hi all, i am will be soon older enough to learn to drive, and i need some help, what is best driving lessons or Intensive driving course?
thanks
stuart
I'd always say driving lessons because I imagine it's a lot easier to forget what you've learnt over the intensive course than it is over the 10 or so weeks of driving lessons....
I did an intensive driving course to learn to drive an LGV and found it very tiring after about 3 hours due to the concentration levels required and
i've been driving 17 years!! Can only imagine an intensive course would be similar so i'd say find yourself a local instructor and if you
want to pass quickly speak to them about getting a few lessons per week.
[Edited on 30/3/08 by Paul TigerB6]
i would like to pass quicky as my bday is at the end of august, so all my mates are learning to drive now.
so i want to pass quicky and start driving my indy,
stuart
i know the feeling!
i gotta wait til august aswell!
Im just gunna have a couple of lessons and hopefuly pass a couple weeks after my bday
its easier to pass with a few miles under your belt, id say get a cheap motor insured in a parents name and go out with a responsible driver as often as possible. I had lessons off friends and to be honest, i quickly learned how to handbrake and donut, but i had so many bad habits it took two years to pass (i actually got banned before i passed...) so stick to good driving as in highway code, not good driving as in rallying!
i did two lessons a week and on the odd occassion i did three, which i though was a good pace,mind you lessons were only £15 when i learnt 7 years
ago. it only took two months for me to be ready for my exam and passed first time
i started to learn in august and passed on friday 13th of december with 1 lesson a week, mind you they were £7 each and it was 1985 but i was on
£26.25 a week on a YTS and £6 a week board
Great Days
Just remember that you don't actualy learn to drive until after you have passed your test. And while you may think your second cousine to Michael
Schumacher,, I can assure you that your not,
. Just take it easy and don't be egged on by so called mates, far to many young guy's
die proving how "good" they are,
. Cheers Ray
You need to learn how to pass the test. Driving friends and relations might not remember this & could thus be counter-productive. The driving
instructors are pros at this.
A fair bit of the counter-intuitive stuff is actually pretty damn good stuff - the thing I still remember from my time (34 years ago - ouch!) was NOT
to cut corners at junctions like my dad....
Learning to be a good driver is a totally different kettle of fish - you're on your own with that one....
http://www.iam.org.uk/links/ukyoungdriverscheme.htm
What I did for my daughter was, I got in touch with the local Institute of advanced Motorists. My local branch (Worcester) do lessons for 15-17 year
olds. They get local instructors on private roads to give driving lessons (In our case at County Hall). My daughter managed to get 4 lessons under her
belt before she was 17, she then continued with the same instuctor she had on the young drivers scheme.
[Edited on 30/3/08 by Thinking about it]
get your theory test boked up as soon as you can, and if youre confident, your test thereafter, even on a couple of lessons a week I was held up by
when I could get a booking
As other have said, miles count, get a cheap car to learn in and drive everywhere, I did 1500 miles before my test.
best piece of advice early on, look ahead, a long way ahead. most young drivers concentrate too muh on trying to place the car by looking 10 feet in
front
I think a couple or three lessons a week is plenty personally, I did 5 spread over 3 weeks
I know if someone had told me this when I was your age, I wouldn't of paid a blind bit of notice, but I'll say it anyway...
Heed the advice above - your lessons are to teach you how to pass your test THEN you learn how to drive and stay alive on the roads...
If you intend to be driving something as "dedicated" as an Indy then I (and quite a few on here I imagine) would recommend some sort of
advanced driving course.
Now because this isn't the easiest thing to hear when you are 17ish, you could easily combine the advanced driving with what you love = your
Indy!!!
After you've passed, get yourself booked onto a couple of trackdays with supervisory tuition and learn the correct way to handle your car ina nd
out of control in a relatively safe environment...
Also if you were take recognised advanced driving courses, you could seriously lower your insurance premiums...
And for Cheeses Sake do not bow down to peer pressure in any way!!! You've already mentioned that you're mates will be passed quicker. So
what! Feck em - you do all these courses and drive a decent car (Indy) and you will be ten times the driver they are!!!
Allt he best, and drive safe,
Steve
quote:
Originally posted by Thinking about it
http://www.iam.org.uk/links/ukyoungdriverscheme.htm
What I did for my daughter was, I got in touch with the local Institute of advanced Motorists. My local branch (Worcester) do lessons for 15-17 year olds. They get local instructors on private roads to give driving lessons (In our case at County Hall). My daughter managed to get 4 lessons under her belt before she was 17, she then continued with the same instuctor she had on the young drivers scheme.
[Edited on 30/3/08 by Thinking about it]
I'd also worry that an intensive course would be too intensive... I'm a masochist so I'm teaching my missus to drive (but she
ain't getting nowhere near my Se7en even when she passes ). I know she's a chick and all
but even after 30 minutes of learning
sometimes she stops taking in new information...
Her favorite trick at the moment is that if (due to a steering error) she's hurtling towards a parked car she'll have a brain fade, stop
steering(!), possibly press on the throttle and sit there saying progressively louder swear words.
Never has my handbrake had such a good work out
i was looking at doing the pass plus course once i passed my test, and then a couple of track days.
and i was going to book my therory as soon as possible, i can i book it when i am 16 to take it when i am 17?
and when i drive now i as way's go through the box when i am coming up to braking, which is a better way i think than just putting the brakes on
and going from 5gear to 1st gear.(by the way private property)
Where are there track day? any near me(clacton on sea)
thanks
stuaty
Agree with the above, lessons are the best way. Also get the theory test out of the way ASAP. Learning good habits from the start is essential,
it's very difficult to unlearn things that you pick up, and that makes passing the test a bugger!.. I would recommend getting a cheap car to
start with as well and clock up the miles (on L plates and after the test). You only realy start learning in the first 1 to 2 years after the test!
Also take note of what the instructor says whilst it might seem silly at the time there will be a reason for it. It's rather amazing how quickly
you can get in trouble, small mistakes can be very unforgiving in some circumstances! The best bit of advice is that you must be in control under all
circumstances, sounds simple till you start driving and think about what that means!
Most of all enjoy it though!
Cheers
Dan
it is a 5 week wait at my test center.
Just to second (third or fourth) what has been said above, lessons are much better than the intensive courses. The people I know who have done these type of courses just don't know how to drive! They are driven around on the same roads all week and only learn that corners are 2nd gear etc etc. Driving around when ever possible means you gain much more experience of differing conditions and road types. I took 5 months to take my test after I was 17, although any where my mum needed to go, I would drive where possible. I would drive the 12 miles to my weekend job at Silverstone down the back roads and mum would drive back. I probably drove best part of 2,500 miles before I took my test.
Hi,
Good luck with the lessons, don't be in too much of a hurry to pass, it's stressful enough these days without piling pressure on
yourself.
I only passed a few years ago after riding a m-bike for a long time, after a crash leaving me with only use of one arm I got a 3 wheeler - reliant
rialto... it had car controls, but could be ridden on a bike licence. I picked up SO many bad habits. I figured on about 5 lessons to pass, took me 10
lessons before the instructor said I was ready, due to having to unlearn all my bad habits.
Confidence is a good thing to build, as long as it's not at the expence of technique.
I don't think there is a particularly locost way of learning these days.
One more point, go steady in your car. I've had too many mates jump on powerful bikes and die to know that lack of experience plus BHP = a
spectacularely messy crash.
(I know you think you have experience, but honestly, you aint - the drivers out there are crap)
i agree young drivers and bhp is bad. when i drive v8 range rover i realy do not push the throtle hard. i use it to pratice revsing with a trailer
behide me and hill starts with throtle and clucth control. i still need to learn more as i know i am not a lewis hamiltion.
stuart
You seem like you have a good attitude towards it, just make sure the "red mist" doesn't decend!
quote:
Originally posted by Dangle_kt
You seem like you have a good attitude towards it, just make sure the "red mist" doesn't decend!![]()