First time Driver, Learner Tips ?

ViRuS2k

ViRuS2k

ViRuS2k

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Joined
26 Jan 2004
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Scotland
Just got my provisional + L plates + added to my parents car insurance.
very supprised becuse it didnt cost my parents anything to add me on there insurance :D

Was out today and yesterday driving about
only stalled the car once.. lol * due to being in the wrong gear when stoping at a round about

What tips can you give me i find at the minute my hands are getting very sticky and causing me to turn poorly due to my hands sticking to the wheel though i think its just nerves...

also i find myself looking in my rear view mirror a lot as i get kind of anxious when i car is only 1 meter from my rear bumper.

basicly all im doing is getting the basics down ect before i start to take lessons costing me less money to pass.

been practicing the theory test dvla official cd and hazard perception tests from the 15 mock tests i have done im failing about 10% of the time by only 2 questions
also the hazard perception test seems very hard to do, i know where the hazards are ect but when i press the button its not registering on the score do you have to press the button as soon as you see it or when your half way there or right on top of the hazard.

anyhoo its very exciting time as driving can be a great pleasure and gets you out and about. im enjoying the thrills lol :D
 
if someone is tailgating you and its annoying you, just pull over and let them past..

some idiot today overtook me because i was doing 30 in a 30 zone only for him to also do 30 infront of me.. annoying..

the best tip to learning how to drive is listen..

it might also help if you understood a little bit on how a car works, what peddals do what and so forth..

if you're getting hot, open the window, try and get as comfy as poss
 
Put a green P badge on the back of your car, most drivers will give you a decent ammount of room, your usual reps probably wont and will still be 3 inches off your back bumper unfortunately :(

But as mickie said, just find a comfortable position to sit in, adjust all your vents and radio before you set off, lock your doors (you will be amazed how many people get robbed in dodgy area's because they leave their doors/boot unlocked), relax and give yourself plenty of time to get to your location, rather early than late when you start to flap and rush, rushing causes you problems and you make errors, as a "new" driver, you still have a lot to learn and take in, looking at other cars positions on the road, is that pedestrian going to step out, look at the dog off its lead, will it make a bolt for it, watch the kid with the foot ball, kids like to follow balls when they bounce out into the road...
Give it 3 or so years and you will become better (it does take that long to really understand your surroundings, no matter what people say), just dont rush.

Tony:)
 
One thing that took me awhile to get right was mirror useage - i.e. if I was about to turn right from one road into another I'd glance in the driver side mirror without any real thought about what I was looking for and then make my maneuver - after driving a bit I started to actually actively look for things in the mirror that would cross the path of my maneuver rather than just aimlessly looking back for any random thing that might happen to be a problem.

I also found when overtaking for the first few months I'd concentrate far too much on the vehicle I was overtaking and the space immediatly around it and not enough looking at the road ahead of it.
 
TB1968 said:
Put a green P badge on the back of your car, most drivers will give you a decent ammount of room, your usual reps probably wont and will still be 3 inches off your back bumper unfortunately :(
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If he's a learner and already got L badges on the car why would he want to put P badges on?
 
TB1968 said:
Put a green P badge on the back of your car, most drivers will give you a decent ammount of room, your usual reps probably wont and will still be 3 inches off your back bumper unfortunately :(
Click to expand...

I only give P plates more room because they scream 'I passed my test but still have no confidence in my own abilities, be prepared for me to drive like an idiot'
 
Kenai said:
I only give P plates more room because they scream 'I passed my test but still have no confidence in my own abilities, be prepared for me to drive like an idiot'
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This.

P plates should be banned :(.


No tips really OP. Apart from practice practice practice.
 
Thanks for the tips / help peeps.

any tips on the hazard perception ? like when do you press the button as soon as you see the hazard or just as your about to get to it or instantly as your on top of it ?

dam thing most of the time is not registering my button presses.
 
Kenai said:
I only give P plates more room because they scream 'I passed my test but still have no confidence in my own abilities, be prepared for me to drive like an idiot'
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I disagree. If you hit/someone hit you a week after passing and in your world P plates where band would you not want to give them an extra bit of room?

Everyone had to learn at some point, and you only really learn when you are on the road by yourself. Cut them some slack tbh.
 
ViRuS2k said:
Was out today and yesterday driving about
only stalled the car once.. lol * due to being in the wrong gear when stoping at a round about

What tips can you give me i find at the minute my hands are getting very sticky and causing me to turn poorly due to my hands sticking to the wheel though i think its just nerves...
Click to expand...

As regards the controls just drive more. That stuff will become second nature. Drive in between lessons when you feel confident to do so.

Don't worry about stalling. Just calmly restart the car and continue.

also i find myself looking in my rear view mirror a lot as i get kind of anxious when i car is only 1 meter from my rear bumper.
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It should be the opposite way around but people are extra obnoxious around L plates. It's actually really bad driving. Nothing to be done about it I'm afraid.

basicly all im doing is getting the basics down ect before i start to take lessons costing me less money to pass.

been practicing the theory test dvla official cd and hazard perception tests from the 15 mock tests i have done im failing about 10% of the time by only 2 questions
also the hazard perception test seems very hard to do, i know where the hazards are ect but when i press the button its not registering on the score do you have to press the button as soon as you see it or when your half way there or right on top of the hazard.
Click to expand...

Get one of the other DVDs that shows you how the scoring system works.

You have to game it a little.

There's a couple of seconds scoring window which can start AFTER the hazard is first visible (if you're really paying attention).

I wound up doing something like clicking 3 or 4 times at 2 second intervals after I first spotted the hazard. However there is a maximum number of times you can repeat click before it decides you're cheating.

So, get a DVD and practice.

I think the one I had is published by "Focus" publishing or something.

anyhoo its very exciting time as driving can be a great pleasure and gets you out and about. im enjoying the thrills lol :D
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Welcome to the wonderful world of motoring. Next step: Dig a big deep pit, fill a wheelbarrow with money and... ;)
 
Bad drivers will be always about... Best let them get past you etc... Never let them bully you into doing something dangerous or make you drive in a way that you feel unconfitible.


What helped me - anytime as a passenger, watch the road as if you are driving... Try to anticipate what other drivers are going to do. Driving a car is easy... It's reading the road that is hard.
 
thanks guys for the help ;) its much appreciated.
went out again today and was driving out of a busy street, and 2 guys where slowly walking across the road even though there was no crossing i had to slow down as they seemed to be in no hurry to get across the road, had to apply the break for them lol but its funny know i know why other road drivers get ****ed off at pedestrians.. they are not always right especially when they think they own the road.

My main focus at the minute that i think needs better work is turning corners without taking your hands completely off the wheel....... but im getting there :D
 
My advice would be not to worry about covering the basics by yourself before going to an instructor. You may well find that you're ingraining bad habits you pick up from your parents (or even correct habits from them that are now taught differently), which will require extra time with an instructor to unlearn than developing them from the start would have.

Secondly - the hazard perception test. It is a game, no question. Use the foxus DVD to practice. I practised for ages before taking my instructors part 1 exam last year and developed a good technique:

See hazard: click..click........click......................click (over a 2 second period).

That way you're clicking again soon enough that if you click early before the window opens, you won't miss the points, but you're not rhythmically clicking, so won't score zero. I got 72/75 with this method on the HP test.
 
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