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Hey guys, finally gonna start spending my time to getting a drivers license. I was wondering if you can offer any advice that people dont normally think about. Cars scare me a bit to be honest so I'm hella nervous about it and I've been putting it off for years. Anyways any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I like having my rear view mirrors pointed down enough just so I can see the lines of the road. It will help you know you’re in the center or how much room you have to move over incase you need to do so. And always check your rear views!
Look forward in the middle of the lane. Do things by the book even if you feel the instructor is bored or restless. Remember that driving doesn’t “come naturally” to everyone, don’t listen to people boasting about how few lessons or test attempts they took, it will take as long as it takes.
Finally if it helps you can narrate out load what you’re doing like checking the mirrors, signalling, changing the gear etc. It helped me a lot when I was learning and in the UK (idk about other countries) you can narrate your way through your practical test.
Good luck.
its the wrong timea the year but doin donuts in the snow can give you lotsa confidence for knowin how a vehicles gonna react once its slidin
you could try the same thing in the dirt
When you are backing or driving forward out of a parking spot go straight back or straight forward a few feet before turning. If you just start turning immediately you will scratch the car next to u.
As IIN's friendly carguy and driving fanatic, I gotta give you a few pointers. I got a license for pretty much any vehicle you can drive on the road, so I'm not being an ass for the sake of entertainment.
Number one rule when driving - Focus on driving. Forget about your phone, your instagram, facebook and whatever... Those can wait. Look where you want to go, mess with car settings and the radio when you are stationary.
Don't focus on the scenery, or on the very cute fluffy dog/ or hot chick on the sidewalk. Focus on the road. Learn how to deal with all the surrounding vehicles.
I see lots of young drivers on their phones, or adjusting stuff on the car while driving. We live in 2020, not in 1985, where you have to switch cassettes... Chances are you are driving, listening to spotify via bluetooth, or just playing music off your USB stick. Set it up before you go and then focus on the driving!
As a new driver, leave a bit more distance to the car in front of you. Even as a veteran driver, who's done around 200000km in many vehicles, including semi-trucks, vans and buses, I always leave a bit of extra space. You never know what the car in front of you is gonna do.
Never forget about vehicle maintenance. You take care of your car, car takes care of you - it's as simple as that... unless you bought an Alfa Romeo, but that's a different story.
Another tip I recommend is learn how to drive in a larger car, or buy a larger banger as your first car. If you master a larger car, you'll handle anything.
Many new drivers make the mistake of learning how to drive in something like a Golf (small car) and then buy an even smaller VW Polo, or whatever... Fast forward 5-10 years, they can afford a bigger, better and more comfortable car, but smash up every side of the damn thing, cause they got so used to tiny cars.
On slippery surfaces always be as gentle as possible. Brakes, gas, steering... do it gently. The more wheelspin, or slippage you have, the less traction you get.
And finally relax. Driving is an incredible freedom that gives you time to unwind and enjoy the journey. Even more so in the proper car with something like a twin-turbo V8, or a very responsive and balanced I6... But that's carguy stuff.
If you have any questions about cars and driving, feel free to ask.
I hate driving in small cars. I feel like I never have enough visibility. And it’s also amazing how I catch older people on their phones just as much as young ones!
Always leave room for the vehicle in front of you! I always assume there’s babies in every car around me!
To be honest, I feel more comfortable in a big rig, than I do in a small city car.
I used to have a Saturday job driving and parking various vehicles on various parking lots and fields in a massive complex, one of the largest vehicle storage companies in Europe. I'd drive stuff ranging from a Smart to a double decker coach. And sometimes I couldn't park the small car the first try, when I'd regularly park trucks, buses and tractors in one go, even ones without a rear camera XD
I've been driving for nearly fifty years now, and I've only ever had one accident. That happened a few months after I'd moved to the UK from the USA. By then, I'd been driving for about five years and I'd even driven coast-to-coast in the USA a few times. About half an hour into my first drive in Britain, talking to my passenger distracted me as I turned from a side-street on to a main road, and I automatically went into the right lane. Unfortunately, the road then went into a blind curve and I encountered someone who was on the correct side of the road.
That's probably not a situation you're likely to encounter, but it highlights the potential for disaster if your attention slips when you're a relatively new driver, and it's also a cautionary tale about being over-confident.
My main advice for new drivers is to keep the distractions in the car to the absolute minimum. Switch your damn phone off, tell any passengers to shut the hell up, don't try to eat or drink when driving, and don't have anything distracting playing on the audio system - so no pod-casts or talk radio. Your main task as a new driver is to get enough hours in for the mechanics of car control to become second-nature and largely a matter of muscle-memory, and for you to learn the right mind-set for driving.
Any time I'm driving, I'm always wondering: "What stupid shit are the idiot, distracted drivers and the zoned-out, ear-bud-wearing cyclists on the road with me and the dimwitted pedestrians close to the road going to do next in an attempt to thoroughly mess up my day?"
Reading the road and anticipating hazards is a skill that only comes with lots of practice, but if you start out assuming that everyone you encounter on a drive is a totally clueless cretin with a death-wish, you'll probably survive long enough to acquire that skill and the defensive-driving attitude will become ingrained.
An important part of reading the road is not focusing all your attention immediately in front of the car. It's obviously very important to be aware of the vehicles directly in front of you and to either side, but you should also be scanning ahead, looking out for brake lights, seeing how the road bends, giving a quick glance at side-streets you're approaching to check for any vehicles or cyclists there who might suddenly shoot out, and watching for pedestrians who might also do something stupid.
Keeping a good distance between your car and the vehicle ahead is very important, since even if you're totally focused on driving and you're keeping a close eye on what's happening ahead of you, it takes time to react, and you should never treat the brake pedal like an on-off switch. Progressive braking is an important skill to learn, and it makes it much less likely that the jerk behind you will smack into your rear end. A good rule of thumb is to learn how to keep at least two seconds between you and the car ahead: pick some mark on or beside the road ahead, and start counting seconds when the car in front of you passes it. If you can't finish two-Mississippi by the time you pass it, you're too close. This works at any speed, and you'll eventually acquire a feel for the safe spacing without having to count.
Living in Italy for several years cured me of worrying too much about what I could see in my rear-view mirror. The vast majority of Italians are crap drivers who habitually tail-gate anyone who isn't going at least 40 kph over the speed limit. I decided early on that what was going on behind me wasn't my problem. I couldn't do anything to stop the idiots from sitting on my back bumper, and there was nothing I could do to prevent them from rear-ending me if some unanticipated danger suddenly appeared in front of me and I had to emergency brake. In any case, if they were to hit me, they'd be the one to pay the price in their insurance premiums, and the odds were pretty good that I'd be able to drive away while they were left sitting by the road mourning the death of their precious car.
I doubt if any of that makes you feel more confident or happier about the idea of driving, but the fact is that, although we all assume the best when we set out to drive somewhere and we take driving for granted, every time we get behind the wheel of a car we're taking control of a lethal machine.
hate to go on about the old days but I think this system was safer and better.
First we had small push bikes then adult ones.
Secondly small motor bike, passed test then the big bikes.
Third small car, lesson, pass test then big car.
The fashion these days for mummy driving you everywhere, pass test, get big car is nonsense, where do you pick up experience of the road?
Keep a good distance from traffic in front.Double your distance from other drivers in wet and ice covered roads.Break slow if roads are slippery. Pay attention to your surroundings.Keep tools, spare tire,flashlight and battery jumper cables handy.