I come bearing news.

[TheInsanity1234]

Many happy returns.

I'd taken into account my inexperience, and thus, was leaving a following gap of 3 to 4 seconds.

Only 3-up, but indeed, and I was aware of that, which is why I was making sure of the huge following distance.

Whilst the '2-second rule' is often quoted, remember that the reason that "only a fool" breaks it is that it is a minimum practical distance (and only then in the dry, good conditions). Three to four seconds is not a "huge following distance" by any means.

Compared to my parent's standards, then yes, it's the equivalent of the distance between us and Pluto!
But that's something I'll make a mental note of.

I'll pass on the beer and just have coca cola

OK, get me an invitation, and I'll have the beer, then.

Oh, hang on, it's Liverpool. On second thought I prefer the wheels to remain on my car.

That stereotype is completely out of date! They won't take the wheels off your car (provided you keep your speed above 40mph at all times) .

Certainly not a simple task, especially when you take into account the fact a large portion of Liverpool contains 30 limits

[fungus]

akirk wrote:
worth also remembering that part of AD is giving others confidence in you - i.e. you drive not just your car - but the situation... if that includes parents in the car, then you need to consider them in how you drive... I live just off the A419 and there are times when 70 / 71 is very slow but other times when it is fast - depends on the traffic and weather - there are places where the wind really pushes the car around / places where the road camber is all wrong and throws you into the central reservation / places where there is a sudden change of road surface... A road like that is not simply a NSL dual carriageway it has a number of other things you should consider...

enjoy the driving step by step, don't worry about having to be perfect immediately - but enjoy the journey as well

Alasdair

When I was driving on it, it was at 11 am on Saturday so very quiet, and it was about 10:30 pm on the way back on Sunday, so very quiet again.
But I was actually staying at a GPS 70, the only times I crept up to 71 was because I was going on a downhill gradient and hadn't lifted quite enough to maintain my speed.

Remember that your parents will have doubts about your ability to control a vehicle at 70mph due to your inexperience. Also remember that your instructor will probably be more pro-active than your parents in drawing your attention to developing situations that you may be late reacting to. Your instructor also has the benefit of dual controls if he/she should need them.

As Ancient said, three to four seconds is not a huge gap and, given your inexperience, may be a larger gap would have made your parents feel more comfortable.

[TheInsanity1234]

Remember that your parents will have doubts about your ability to control a vehicle at 70mph due to your inexperience. Also remember that your instructor will probably be more pro-active than your parents in drawing your attention to developing situations that you may be late reacting to. Your instructor also has the benefit of dual controls if he/she should need them.

Absolutely, but I do hope they're more comfortable about my driving now.
I told my instructor about my trip up the A419, and his response was: "Unsurprising!"

As Ancient said, three to four seconds is not a huge gap and, given your inexperience, may be a larger gap would have made your parents feel more comfortable.

Absolutely, and I'll keep that in mind for the future.
I did ask my parents if they had any problems with my driving, or if they were happy, and they didn't complain about anything except for the fact I did 71 on the d/c.

But yeah, thanks for all this advice!