Had my first driving lesson today

[PearlClutchUser]

Im 39 and it was the first time ive ever driven a car 😂

My instructor was amaaaaazing so sweet and patient! I think I did a pretty okay job considering, and i couldn't believe i was suddey pootling down country roads it felt amazing! It still feels like im not quite GETTING the clutch and how it functions. Its like when i was in the moment driving i could do it, but now I'm back home, ive forgotten how it all works.

Do you think thats normal? Also should I buy a car to practice with? She suggested i get my own car and pootle around with it and then she can give me a few precision lessons before the exam. OR she said she could do a standard weekly lesson with me. But she seemed confident even from this first lesson that I should be okay with the former (?)

Well you can’t drive your own car without someone with a licence being in it either you. If you do have someone it WILL be stressful. Carry on with the lessons and get a car to suit when you pass.

Your instructor suggested you wouldn't need a series of lessons after your very first one? And suggested you 'buy a car and pootle around in it'?

Yeah...

@PearlClutchUser I would get a different instructor, if I were you. You might be able to get the car to move from A to B but that doesn't make you a good driver and you will have learned no road craft at all in the course of 1 lesson.
In fact, it seems so unlikely that any instructor would ever say this (why would they not encourage you to have as many expensive lessons as possible?) that I think you might have got hold of the wrong end of the stick.

Have the professional lessons, pootling around in your own car you will definitely pick up bad habits as barely anyone drives how you are expected to in a test.

Did you do parallel and reverse parking into a space?

Given the ability of some people with driving licences it would explain a lot.

If you have someone who is happy to take you out in your own car - that is great.

But - in most cases that isn't usually enough to replace lessons with a qualified instructor.

• it can be more stressful, especially in the early stages when you are not confident (and neither is your passenger). *
• it's a huge outlay if you don't pass and just end up with a taxed & insured car looking pretty but doing nothing on the driveway.

I would keep on with the lessons, and as you get more confident, perhaps then invest in a car.

• I remember the tears and stress with my dad taking me out / and my daughter may not yet have forgiven me for being a jumpy supervisor.

I’m so surprised she suggested that after one lesson. At lesson one you might be able to move the car but that’s about it . She needs to teach you a lot of other things before you would be ok to go out with someone else . Road craft for a start . What all the buttons and levers do for another thing . That sounds most peculiar and not at all professional. Please seek another instructor.

Suggesting getting a car and pootling around in it makes it sound as though you’d be driving on your own! Did she not say anything about you asking licensed people to volunteer to drive with you? Which is quite a responsibility with no dual controls and your lack of experience.

I can help you understand how a clutch works if you have a good understanding of how clockwork cogs work.

Imagine you have a little clockwork cog that is spinning around very fast, currently not connected to anything.

Nearby you have 3 other wheels - wheel A that has twice as many teeth as the little wheel, wheel B that has 3 times as many and wheel C that has 4 times as many.

If you connect the little wheel to wheel A, wheel A will spin around one revolution for every 2 revolutions the little wheel does. If you connect the little wheel to wheel B, wheel B will spin around one revolution for every 3 revolutions the little wheel does. If you connect the little wheel to wheel C, wheel C will spin around one revolution for every 4 revolutions the little wheel does.

So wheel C is slowest, but crucially because it is slow it is more strong - it can apply a bigger force.

If wheels A B and C are all doing the same job of moving something heavy, the most difficult bit is when you are starting it moving slowly as it doesn't have momentum so you use wheel C, but once it is moving and has momentum it is easier for it to go faster so you can shift through using wheel B and eventually wheel A.

But if you try to use all 3 at the same time the entire assembly will break. The clutch is the mechanism that disengages the little spinning wheel and the wheel you are connecting it to, so that you can shift it across to can lock together with the next wheel and spin together without trying to go at 2 different speeds at the same time. The important thing to do is to learn to use the clutch peddle just gently enough that it doesn't give the gears a crashing shock while being firm enough to keep the movement between gears reasonably smooth.

It sounds like you have got off to a good start and have some natural ability at coordinating the mechanics. I certainly didn't. I think i didn't even get to leave the car park and go on the road until my third lesson.

Getting your own car, yes, good idea, as long as you've got someone to supervise you for practice (partner?) Otherwise no point until you've passed. You can't drive alone and your companion needs to be over 21 with own licence I think.

Pracitce supposed to be complimentary to formal lessons so unless you're a total prodigy you need to keep going. When my son was learning to drive i read somewhere that the average person should aim to get 100 driving hours (lessons and practice) before first test and I think he got to roughly that number and passed first time. I passed first time too but I needed a lot more practice, I just didn't "get it" for ages!

My husband only had a handful of lessons (less than 10 I think) and passed. Not everyone needs a lot but I do think it's safer - practice makes perfect!

Have a few more lessons before you buy a car. Then of course, you can't go out driving in it on your own unless you've passed your test, so you need someone who has a driving licence to sit beside you.

But good for you for taking the plunge! You will be fine!

I didn't pass my test until I was 35, now I drive 40k miles a year so I'm making up for lost time.
The clutch will come, you don't actually think about the mechanics of it while you're driving it's all muscle memory.
If you were pootling on your first lesson you're doing fine, I'm pretty sure I didn't get out of the carpark!
I'd get a bit more experience before you get a car yourself, remember they'll be no dual controls.

Have you ever ridden a motorbike, pushbike or horse in traffic? The mechanics of making the car move forward, backwards & round corners is pretty straightforward. It’s hazard perception, getting in the right lane, driving normally and safely in traffic, anticipating other drivers etc that really matters.

The clutch should come with practice. If it doesn’t, consider an automatic? (All electric cars are automatic).

Going out to practice with a qualified driver should be in addition to lessons, not instead of.

She thinks that you need just this one lesson you have had today and then some close to your test date?

@honeylulu I’ve been driving for 24 years and finally understand how the clutch does its thing. 😂

@PearlClutchUsercongratulations o your first lesson. Keep up with the weekly lessons to learn correct driving principles. If you can afford a car and have someone willing to take their life in their hands then do it and use your car at every opportunity.

I remember after my first lesson I told my dad I could drive. He took me out and it was a disaster. The instructor had clearly been helping with the gear changes! 😂
I had 15lessons and drove my sisters car (with my dad beside me whenever I could) I passed first time and couldn’t believe I’d waited until 19 to learn.

I switched to an automatic last year out of sheer laziness and it’s bloody brilliant. Like driving very fast go-kart!