To feel like quitting driving after only two days on the road in a busy SE town + the switch to petrol?? Gaaaah. It does get easier right? Right??

[TheOrchardKeeper]

So many roundabouts!! I passed my test a fortnight ago, and have a car on the go. I went on a small trip today and today drove out of town to a local village/nature centre with DS and a friend and back, which involves a few major roundabouts. The switch from a 1.8ish diesel to petrol has really thrown me. I want to drive a petrol car but in the learner car you could pull of before putting much (if any) gas on at all and I could pull away pretty fast so I was very confident. In this car (a tiny 1.0 Micra) I have to pull away slowly or I stall the bugger. Is it always going to be this hard to drive?? (I'm very safe by the way, and CAN drive but it's just the bite point and being careful not to over-rev when changing gears etc as it's all new).

I'm driving along the M4 next month so want to try and get as up to scratch as I can.

I had no idea it'd be such a big adjustment from car to car. Trying not to beat myself up as I didn't stall much but I had to pull away a bit slower than the cars around me and just feel like an all around knob

Does it get easier??

It really is BIWI now just excited to a able to drive places and not rely on public transport/friends&family. DS has a hospital appointment tomorrow and what was a 2hr trip will now be halved and no waiting for the bus to turn up on top.

Glad I made myself learn now

I drive from Essex to Bristol about a week after I passed my test, and the M4 was the easiest part - motorway driving is pretty much point and go. Okay, it's monotonous and you have to maintain your concentration, but as a new driver, you're probably mindful of that already. You have to be more of a mind-reader driving around town, but that comes with practice.

It gets easier. And quite quickly. I might not seem like it but it does. And you have the right amount of respect for driving in that you have identied it's not easy. You'll be great.

I will never forget over hearing a conversation between about 10 people saying if someone has P plates they deliberately try and cause them bother. They may not be doing you any favours!

With driving you don't truly start learning until after you've passed. You will make mistakes, you will be beeped at and you will come across plonkers BUT keep safe, use your mirrors and all will be ok.

Congratulations on passing your test! The time afterwards is when you start building experience, so cut yourself some slack and don't forget how new you are to it. As others have said it's just a case of practicing, so keep at it. If you drive your car on familiar roads it'll be one less bit of anxiety until you feel confident with the controls. Going from 1.8l to 1.0l is a big drop in power so it's going to feel different.

I've been driving for eight years and switching to my first diesel car last month threw me. I had a few "whoa!" moments at roundabouts where I rocketed out at 10x the speed I was used to in my little Ka. In fact, every time I've had a new car (unfortunately 10 times, since I have awful luck with killing cars!) it takes me a few journeys to adjust. I've gone from manual to auto to back, from 1.0L to 1.8L engines, you name it, and it always takes a bit of time.

Swapping cars can be a total pain. Stick at it and soon you will be as confident in that as you were in the learner car. 1.8d down to 1.0 petrol is a HUGE adjustment. Stick with it.

Thank you Did NOT expect to pass first time/with only 3 minors.

It was a BIIIIIG drop in power WhatALoad The first carriageway I pulled onto today came as a surpise as I was a bit lost and it just appeared in front of me and my car did NOT want to speed up. I mostly just learnt what I need to do differently in this car and got to practise it in a city and then on a long stretch of road which I feel was really helpful. And yeah since I got the Plonker plates I get overtaken more often. I might give it another day or two then get rid.

And if anything today just reminded me how careful you have to be about other drivers. Some people seem to want to have a nasty accident (I was doing the speed limit and there were cameras so it's not like I was being hesitant and someone decided to undertake me when there was a handful of bikers also over/undertaking people that he wouldn't have seen in his blindspot. He had a pretty bad near-miss!).

I'm just trying to make sure I don't go too slowly but stick to what I feel comfortable with/a speed that I feel in control of IYSWIM? So I'll still do 70 on the dual carriageway or no slower than the speel limit on other roads if it's clear but I don't want to feel pressured by whoever is driving up my arse then get panicked/go faster than I feel ok with because I just feel like that is what would cause accident if I were to have one

But yay, I passed and I've done my first proper trip somewhere...so it can only get easier!!!! (she says hopefully)

I would definitely ditch the P plates - it is really noticeable how much less patient people are if they think you are a learner or have just passed than if they have no idea of your level of experience. People will assume any hesitation is down to lack of experience, rather than you being able to see something that they can't etc. I have known a few driving instructors in my time, and they said that they got a lot more beeping, tailgating and general impatience from people when they were driving their instructor's cars than their 'normal' vehicles.

I was used to driving my dad's N reg (so 1996) Landrover Discovery.

Had been driving 15 years, very proficient, no crashes and no tickets, have driven maybe 20 different sized cars in that time.

Decided to hire a car for a week holiday in Hampshire.

Got a swish, brand new Audi, 85 litre (ok, maybe 2 litre) thing that practically did the driving for you.

Unless you are used to an elderly Discovery, whereby you bunny hop the Audi off the forecourt then stand it on its nose by pressing the brake too hard, glancing in the rear view mirror to see the pain in the eyes of the bloke who's just leased it to you

I was fine by the time I got up the road, it was just an initial case of "fuuuuuuuuuck" this is sensitive

I'm not alone then And yeah I think the P plates aren't working for me but I thought i'd give it a pop...you never know.

And the nice larger diesels really don't need as much from you as a driver I can see why instructors go for them.

I had the same and got an automatic... Will never drive a manual again! Feel it makes me a safer driver without faffing with gears and clutch... I could have persevered but couldn't be bothered! So nice to know I'll never stall again!

I can see why people do

It will get easier as you progress from 'conscious competence' to 'unconscious competence' ie doing the driving mechanics without even thinking about it...

And when you stall The people behind you may toot and huff, but fuck em, it's only a few seconds and they can wait. It won't kill them. We were all there once. Nice people will give you the benefit of the doubt and those that don't aren't worth worrying about anyway

In a few months you will be zippong around with ease. Congrats on passing your test.

Thank you

It was already easier today than it was yesterday so I hope that just continues. I have managed to be defensively apathetic to people that drive up my arse or beep if I don't pull off fast etc which is big for me

I passed my test over 30 years ago, I've driven lots of cars, petrol and diesel (even, on rare occasions, under protest, automatics), one thing is guaranteed though, the first time or two at least I drive a new-to-me car I stall the bugger, usually in the most inconvenient place possible.

It's not you it's just the change from one car to another, they all have their idiosyncrasies.

Thanks bookaholic

The biting point in this car is reallllly high and it needs a fair bit of gas but it took me a good day or two to work out exactly how much without having to really think about it. But it's all new

On the way home today I had to get through 4 major roundabouts with several lanes (all in my hometown) & I was much more confident in taking/judging gaps and not actually worrying about stalling when moving off.

I really did just want to give up yesterday so I'm glad it's getting easier already, even if I have a long way to go with experience and being able to judge/predict what other drivers are doing/going to do!

YAY! Go you

It's so nice being mobile on your own, I was at a funeral (120-ish miles from home, in a village just outside my home town) yesterday. I drove up on Sunday night so I could do some family visiting and not have to worry about the traffic on the way. There were so many people there who were astounded that I'd driven from Somerset to Warwickshire on my own (and was planning on returning that evening) because "they just can't do long distances/motorways/drive at night". It really did astound me.

I know what you mean! A lot of people have gone when I've told them I drove to Salisubury/have already driven with DS in the car several times/have driven in the rain. I keep being told I should ease into it but I paid well over a grand to ease into it with lessons so bugger that

I have made some STUPID mistakes in the last few days but I'm not going to beat myself up over them. It's stuff like being in the wrong lane and having to go around and do it again or not being used to having a car that doesn't have much power (like today when we were going so slowly up a steep hill that I had to just stop and wait til there was more of a gap or I'd have stalled and rolled into the car behind me...That was down to the car/speed/hill though not me). I also nearly drove the wrong way out of a car-park but was paying attention and realized and corrected it and wasn't in danger. It's just annoying little mistakes that I figure are part of being out on your own without directions and experience of other road users etc.

I usually beat myself up over everything but I refuse to do it over driving cus it was a lot of hard work and my instructor thought I was very safe and had good control etc and he'd been doing it for 36 years so I believe him

(The thing earlier was because someone was lost and looking for a road/turning on the hill so was creeping up the hill like you would in a VERY slow traffic jam and my poor car was sputtering along in first gear but 2nd would've been too fast so I didn't really have much choice. It was still embarassing though ).