They're actually easier because there are generally less junctions and everyone is going in the same direction. 😀

@QuestionableMouse I'll make sure I do. Wetherby's a great town, so I can always stop off as well and make a day of it.

This week's adventure is taking my son and his pal across Leeds onto the A64 and to Temple Newsam. It means going through Leeds inner ring road. That's if I can hold my nerve. Otherwise it's going to be on easy country lanes to Oakwell Hall.

(just to add, son has strong views about safe driving, and is fine with me, as are his friends)

I've got the route planned in my mind, I'm not scared of turning around if I miss the turn, I'm not even stressed about the parking. I don't know why I'm getting so worked up.

Really appreciate the tips and encouragement.

Do you have a satnav? It was a real game changer for me, you can even get them with lane assist so it tells you which lane to be in when coming up to a big roundabout. Having the satnav means you get a decent warning about what is coming ahead so you don’t feel flustered.

@Singleandproud I got a cheap satnav, and it wasn't brilliant on the lanes. I nearly ended up in Hull on the motorway before I'd had any lessons. On the other hand, it took me a new way from my favourite supermarket home which was a lovely drive.

I need to get it hooked up again.