Is it just me?

Soldato
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Peterboro, Distro:Ubuntu
Switch your Sat-Nav off, Use it only when you have to.
Now pore over a good Road Atlas. Philips Navigator is a good one. You will build up a "sense of direction" and find yourself paying attention to road signs.
Also the length of the centre white lines are warning you if there is likely to be hazards ahead. The lines get longer the more hazard until they become solid !

If you can't see any speed repeater signs then it's most probably a 30mph limit as that's WHY there are repeater signs (Default is 30mph)

But basically... Get more miles under your belt
 
Soldato
OP
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5 Dec 2008
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17,283
I don't mean to be rude, but do you suffer from anxiety? Just curious mate, as my wife does and still to this day after driving 10 years she does what you mentioned above. For most people those nerves go with time, but for some they just don't. My wife can't understand how i drive anywhere and it just does not phase me.
I do and didn't find it rude at all, I'm open about discussing it as it helps me really
 
Man of Honour
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Екатеринбург
Slightly hijacky but how long does the IAM course usually take to complete? As £149 seems like a good price for the course and I have a month or so free coming up
Depends on how good you are and how quick you learn. Some people can get up to scratch after 4-5 observed runs. Some take 10-15 or more. It also depends on your and your observers flexibility. Generally aim for one observed run every 3-4 weeks with 200-300 non-commuting practice miles in between.
 
Soldato
Soldato
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Depends on how good you are and how quick you learn. Some people can get up to scratch after 4-5 observed runs. Some take 10-15 or more. It also depends on your and your observers flexibility. Generally aim for one observed run every 3-4 weeks with 200-300 non-commuting practice miles in between.
Thanks. So is there a test with an instructor at the end or do the observer(s) determine when you have met criteria?
 
Man of Honour
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Екатеринбург
Thanks. So is there a test with an instructor at the end or do the observer(s) determine when you have met criteria?
The observer will recommend when you are test ready at which point you call up the IAM and they assign you a test with one of their examiners. Technically you can go straight in and apply for the test when you want but not many people do that and those that do are either very highly trained elsewhere (e.g. police) or they fail.
 

mrk

mrk

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Really it all comes with time and driving experience from.... well driving. Your first few years will be when you learn to drive now that you've recently passed your test.

Drive in all conditions, not just when it's bright and dry out. This is the only way you will hone your awareness of not only what your car is doing, but what other drivers are doing also and you will spot those who are about to display total disregard for other road users fairly easily from then onwards so you know who to avoid. Dashcam not needed.
 
Man of Honour
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I've held a license for near 20 years but my actual driving experience is a lot less - but I'm still not in a rush to drive on roads I don't know, etc. I don't generally worry about speed limits as 90% of the time it is signed and there are some fairly common sense things that clue you into the likely speed limits such as street lights that you will pickup on over time. But personally driving in terms of observation and theory (I'm a practical learner so doesn't matter how many times I read the highway code, etc. it doesn't stick until I've had a real experience to work with) doesn't come naturally to me so even after all these years I still don't feel perfectly comfortable that mixed with how many inconsiderate or just poor drivers means I tend to try and avoid busy times and/or use lesser used roads, etc.

One of the big things for people like myself and probably OP is understanding the difference between looking and seeing (discriminating what you are looking at) the thing that kind of was an epiphany so to speak for me in that respect was driving around and looking at the lines in the middle of the road and noting what they actually were as they changed - after awhile I was actually looking at things like signs, markings on the road on approach to roundabouts, etc. for the information that was important to me, etc.

EDIT: One that kind of shook me recently - was joining a dual carriage way and due to 2 road closures and an accident pushing a lot of traffic that way as a diversion it was packed - lane 1 had no spaces between traffic which was solid as far as the eye could see infront and behind moving a good 60 mph and too many vehicles in lane 2 for anyone to realistically pull out to accommodate me and the immediate few drivers who could have done something to let me in just sat there making no attempt to do so - first time ever in that situation where adjusting speed to match traffic/gap in traffic didn't have an obvious result that didn't end in a collision and for a moment my brain just kind of froze - fortunately before I had to make a decision about coming to a stop on the slip road which is a nasty position to be in really someone slowed right down to let me in.
 
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Soldato
Joined
9 Jul 2003
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9,595
This. I drive a lot with work and sometimes I'm in areas that I'm not familiar with. Some of those areas might not be well signed so I might realise too late I'm in the wrong lane. A lot of people think I'm trying to get one up on them and don't let me through. I wish people were more considerate.

That does bug me, not so much that people don't let you in (tbh thats expected now as drivers generally drive in a very selfish way) but that councils don't place lane markings / signs further back in known congested areas. Not much good queuing for ages only to find you are in the wrong lane as that particular roundabout doesn't follow the traditional layout or even worse when the layout markings suddenly change.

One tip I can give is just remember that if you make a mistake and go the wrong way you can always turn around later. Or if you are panicking about which lane to be in on a roundabout, just go in the right lane as at least you can go all the way around. If you get particularly confused by the lanes, go around again :p When I moved to a new city, I would just go out and drive around with the Sat Nav off until I got a rough idea of how to get around.

People in general do just to need to chill out though, far too much anger on the roads.
 
Soldato
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9 Apr 2007
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13,451
Couldn't agree more road near my house has two lanes going straight ahead at some lights, only when you're at the lights do you realise that the NS lane almost instantly becomes a bus lane after the lights. No one will let these people in that didn't know. I don't know why the council don't make the NS lane turn left only to avoid this.

I generally always let at least one person in. Does wind me up when others see I've let someone in and try to squeeze in also rather than slotting in behind.

Definitely a lot of places local knowledge is handy.
 
Soldato
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30 Sep 2003
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Norwich
So I'm a newish driver, coming up to a year with my licence although drove longer as I also learnt in the car I drive.

However I still get nervous when driving somewhere I don't know, worry about speed limits, unknown roads etc.

I know my anixty plays a big part in this but wondered if any one else had the same or still does?

I enjoy driving so it's not that aspect that puts me of
The more you drive in new places the more confident you'll get. Just driving the same old route will only build your confidence so high, its getting out there that will cause you to relax over time because yes you'll take wrong turns occasionally, get in the wrong lane and you may even get a dashcammer blast their horn at you for 30 seconds straight in the process to add drama to their latest YouTube production... but you'll realise none of that really matters.
 
Soldato
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9 Dec 2009
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Bristol
As mentioned just drive more, exposure therapy will reduce your anxiety on the road.

One thing I used to do on holiday back in the days before widespread sat nav was this: get a local map, imagine a cross with my location at the centre, and simply drive north and explore. Then do a trip south, then East and finally West. Once done you'll have a good idea of the layout for visiting other places.
 
Soldato
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18 Oct 2002
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Surrey
Huge one way systems I've never driven on before worry me somewhat (Birmingham springs to mind) but I've learnt to accept that I'll get lost/take a few wrong turns but I'll eventually get where I'm going with the satnav so I just give myself extra time :)
 
Soldato
OP
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5 Dec 2008
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17,283
Cheers for all the replies, I did an extra journey last night where I didn't know most the roads and had allot of horrible double round abouts got there and home alive, felt much better for doing it
 

Ev0

Ev0

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
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14,152
One tip I can give is just remember that if you make a mistake and go the wrong way you can always turn around later.

This, one of the most frustrating things isn’t that someone doesn’t know where they are going, but when they perform some moronic manoeuvre to take the turning they just missed rather than just carry on and come back for another go safely.
 
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