The few, the brave - those of us taking driving lessons right now!

Yay Karin!  Well done.

Hi everybody.  My update - drove over 1,000 miles when I was in the US on holiday last month, in an automatic car, of course!    One day, pulling out of our B&B on a small town back road, I actually started to drive down the left side instead of the right - lol!

I was supposed to take my practical test here on June 5th, but I was still struggling with maneuvres the weekend before (and didn't want to spend my entire week taking more lessons under pressure) so I postponed my test.  Right now, it's scheduled for July 6th, but I'll probably change that date cos it's the day after my birthday, and, well, I know myself.    I am hoping to find a cancellation for a test date sooner than that, but if not, it'll have to be later in July because we'll be on holiday again July 10-17 (with the in-laws visiting here locally).

Still working on getting those bloody maneuvres down (backing around a corner!!! *&#***###&&&), and just making sure that my driving is technically perfect - like checking the mirrors before signalling, etc <heavy sigh> Blah.  Just want to get the thing over & done with.  I'm a lot more comfortable driving here nowadays, just need to make sure my driving is good enough to pass the test, however.

Know what you mean, Mrs R.  I just want to get the bloody thing over with.  I'm hoping that since I have to take the test in another car (not my hubbie's Saab convertible with non-existent rear vision) I'll have a slightly better time with my maneuvers.  Backing around a corner isn't so bad as long as you can keep the corner in view in your lefthand side mirror the whole time.  My bugbear is still roundabouts and making sense of the signs leading up to them when there's more than 3 exits.  Also the occasional very poorly marked streets with no entrance...and a few dozen or so other things...sigh

Had a really good lesson today in which I nailed that backing around a corner about three times in a row, until he took me to another unfamiliar corner...    Even so, it's getting better. 

Had a really good lesson today in which I nailed that backing around a corner about three times in a row, until he took me to another unfamiliar corner...    Even so, it's getting better. 

Way to go!!  My DI said even if you graze the curb it's only a minor fault.

I put my test off again. 

Thing is, I'll have a great lesson or two - like I was nailing the maneuvers, and then we switched back again to general driving & I was driving just terribly - silly mistakes, misinterpreting road signs & markings, etc - but stuff that would cost me the test.  Then I had a couple of really bad lessons for just general driving.  Anyway, I seem to be very inconsistent - rather than consistent & confident all/most of the time...and I was supposed to take my test next Monday but not having a good feeling about it at all.  So then once I decided to postpone the test, then today's lesson was pretty good again.

My DI thinks it's test nerves, but I want to feel like my driving is a lot more consistent than it has been - which has been up, down & all around.  Unfortunately, due to an extremely LONG lead time for test appointments - woe, now it's not until Aug 21! 

Hoping that'll give me enough time to get all the bugs sorted out & feel confident about taking it.  I'm from Yorkshire now & I just don't want that £80+ for the test (including the DI's time for it) to just go down the drain in one second because of a stupid mistake. 

I put my test off again. 

Thing is, I'll have a great lesson or two - like I was nailing the maneuvers, and then we switched back again to general driving & I was driving just terribly - silly mistakes, misinterpreting road signs & markings, etc - but stuff that would cost me the test.  Then I had a couple of really bad lessons for just general driving.  Anyway, I seem to be very inconsistent - rather than consistent & confident all/most of the time...and I was supposed to take my test next Monday but not having a good feeling about it at all.  So then once I decided to postpone the test, then today's lesson was pretty good again.

My DI thinks it's test nerves, but I want to feel like my driving is a lot more consistent than it has been - which has been up, down & all around.  Unfortunately, due to an extremely LONG lead time for test appointments - woe, now it's not until Aug 21! 

Hoping that'll give me enough time to get all the bugs sorted out & feel confident about taking it.  I'm from Yorkshire now & I just don't want that £80+ for the test (including the DI's time for it) to just go down the drain in one second because of a stupid mistake. 

That's really weird!!!   Perhaps something in the air today?  I just changed my test from this Friday to July 30th.  I was going to write an almost identical comment to yours, Mrs. R.  Then I saw yours.  Wow!  I'm all up and down too.  I reallly like my new DI and his automatic car.  Because he's already in Basingstoke (where I will take the test) I meet him there and have the entire hour in town (rather than driving to and from which ends up meaning I only had about 20 mins in town).  I'm having another lesson Thurs.  It will be interesting to see if it goes a lot better or same dumb mistakes (that would cost me the test).  I'm also still unable to put it all together...reading the signs, the road markings (many of the painted lines across a street that looks like it should be straight ahead but is really a junction are faint and hard to see).

I'm sorry you're going through this too, Mrs R, but glad I'm not the only one.  And once we do feel more comfortable with all the conditions I think we'll do a lot better with the test and beyond.  That's my theory at the moment anyway.  Keep the faith!!

Yes, I'm trying.  I'm going for the whole enchilada - manual licence because we have a manual car & no plans to get a different car anytime soon.    Seems like I make a mistake and then I take pains to correct whatever that was, avoiding the mistake in the future, and then I make a different kind of mistake, and so it goes - on and on and on. 

Yes, I'm trying.  I'm going for the whole enchilada - manual licence because we have a manual car & no plans to get a different car anytime soon.    Seems like I make a mistake and then I take pains to correct whatever that was, avoiding the mistake in the future, and then I make a different kind of mistake, and so it goes - on and on and on. 

Same here...I keep making new (and really dumb) mistakes.  But I also forget the old stuff sometimes.  If I get chatting with DI I'm certain to forget to put the handbrake on at lights.  Sigh...At least I'm not trying to learn a manual transmission on top of everything else.  Although I really dislike hubbie's (no rear view) Saab convertible, at least it's automatic and I'm used to that.  Gave up driving a manual when it was still '3 on the the tree' (not 4 or 5 on the floor)!
 

Well, I've finally gotten brave enough to join the *taking lessons and driving* club! (and, with MAYBE a job on the horizon, I will admit that being able to sometimes drive to work would be a bonus).
My first lesson is next Monday.  I'm fairly anxious, but so far everyone I've spoken with has told me it shouldn't be horrible. I'm a total test-perfectionist though, so that might be an issue (I won't want to take it unless I feel VERY ready).

Good luck, Jennie!  If you have a good instructor, I'm sure you'll do fine. 

Good luck, Jennie!  If you have a good instructor, I'm sure you'll do fine. 

Good luck from me too, Jennie!!  Don't worry if you get nervous during the first few lessons.  If you keep going it gets better.

had my 3rd lesson yesterday. sloooooooooooow progress. i do see an improvement, but not a whole lot. early days i suppose!

If I get chatting with DI I'm certain to forget to put the handbrake on at lights. 

There is absolutely no requirement to do so for the test.  It's just that the majority of ADIs in Britain seem to have a fixation with this as being the "best" method for novice drivers to keep the car under full control, and seem unwilling to acknowledge that any other technique is acceptable.

There is absolutely no requirement to do so for the test.  It's just that the majority of ADIs in Britain seem to have a fixation with this as being the "best" method for novice drivers to keep the car under full control, and seem unwilling to acknowledge that any other technique is acceptable.

Actually, both my DI's said it was for safety...if someone rearends you while you're stopped, it's a natural reflex for you to take your foot off the brake.  So if the hand brake's on you don't drive forward.  After initially thinking it was a bit much, I've accepted the good sense in doing it...now I just need to remember to.

I need to start making moves towards getting my UK license.  I have gotten a job where I will need to drive people carriers  (I guess about 15 people), starting in February.

I assume I should go for the manual license, since I don't know if I can assume these vans will be automatic.  I've never driven manual.  Currently don't have a car and also don't have one I can borrow for learning.  My provisional license will expire at the end of Sept.

My questions, for your consideration (if you please)

a)  do I focus on the written test first, then start driving?
b)  how soon should I purchase a car? 
c)  will the driving instructor teach me how to drive a manual transmission too?
d)  what else do I need to consider?