Learning to drive driving you mad?

[ShowOfHands]

So here it is, a learning to drive thread.

I think there are a few of us. I predict much swearing. Is it only me that goes one step forwards, only to go 8 steps backwards?

I'm SOH, have been learning for the grand total of a fortnight. DH is teaching me. My aim is to be driving by the end of September when dd is supposed to start nursery and they change the driving test again.

I live rurally (very rurally) and rely on dh for lifts everywhere. Even a supermarket trip is reliant upon him being home from work. And as he's a police officer, he's never home on time, works long hours and as a consequence, we're fairly isolated.

I am trying to focus on the new lease of life for us.

I don't have a provisional licence yet (still waiting for it) but live on private land with tracks of about 3 miles so am driving round a farm atm.

I'll kick off the swearing so there's no illusion of standing on ceremony. How the buggery feck do you look in 3 mirrors, one windscreen, at the speedometer and not cry all at the same time? Answers on a postcard.

Have just come across this thread.

My name is fatoftheland and I have been learning to drive since march.

I loved it when I first started, was full of confidence until i went out in my own car and stalled in the middle of the road. It took a lifetime to start the car as i kept stalling and i was blocking the road to all traffic! It was horrible and i took a month out of driving to get over it.

Now i love it, i have an amazing instructor and will miss him when i stop. Have got my test soon but not telling anyone when it is incase i fail!
Good luck to all who are taking theirs and well done to those that have passed!!

Hi fatoftheland!

That stalling thing happened to me too, right in the way of an oncoming van!
Well done to you on getting back out there though. I wimped straight out and gave up manual lessons!

Good luck for your test, hope to see good news soon!

Hi Everyone ,
just wondering how everyones lessons are going ?

Welcome to the thread , fatoftheland !...i stalled on a hill start during my test , and still passed .The thing is ,too restart as quickly as you can without panic...well done on keeping going after that van incident.
Good luck with your up comming test, remember mirrors mirrors mirrors !

Who else is planning to do the pass plus when they get their licence? .
Im needing help with motorway driving , its too scary for me at the moment.

DH is going to get me a car of my own at the weekend ....have seen a couple i like .
DH wants to test drive them first to make sure ive not picked an elephant .
He drives for a living and can spot a troubled car easily , i wouldnt have a clue .

Cant wait to see who passes next !

Keep Driving ! .

Showofhands , have you got that provisional yet?

Hi all!

Droves, yes, my instructor said that if you stall and restart the car quickly, safely and calmly they don't take it as a major fault. Ooooooh you're going to have your own car, how nice I'm not sure whether I'll take the pass plus yet. My insurance wouldn't accept it to offer any sort of discount so if I do take it, it'll be just for my own benefit I just have to save some money, too many driving related expenses lately!

Blackfly, hi! I've managed to get an earlier date now, 1st September

Fatoftheland, welcome to the thread

I have a lesson tomorrow, looking forward to it, hope I don't get the heavy rain forecast for this weekend

Waves to all!

SugarMousePink ...the nerves can work for you .
You will get nerves then an adrenaline rush that can actually help your brain work faster and improve your reactions.
Nerves can be good . Honest.

I was so nervous last time i couldnt sleep the night before and was sick on the morning of the test....and kept pee-ing. First stop at the test centre was THE LOO ! .

You can do it sugar , im fully expecting you to pass next friday !.

Gauchita .... well done on getting that earlier date ...

Hi mn's enjoyed reading this thread.
I've been learning to drive for 18 months now.Started in manual-hated it.Also had two awful instuctors.

Now I'm on my third insructor and having tried for so long with manual decided to learn automatic.

Haven't got round to my theory test.Keep on changing the date and putting it off.

Just had my second son who is 5 weeks old and have ds1 who is 2(terrible twos)

I have the mock test disc and finding it hard.Also really can't get to grips with the hazard perception part.

Don't know how I'm ever going to pass.Have no friends or family in the area so nobody to help with childcare so I could study.

Also feel really stupid when people ask whether I've passed yet as it's been 18 months!!

*instructor.

Feeding baby while typing

hi SHABBY ! dont worry about the 18 months , it took me 5 years to pass my test ! .
Main problem was , like you , i had a serious lack of babysitters so i only had lessons now and then.
It doesnt matter , you`ll get there in the end !

SUGAR - good luck with your lesson tommorow ...am looking forward to hearing all about it .

I got my own car today ! .Its a corsa 1.2 and its green .....and i LOVE it !....so much easier to drive than my instructors car.
Been out already , drove to the next village and on to the one after that too...was fab!.

Still a bit scared of roundabouts , but managed them ok.

Morning all!

Sugar, hope you have a good lesson today, don't over-worry (easier said than done, I know) and remember "mirrors, mirrors, mirrors" YOU CAN DO IT!!! Will be thinking of you. Oh, glad you managed to find a lower quote.

Droves, yay, motorised now! Oh, the freedom, I can only imagine how happy you feel

Shabby, welcome to the thread. I second what the girls have said, don't worry about the 18 months, you have a 5-week old! plus a toddler so it's obvious you cannot just go and have lessons unless you have someone to help babysit the DC. Going off a tangent, awwwww a 5-week old . Sugar's right about the HPT, could you try and practice when the DC are in bed? for maybe 15 mins every night?

SOH, how are you???

Right, I have my first mock test today Will tell you about that later Suddenly 1st Sep feels too close !!! Arghhhh!

Gauchita - good luck with your mock test today ! . ...come sept 1st you will be celebrating that pass !

Sugar - Mirrors before you manouver,before you change speed and before you do anything.
Always check both ways and behind twice before comming out at a junction .
Also ,always check all around before doing turn in road, a reverse round the corner (and remember to check right at your halfway point,and behind (for people) when youve turned .
CHECK behind your left shoulder before moving off.
Dont park near lamposts, opposite parked cars or on driveways. You -will- be asked to park and drive off a few times on your tests

Remember to and BREATH , it helps the nerves .

Yay for the passes!
Im getting impatient being a learner now, I feel like a driver, just need the official say so!
I do all the driving at the weekend, DH thinks it's great.
My previous lesson was on Friday evening and the roads were so quiet that I just let rip, roundabouts that were quiet so I would check and take them at third, informing my instructor that I know I should be slowing down to second. It was good fun!
Ive done several sainsburys trips now so at least I have the supermarket run sorted.
Also did the dreaded slip road onto dual carriageway with the M42 island just a few hundred yards away so lots of approaching traffic quickly changing lanes so they are in the correct one. Had a slight sheen of sweat on my forehead after that one!
Test soon ahhhhh.

ONEFISH - have you had the baby yet?

yeah my test date is 21st september.

Got my lesson in an hour and a half nobody to have the children so they are gonna have to come with me! That should be fun!

Hello all, mind if i join?

I've had about 20hrs of lessons, and by all accounts ment to be a natural driver . Strange considering i haven't even learnt a manoeuver yet, getting quite fed up now.

At this rate i will have to resit my theory all over again.

Anyone ever had the feeling that their instructor is holding them back?

Sugar, the DC's were perfect little angels, my instructor had a bag of sweets handy to keep DS quiet and DD is always happy in a moving car!
You're obviously not unprepared otherwise your instructor wouldnt of put you through for the test. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for you, just remember on manoeuvres if you feel yourself losing it, just stop what you are doing, put the handbrake on and take a few seconds to sort your head out, they cant fail you for it. Religiously check mirrors, especially at the beginning which is when they'll be watching you to make sure you do it, once they know you do look in them they are not constantly watching for it like a hawk.

Hi all!

Too busy with work to post properly

Sugar, everything crossed here for you tomorrow. Will be thinking of you all day. I second AmazingBF, check your mirrors religiously. If you think you've made a bad mistake just go on, don't think you've failed already, as it happens sometimes that if people do everything else OK they forgive them for that one You can do it, Sugar!!!

Sugar, good luck for tomorrow, am sure you'll pass with flying colours.

Well after my little sulk today, i rang a small local company, and had an assessment lesson.

My new driving instructor is a lovely female, who done her training with the company i will be leaving. We had a little drive around and she has advised me to put in for my test as waiting lists are very long in my area. She said from what she has seen she doesn't know why i haven't learnt more. Seems my intructor was waiting until i had 5's in every single subject before moving on to manoeuvers.

Plus point is my basics are nailed. And going on to busy junctions didn't panic me as much as i thought. Another of my ex instructors limits it seems.

good luck with your lessons everyone.

Good luck sugar, I'll be thinking of you today!

(I re-read that in a southern american accent because of the "sugar" Im so sad!)