h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

w00t. So yesterday was my Birthday.
I woke up and to my surprise had only a few hours to my first driving lesson, which was a nice surprise - to begin with, I kept stalling a few times but toward the end of the lesson I think my clutch control improved greatly - we'll have to see how I control it next Sunday, which is my next lesson.

I had a few pseudo-official lessons with BSM before, and /then/ it seemed that the instructors took it as read that I'd familiarised myself with all the controls, knew how everything worked, et al, but my official instructor is brilliant in comparison to both a) the instructors at those few unofficial lessons and b) the glitchy driving simulator software I have which always screams at me for not doing something right, but doesn't tell me where I went wrong. Thanks to the first lesson I had yesterday, I know now where to position the car in the road depending on where you plan to go, and I'm checking my mirrors *at least* every seven seconds.

I also learnt that the little button-thing on the gear lever is only pulled up when you want to go into reverse - not all the time as the instructors from the unofficial lessons said - thus why I used to be completely incapable of selecting first gear, and moving straight across to reverse instead. (But I think that may've been carried over from starting off in an Automatic - you have to pull a button up on the 'gear' lever, if you can call it that, to release the lever in an Automatic - an Automatic Vauxhall Corsa, at least.)

I can change gears quickly and swiftly too - and with a bit of practise of clutch control, the car won't even stutter coming back off the clutch with the new gear. It's just brilliant when you watch someone drive and marvel at how much of a skill it is, and don't believe them when they say it's really easy - and when you now know how it's done and meet it with ease.

I was also congratulated for going no faster than, tops, 15mph on my first lesson, since apparently usually people drive really fast when they start off, with a false sense of confidence at being behind the wheel in a dual-controlled car - I lost count of the amount of times my instructor said 'Just give a little more gas..' - but then there were speed bumps around the quaint little estate I was driving round; And whoever thought driving round a circuit at roughly 10mph for 2 hours wouldn't get old and boring?

So every Sunday at 12:30 now I have a lesson - I don't think it'll be too long until I'm confident enough (and can drive on main roads) to drive myself home.

So after my driving lesson, we all went out to a restaurant, and I had a steak and ale pie in onion gravy - unspeakably the greatest meal on the menu. - Followed by a rich toffee and chocolate cheesecake, and a few drinks back at the local pub.

A great day in that it was just a quiet day with little fuss made.

*impatient for next driving lesson*

Congratulations, aka. It's lovely to hear you had a good day.

The whole clutch control thing is odd - once you get the hang of it, it is really easy even when switching between vehicles with clutches of radically different bite and movement. I suspect it's posssibly more a matter of better throttle control - enough not to stall, but not enough to thrash the engine - rather than clutch control. (I guess throttle control may in some ways be a little harder in modern cars with really quiet engines.)

Though it's still possible for anyone to stall, I doubt many practiced drivers could manage to do the the classic learner-driver's kangaroo-hop if their life depended on it. Maybe there's some natural foot-synchronisation reflex that people unlearn without realising it?

I learned to drive at the same time I learned to cycle, and was always getting told off my my instructor for leaning into corners.

Happy Birthday
for yesterday

Yeay, driving lessons are great, I remember my lessons, I didn't get on with my first driving instructor so switched over to a new one who was great He wore shorts and everything You know teachers are going to be cool if they turn up with a huge grin in shorts!

He had also taught a lot of my scout friends, there was the joke that one of my friends used to say that she didn't *do* rights whenever asked to turn right at the end of the road, I think parking, 3 point turns and anything involved with reversing was included in the things she didn't *do*! She drives fine now though

Good luck for the next lesson, you'll pick it up quicker than you expect, once you have control of the car the rest is just learning the rules, a bit like riding a bike really!

Mel

Happy Birthday mate and good luck with your driving.

How old are you BTW?

Happy Birthday!!

Thanks!


Potholer:

Yeah, I think I started to get the hang of it near the end of the lesson - going around the same estate (although it was fairly large - not just driving round the same block) gives you more efforts to focus on doing it right, rather than where you're going. And my traffic-meeting negotiation is perfect. Well, my instructor didn't say that, but I know I did it right. Being courteous to let prioritised traffic past instead of assuming I myself have priority, etc.

I've had lifts from people who are excellent drivers but stall accidentally - all it takes is a loose foot, or a twitch in the leg or something, and you come off the clutch too quickly.


Mel:

Well, April's not really a shorts month for weather, but my instructor seems like a decent bloke - not too strict - you can have a joke, etc. The Good Guy is usually the instructor though - it's the examiners you've got to be wary of.

I'd actually heard that joke before! Maybe it's not so unique to your friend.



FB, I'm now 18. And thanks FB & Luthiena.

I never said it was unique, just that it was an on-going joke! We've all said it about something in our time I'm sure!

Mel

Wow mate so you get to try drinking for the first time then !

Hah. I started drinking when I was 9 (and haven't stopped since - KIDDING!).

Anyhoo, said it before, but hooray! You made it! aka = adult now.

Of course, now everyone will tell you you are *still* a teenager, despite having gone through puberty.

(Hah! 3 months to go till mine.)

*knows nothing about driving*

Nah you have to be 21 before you're a *real* adult
.......and even then it's debatable!

Mel

Meh - you have to be 25 to get non-age-discriminate car insurance. And that's half of 50!

"Hippo/bird and two (female)"



Terri.

*perplexed*

Thanks, anyway!

It works better in visual form!

Hippo = happy

Bird and two ewes = birthday to you

at perplexity; hey, i can puzzle a !

zdt

Happy Birthday, aka! And safe and happy driving too!

Ah, I get it.
Thanks Terri, Hellbound.

Happy Birthday!

"I was also congratulated for going no faster than, tops, 15mph on my first lesson, since apparently usually people drive really fast when they start off..."

Hehe, my driving instructor was a complete speed freak. On my first lesson he had me driving on a 50mph road! He kept telling me to go faster and faster and faster. I didn't want to go at 50! Once when we were driving down some little country roads at about 40 (the fastest I felt safe at) he told me "I must drive you down these roads at 70 some time". Or when we did a motorway driving practice after I passed my test and he said something like "Take it up to 90, we want to get ahead of those trucks quickly". That's not even legal! He was a bit of a loony, but a nice bloke.

< happy birthday

Um, it's a bit late, but thanks for the sentiment, I guess.

And 50 on your first lesson? That's just - . Indescribable.
I have to say I think my instructor loves the speed thing too, but not so much as yours apparently did.

I still have issues keeping a constant speed higher than 30. Sometimes higher than 20. Guess I'll get used to it in time.