Where in Newcastle do you live? I know an excellent instructor that might do your area if you're interested.
Driving Instructor Ramble.
- Thread starter campbell
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Where in Newcastle do you live? I know an excellent instructor that might do your area if you're interested.
Soldato
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Echo a lot of points on here, find someone your comfortable with and you feel teaches you at a rate you can manage.
Seems that the required time to learn to drive has gone up, but I am not surprised learners seem to learn a lot more than 20 years ago, parallel parking etc
A lot get confused between being a good driver and having good car control. The ability to control a car well makes jack **** difference when you drive badly. I mean too close, too fast for the conditions etc
If good driving instructors are teaching people better driving and not just the car control required to pass a test thats a good thing and over their lifetime of driving it will undoubtedly save them money and also potentially their life.
Seems that the required time to learn to drive has gone up, but I am not surprised learners seem to learn a lot more than 20 years ago, parallel parking etc
A lot get confused between being a good driver and having good car control. The ability to control a car well makes jack **** difference when you drive badly. I mean too close, too fast for the conditions etc
If good driving instructors are teaching people better driving and not just the car control required to pass a test thats a good thing and over their lifetime of driving it will undoubtedly save them money and also potentially their life.
I'm only here for university mate, but I live in Jesmond. Due to the massive amount of work I have, I have to learn to drive during summer at home (Teesside)
The only problem with that is you HAVE to drive an automatic for the rest of your life now unless you retake your test in a manual (Which will obviously take practise). I'd much prefer to pass in a manual and then be allowed to choose between Auto and manual although Automatic does look appealing for city driving.
It's basically a manual but the hardest part (Changing gears and clutch control) is automatially done for you
.It's basically a manual but the hardest part (Changing gears and clutch control) is automatially done for you
Yes I could probably start the thing up and steer and brake and signal etc. Never used automatic gears before though. I'm guessing its noob friendly though.
Man of Honour
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I didn't because my Mum & Dad lived in Nigeria.
5 lessons and then test day where I made so many mistakes that I was 100% sure I had failed.
He was in a good mood.
Yes I could probably start the thing up and steer and brake and signal etc. Never used automatic gears before though. I'm guessing its noob friendly though.
You have a handle which replaces the gearstick which has got basically forward & reverse on it.
All you need then is accelerator & brake while you can leave your left foot on the floor all the time and you never have to touch the 'gearstick' again unless reversing or switching it off.
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Showing your age there
, you wouldn't get away with that now days. Heard similar stories from my Dad and my Nana, Passing in very few lessons. Yes I could probably start the thing up and steer and brake and signal etc. Never used automatic gears before though. I'm guessing its noob friendly though.
Aye, it is. American's drive these and, combined with the fact they think it's a right to be able to drive, is the reason why many Americans pass their tests after about 5-10 lessons.
Yes I could probably start the thing up and steer and brake and signal etc. Never used automatic gears before though. I'm guessing its noob friendly though.
The point of automatic gears is you don't have to know how to use them... if you can drive a manual you can drive an automatic.
I passed my driving test in August on the 11th this year, first time with only four minors. Now for the embarrassing bit, I'm twenty eight and it took me roughly a hundred lessons.
Thats a couple of grand gone your instructors way, bet he loved you!!
Man of Honour
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Showing your age there
My Dad had to do his National Service in 1958 and he was with the REME in Germany.
His Sergeant asked him if he could drive and my Dad said 'No'.
The Sergeant pointed at a big truck and told him to learn by driving it around the base on his own.
That was his only test.
What I find a little bit daft when learning to drive is that both in the Theory and practical lessons they extensively go over the obvious things but neglect other things that are not obvious but still important.
For example when i passed my test and bought a car all was well and good but then my horn just stopped working and was at a loss at what to do. I didnt want to go to a garage and get ripped off for being a noob.
It was a guy at work who told me about fuses and how my fuse for my horn had gone.
This was never coverd in all my lessons considering the cost of lessons I find that quite lame.
For example when i passed my test and bought a car all was well and good but then my horn just stopped working and was at a loss at what to do. I didnt want to go to a garage and get ripped off for being a noob.
It was a guy at work who told me about fuses and how my fuse for my horn had gone.
This was never coverd in all my lessons considering the cost of lessons I find that quite lame.
I wonder now, if you learn in an Automatic but you buy a car with a flappy paddle gearbox, can you still drive it?
Is there a clutch in cars like this? I remember on Top Gear they said it can clutch down, change gear and clutch back up in less than a second, thus it's not a manual is it.
Is there a clutch in cars like this? I remember on Top Gear they said it can clutch down, change gear and clutch back up in less than a second, thus it's not a manual is it.
You can drive those with an Automatic licence as there is no clutch, you just hit the flappy padal when needed.
Maybe driving instruction should also include changing a wheel, or perhaps fitting a set of spark plugs or changing blown bulbs, or even a full service? The problem is, where do you draw the line!
Fitting a fuse is simple and yes it could be taught but what happens if they fit the wrong fuse which initially is there to protect the equipment and fitting a wrong fuse could possibly further damage components or even cause a fire?
Fuses don't usually go for no reason so you'd also have to teach them to identify the cause of the problems before putting a fuse back in!
Most local authority areas have basic vehicle maintainance courses which would help those who want to carry out their basic car maintainance but you can't reasonably expect an instructor to include that as part of the training without it costing the student even more for the extra time involved!
I have enough problems teaching them the ins and outs of the "show me - tell me " questions, let alone adding other info for them to learn.