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.

Hi everyone, long time no post!

I'm STILL learning, but lately I've felt that I'm not really getting any further forward in my lessons (although I'Ve FINALLY been allowed to try reverse gear haha)
So I took the step of getting added onto DP's insurance, and I've driven us to Sainsbury's and back the last couple of weeks! The first time was the most nervewracking thing I have ever done - the car feels completely different to the one I'm learning in and is about 4 times the size - and there's no dual controls... I stalled at some traffic lights and couldn't get the thing started again, so in the end we had to swap seats as there was an impatient person beeping behind me and I panicked!
I only stopped shaking half way round the supermarket, but then I managed to drive us back in one piece despite stalling a couple of times!

DP was very patient with me, although he went straight to the fridge and got a beer as soon as we got home (and he'd parked it, I'm not that good yet!), I think he has a couple more grey hairs too....

I tried again today, and it went MUCH better! We went to a retail park first and I got us all the way there without stalling! I sort of abandoned the car between two spaces when we got there though and DP had to make it a bit straighter. I've got the hang of roundabouts too now, it's just changing down the gears I need to work on a bit. I drove us home without stalling too - DP got a sports drink out instead of a beer which I take to be a good sign! :o

Driving lesson on Wednesday - I just need to keep up the good work (and remember it's a different car!)

I just found this forum so I hope I can join. I am 37 weeks pregnant and was hoping to pass my test before due date-I was taking lessons for a year now with a break for 2 monthes.I am hopeless as my brain turned into mash so I postponed the test till middle of September. I have a terible SPD and was really pushing myself to the limit but now just decided that its time to stop.Still feel like crying though.

Hi ladies, i just came back to check on those still trying or those who are starting to learn.

Ruby you are doing great, progress!!!! Let us know how you get on? How far until your test?!

Olajo-take a break, enjoy the baby and get back to it after the baby for a break you'll be fine, and once you're back to it i'm sure you'll pass in september, keep us updated!! ;)

Hi Lisa - not sure about the test yet, I think I need a bit more confidence before I think about it!
SIL started learning a couple of months before I did, she thinks she'll be ready for her test in the next month or two.
I have NO idea when I'll be ready - I'm doing city centre driving at the moment in my lessons and have done 4 lane roundabouts with no problem - then it comes to the easy stuff and I mess up! I think it's just more practice I need.

(I chickened out of the supermarket run this week, I went all shaky and told DP he'd better drive- I KNOW I need to just get out there and do it before it turns into a phobia!)

I have extra incentive now - when I pass my test I've been promised a car! :)

Hi Olajo - I agree with Lisa - relax for now, enjoy your baby - even if you need to postpone your test for now it's better to be sure you're completely ready!

Just to add to my last post - I had an absolutely BRILLIANT driving lesson earlier, I actually felt like I knew what I was doing for once, and my feet were behaving with the pedals!

I've told DP that under no circumstances is he to let me chicken out of driving his weekend - and he's agreed that we're not getting the shopping until I drive us there to get it hehe! :o

this weekend that is!

Yeah go you Ruby!!! You're getting some confidence now and that is crucial!!

Lisatheonewhoeatsdrytoast) Back in May you gave me good wishes for the theory test and after I passed that you told me 'now the less difficult one to go - the practical'.

Well it's tomorrow!! Argh........feel sick at the thought!

And I really think it is going to be much harder...........fingers crossed...

Well welll...how did you get on bentneckwine1?

Whatever the outcome, you've had a taster for it, and i was soooo much better my second time around!!

Well...I passed by some miracle! This was actually my third attempt...but the last twice were over ten years ago and I have had four different instructors since then!

Going to look at cars tomorrow! Feels quite grown up!

yay!!! Well done you, congratulations!! It's the best feeling in the world!!! I loved car shopping!!! I now have my very own Citroen C3 and i love it!!

hi everyone I live in rural mid wales and have had 35 lessons so far i did 31 then had a break for six months as i did not want to learn in bad weather then my instructor retired so i had to start with a new one i have had four lessons with him so far my main problem is i hate speed anything over 40 i turn to jelly even when my friend drives i hate it i have to close my eyes and pray when i feel her speed up i asked my instructor today if i had to use fifth gear in the test and was told yes heaven help me

well i have lesson 35 yesterday and took some rescue remedy for my nerves and i have got to say i found it helped a great deal even with three point turn on the main road i really enjoyed the drive looking forward to monday to my next one lets hope i can get through the speed /fifth gear fear with it i will keep you posted

Hi, guys.

I know I probably should be here since I'm not a mum, nor even pregnant, but I found this thread through Google and I just wanted to say how encouraging it has been. I thought I was the only one who was terrible at driving, panicked in heavy traffic, and whose chances of hitting the kerb on a left reverse hover somewhere around 50%. I had my first practical test on Monday (after only TWO YEARS of lessons and 4 instructors. My current instructor says my only issue is with confidence and I'm a good driver, really), and failed on something really stupid, with frig all minors to boot.

I live in a really rural area and so I REALLY need to learn. I spend my evenings looking at the same four walls and it's really getting me down. Was okay until BF lost his job - now he can't afford to pick me up in the evenings and go visiting, or even just scobing. He's taken me out on practice drives and was shocked that I didn't pass (thought I was winding him up, and kept saying "yeah, right", until I cried and he realised I was telling the truth - men, eh?). Rebooked for the 20th at 8.50am. I've never driven at that time and am quite nervous about what the traffic might be like in Belfast (yes, Ballymena is closer to me but I chose to learn in Belfast for various reasons).

It's been a very long and discouraging year, between not being able to find a graduate job (I work in flipping ASDA), the BF finding his dream job and then being made redundant, and my granny's sudden slide into the final throes of Alzheimer's disease. Would really love something GOOD to happen, and passing my driving test would be amazing!

Oh, I also bought a car several months ago, which my dad is currently driving and which will probably be wrecked by the time I pass!

Love to you all!

BillyBrid

Ah how brilliant to see this thread again!
I was thebountymuncher on here.

Best of luck to everyone learning now.
You'll get there, even though you may feel like it'll never happen.
Wishing you loads of luck xx

Ah... a learning to drive thread. I'll be a latecomer then... Hello everyone :)

I flunked my first driving test on Tuesday after one year of lessons. I am not the most gifted at driving, I can tell you, so in my heart (and I tend to be a bit of a pessimist or realist, whichever way you look at it) I did sort of expect that it would be difficult for me to pass first time round... but I still felt disappointed when I realised I was failing - I realised it the moment the examiner placed her hands on my steering wheel when I took a turn too fast for her liking. That was 10 minutes into the test.

3 major faults.

1st major fault : Taking a turn too fast for her liking which resulted in her placing her hands on my steering wheel to "stop me hitting the kerb" which I wasn't going to, but unfortunately yes on hindsight I should have slowed down more.

2nd major fault : She asked me to pull over to the left at one point. I was expecting her to get me to do a manouevre or something. No actually she just stayed silent for a couple of seconds, then told me to drive off. I did. Without checking my blind spot even though I was looking at my side wing mirror. Fail.

3rd major fault : I failed to parallel park correctly. This is really the one that I'm gutted about the most because I've practised it many times before, and even practised it once in the hour prior to the exam. And I got it many times. And yet it failed me during the exam.

So I've clocked just about 100 hours of driving time - half of it practise, half of it in instructor's car. I'm not sure really what else to do about it because I really wanted to make sure I had lots of hours clocked before putting in for my first test, and I still failed miserably. Well I suppose at least now I know I must practice my parallel parking more now. And look over my shoulder before pulling off. And slowing down more before a bend in the road.

One thing though is I really hate my instructor's car. The seat doesn't elevate high enough for me and the top arch of the steering wheel is always blocking my view of the windscreen. It's a peugeot 206 I believe. My husband's 7-seater Vauxhall Zafira, my usual practice car, is so much better seat-wise - and the car just sits higher from the ground and I get a better view all round. I feel like taking a test in his car just to see if it's better... but yeah I do feel that it'd be harder to perform certain manouvres in his car though.

Another thing I've often wondered is : Do all of you here have to book a double lesson for a test so you get one hour driving practise and one hour for the test on the test day? I ask this because this is what my instructor always tells me to do. But I did it today and honestly felt it hadn't helped at all. It did not calm my nerves down, plus it made me feel a bit tired really... not really sure if it's a good sign at all that I feel a bit tired after an hour's driving, but obviously if I do have a license I'm only driving it to nearby places and not going on road trips... So... do you think it's advisable for me to turn down the extra hour of lesson on my next test? And just book my instructor's vehicle for an hour for the test? Or is this not the done thing (nor advisable)??

Great to see this thread has popped back up to the top again - since my last post I have my own car to practice in - a nice shiny black 2008 Ford KA! And.... I have my first and hopefully last test this afternoon

Wish me luck, I have stocked up on Rescue Remedy!

As for the lesson before the test -I'm not sure as I'm doing it in my own car (I didn't tell my instructor I'd booked it - so if I fail we need never speak of this again! ), I AM about to head out and drive round for a bit round the test area first though to get into the swing of things, I think it might help my nerves a bit!

WOW WOW WOW...... I only went and passed!!!!!!! I had a female examiner which I think helped put me at ease, and I got the reverse around a corner as my manoeuvre which was the one I was hoping for. I did however do the perfect bay park on arriving at the test centre, I hope they were watching!

I got 4 minors, two for speeding but only slightly and I noticed and corrected it so she let me off, one for slightly dodgy road positioning at a junction, and I don't remember the other but I don't care!!!!

Congratulations. I passed a year ago next week. It's an amazing feeling!!!

Wow Ruby, that was fast. Congratulations!

Northernlurker, you still remember the anniversary of your pass. Wow... I think I will too, one day, when I pass. If I pass. LOL

I have decided to use DH's car for exams for now. It sounds crazy doing it but makes sense in a way. It is a Vauxhall Zafira 7 seater, and it has been my practice car all this time. I drive it everywhere (with DH sitting next to me of course), and it feels comfortable to me, though a bit harder to park with. But not impossible. Then when I go see my instructor (which is once every 2 weeks because that's the most I can afford now), I use his Peugeot 206 and I just find it so different. Shorter car, have to take corners closer than if I was driving DH's car I find.. Also the seat in the Peugeot does not elevate me enough so I can have full view of the windscreen. I am really petite and that doesn't help. In DH's car, seat goes up high enough for me to see everything clearly, and the car itself is quite high off the ground. Funny enough, DH's previous car was a 4 x 4 and I used to practice in that as well. I think I got accustomed to a certain way of driving. No doubt have picked up lots of bad habits from DH too... so I really don't think I will be finding it easy to pass.

The cost of getting a license is horrendous and I'm feeling it now. Double lesson for the test, plus test fees, no guarantee of a pass, plus ongoing lessons. I don't think I can afford it anymore. I've already used up the £500 I have set aside in the beginning for learning to drive and now am really struggling. I will have a chat with my instructor again about my intentions, but I really don't feel like continuing with lessons anymore as every lesson we're just doing the same things, I am not being taught anything new because my instructor has taught me everything I need to know for the exam, and I always drive well during lessons. Even my parallel parking is fine usually. Then during the exam, I muck up.

So I am thinking... perhaps I might have to stop lessons and just start doing exams in DH's car from now on. It'll help save a few bucks and I suppose it makes sense to do it in his car because that car will be mine to use if I pass and DH is planning to get a motorcycle - something he has always wanted to do because he was a biker when I met him pre-parenthood days.

I just hope I don't beat the lady who holds the Guinness Book of Records for most attempts made at passing the practical driving test! I'd be broke lol

I've just been scrolling back reading my posts from when I first started (it's only taken me 18 months haha!) I still look a bit like this >>

I have now confessed to my driving instructor, and booked him to do Pass Plus next week! He wants a photo of me with my pass certificate for his website so I agreed so long as I can do my hair and make-up first!

I've been for my first solo drive too, DP needed a few things from two separate retail parks and also had some work to do that he's brought home with him - so I offered to go and pick up his stuff for him. It felt a bit like a scavenger hunt - but I enjoyed it!! It was amazing how differently I was treated by other drivers without the L plates on!

tiger - it probably will be better in the car you're used to - I know I felt more relaxed in my own car, and I managed to get loads of practice the week before too in it. And back to the double lesson question - I was REALLY stressed after my driving around before the test - but I think I got all my mistakes out of the way in that bit so it must have helped!

Well yeah! Definitely make sure you look good for the photo! I've been looking at the first-time-pass photos displayed on the Driving school's website (the driving school my instructor is from) and someone posed with the certificate covering her face on purpose because she didn't want to be photographed Also felt a bit like a loser looking through that website because obviously I feel shit now that I didn't pass first time and so many people from all walks of life did! Why do I torture myself, LOL..

I have been practising parallel parking with DH's Zafira these 2 days for a few times each day and now I can parallel park his car every time confidently. I am so chuffed LOL but of course nothing is predictable on the test day...

Hi
I've done Pass Plus today! My instructor gave me the choice of my car or his car - and I chose his as it's faster!
It was a lot of driving - we went to the seaside (Cleethorpes!) - it took about 2.5 hours to get there and I was desperate for the loo but wanted to keep going. We covered country roads on the way there, and when I finally got out of the car when we arrived my legs hardly worked after driving so long and I nearly fell over! (I'm now mentally planning service stations into any future long drives!)

On the way back I was finally let loose on motorways (unless you count the time a few months ago when I accidentally ended up in the fast lane of the A38(M) as the sat nav sent me the wrong way... ).
I really enjoyed it! Especially as my instructor's car has cruise control and he showed me how to use it, I got to relax my feet a bit!
the only thing |I found was, instead of my legs tensing up, I was gripping the steering wheel for dear life doing 70 without realising, and only noticed when I tried to move my fingers and they'd locked into place there!!

I was fine by the 3rd motorway I merged onto (the M1) - and turned the cruise control off before I got too used to it as my car isn't that posh!

The only thing I have to watch now is NOT going into 6th gear on my car - as my car doesn't actually HAVE 6th gear. That one's reverse on mine so could be a bit dodgy.....

Despite almost 6 hours of driving I also managed the normal supermarket run - DP said he didn't notice the difference after I've done Pass Plus but I felt more smug and experienced so it must have helped

Northernlurker - my test anniversary is now etched in my brain too!

Tiger, BillyBrid, justforoncex and anyone else learning - hope it's going well, you CAN do it, anyone can if I did!

(I found out earlier that the SIL I mentioned somewhere upthread who started learning the same time as me just failed her 2nd test, I feel really bad for her......)

Sounds like the Pass Plus course is useful. I wouldn't dare to venture onto the motorways if I hadn't done a course. Sounds silly but yeah I need that to boost my confidence. How much did it cost Ruby? If you don't mind telling. And is it just consisting of the one long session?

Well I am still making silly mistakes on every practice drive almost, so don't yet feel I am test ready...