Struggling to drive after passing test.

[spikey34]

My son passed his test recently and has bought himself a 2014 Corsa. He’s really struggling to drive it. He stalls a lot and is just getting used to the handbrake. The car he was taught in had special features to stop you rolling back, was difficult to stall and the handbrake was a button that automatically released when pulling away. It’s been a big change and he’s finding it very challenging. He lives an hour and a half away and is staying with us for a few days to try to get used to his car. It’s not happening. Pulling away at lights he stalls, hills, slow moving traffic. I’ve taught him what to do when he stalls and how to recover safely. He was just rolling back! His journey home is countryside, hills and dual carriageway. He’s just not ready. Has anyone experienced this? Any advice or tips? He does have Asperger’s and I’m wondering if the change in car is too much. Can’t afford to buy the driving instructors car but I’ve thought about it lol

Theres nothing wrong with the car, I’ve driven it and his Dad and no problem.

It sounds like he didn’t learn clutch control properly? Changing cars to one with a different biting point is an adjustment but one he should be able to make.
Take him to an empty car park, preferably one on a slope and practice! Driving slowly, pulling away, 1st to 2nd gear transitions and back down. Stop and pull away slowly, repeatedly. He needs to learn how to drive at 10mph and maintain the control

Sound like he would be better in an automatic.
Also, more lessons. There’s no law to say you can’t have lessons after passing your test.
I wonder how he managed to pass!

Could you pay his instructor to go out with him in his car? Or another instructor?

Maybe go right back to basics, find somewhere quiet like a large car park for him to do really basic manoeuvres in it and get used to the clutch and hand brake. He's probably panicking on the road.

Just keep going, if this was my dd I’d take her out and lots of short journeys. He will eventually get it but he needs lots of practice.

This.

Automatic. No rolling backwards on hills and no stalling. Infinitely easier.

Also agree with additional lessons on his own car.

My ds has autism and really struggled with learning to drive - manual was a disaster, so we taught him in an EV. I took him out for 14 hours a week for 4 months - the time commitment nearly fucking killed me. When he passed his test first time I cried. Our insurance company refused to insure him as a driver - the spec on our car was too high.
A month later he bought a car but he didn't feel confident about driving, he stuck his P plates on - I needed to go out with him again. We practiced the route to work and gradually he picked up the confidence. He is a very careful driver, sticks to the rules, doesn't really enjoy it but he's got there.
Driving a manual was too hard, he got stressed when he stalled - lost focus, an automatic allowed him to focus on what was important - the other cars on the road. He would be better with a automatic - ds drives a Yaris Hybrid - he couldn't afford an EV - but if he can't swap cars - you need to spend more time sitting with him till he feels more confident - even if he has passed his test.

I imagine he will get it with lots of practice but basically this is the problem with learning in a modern car with hill start assist and automatic hand brake etc then buying an older car without these features. Can you and DH go out with him and get him to practice hill starts, etc over and over until he gets it.

And ds had to learn how to reverse park without sensors and cameras - he panicked quite a bit about it but we practiced and he was fine - you just need to acknowledge that when you pass your test you are still learning.

I got my instructor to come out with me in our car once I passed - she had a tiny little thing and ours is like a tank, I was terrified to drive it. It was well worth it, she was a calming influence and even though she didn't have the dual control pedals in mine I still felt way more relaxed and in control. See if your instructor will do a few more lessons in the new car?

Watch this with him, he needs to understand what a clutch does. Both my sons learned this method, hold the clutch. So many students are taught clutch only with no gas due to modern cars so when they then get their own car they stall all the time.

Stop making him drive to places. Instead take him somewhere quiet, let him do exactly what Richard does in this video.

I took mine to a little hill, made them handbrake, feel the car lifting/rising to get that bite where you don't move, take the handbrake off and clutch control my car and only clutch, no brake. Then push the clutch in, let it roll back and lift it back to get the bite again. They just need practise. Once they master this then mvoe onto a steeper hill.

Their driving instructor does the same in his car but his car is a diesel so feels very different to my petrol car and ultimately it is my car they drive after they passed their test.

He needs to have a couple of lessons in his actual car , tell him to get back in touch with his instructor ..

I had similar issues after I passed my test - I learned on a diesel that was pretty hard to stall, then switched to a much older petrol car after passing and just kept on stalling it.

Agree with @DippingTheBeak that students are often taught to pull away pretty much just on the clutch with no gas, which probably won't work so well on a 2014 corsa. Needs a visit to a quiet carpark or side street and lots of practice finding/holding the bite and pulling away.

I was taught to pul away just on the clutch when I learnt learnt. That was a 1998 car and I had no problem doing it.

Can you take him somewhere quiet to just practise things, it's always difficult when you change cars particularly when you have only driven one before. Supermarket car park early Sunday morning at the far end from the shop? Stop pull away, stop pull away until it's second nature. If it's worrying him at traffic lights where he might block the traffic get used to it somewhere else, if there is a quiet road on a bit of a hill (not too much to start with) he could practise the handbrake bit as well. Practise makes perfect as they say, don't let him get too dispirited.

When DD passed her test she went from an Audi A1 with hill start etc to a Sukuki Alto and couldn’t drive it. I used to take her out on a Sunday morning at 6AM or 11pm at night and when she stalled at traffic lights we had all the time in the world to stop, put the hand brake on, restart the engine and slowly set off. We practiced on hills lots.

She got it a few days in and built her confidence from there.

Dd3 is learning now - she’s insured on my car as well. Her instructor’s car has all this jazz - mine has a handbrake- she’s getting used to mine and learning to use it on hills etc - because when she buys her own car it won’t be a fancy one

We’re having similar problems. Learned in a diesel with auto handbrake, now has a petrol with old fashioned handbrake. He’s reluctant to drive solo. I’ve taken him out a couple of times but he’s not confident with me. My driving instructor friend took him out today which really helped but he now won’t drive again today as he’s done it for today. He’s only here for 3 more days so really needs to master it as he won’t be driving for weeks.

I think there’s a few options
*Go practicing in car parks and quiet areas
*Get an instructor to take him around a bit in his own car
*give up and go automatic

(I did all three 🤣)

But I did learn in a similar car with mod cons, and moving to my own was a little shock but regular practicing helped. I did upgrade (just because I liked the new version of my car) and it’s lovely to have those mod cons too.