New Learner - My Online Diary
Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 5:51 pm
I don't know why I am doing this but I want to share my driving experience and then look back at it as time goes by.
I am 19 and should have ideaslly started learning whilst I was at college, but I wanted to pay for the lessons entirely myself so I waited longer.
I want to get a job which will require commuting by public transport, which I don't want to go on for the hours I am given so I want to learn how to drive as soon as possible. I don't mind if it takes longer than I expected but the idea is, I have an instructor (independent) who many people I know have learnt with - and passed first time. Yes, they took about one lesson a week, around 35 lessons (she will only let you take the test once she knows you are ready) but I don't really want to spend 35 weeks learning, as I want to be able to drive as soon as possible (even if it means I don't have the test as soon as possible). Reason is because I may be moving cities too, so I don't want to miss out on the chance of learning under a good instructor, so at least if I have the basics sorted I will be happy.
Anyway, so I decided I will take as many lessons I can at the beginning so I feel confident. Yesterday I had my first lesson and discussed the options with my instructor. She told me that she used to do intensive classes and it worked out fairly well for some students, whereas for others she didn't recommend it due to concentration levels being low. My own opinion is if I have a lesson, and then wait a week, I will feel uncalm waiting for the next lesson. So my instructor has 37 years of experience and I had my first lesson yesterday.
When put behind the wheel, I was absolutely nervous. I kept thinking I was going to hit a car etc. and when I got home, I looked back at how silly that was as the instructor can stop that from happening. Her instructions for driving which she kept on repeating were continuously on my mind, which must be a good thing. I wanted to knock the nervousness and get behind the wheel again, which was okay as I had another lesson the next day (one hour each).
Today I once again got behind the wheel, this time not nervous but fairly confident. At the beginning I really felt I could drive on the roads alone if I did at a not so fast pace, lol. But as the lesson progressed I was feeling frustrated. This is in regards to the cluth and gas pedals. When changing gears and easing of cluth, but also pressing on the gas, I can never guess how much I need to do each so that really frustrated me. I kept saying in the lesson that I cannot estimate how much I need to press or let go of any of the pedals (sorry for calling it pedals, you can tell me the correct word) including the break. She did say press slowly on the break but she presses more than that when she helped. Lol there was only one time I stalled but it was in the middle of the road and I was frustrated at how I can't estimate how much I need to press or ease of the clutch or the other pedals that I felt like staying put and not moving.
I don't know if I am being hard on myself but I was really frustrated over that. I feel like instead of going on the roads, I should only go in a big open space and drive forward, change gears, and get used to how much I need to press or ease off the medals, then do turns, then go onto the main roads. But I am not the instructor so I don't want to direct the lessons and end up not learning fast enough. I feel I want to have control of the car and understand why I have to do something a certain way.
Anyway, I know it depends in the person, but how long till I will get used to the pedals?
Sorry for the long post.
I am 19 and should have ideaslly started learning whilst I was at college, but I wanted to pay for the lessons entirely myself so I waited longer.
I want to get a job which will require commuting by public transport, which I don't want to go on for the hours I am given so I want to learn how to drive as soon as possible. I don't mind if it takes longer than I expected but the idea is, I have an instructor (independent) who many people I know have learnt with - and passed first time. Yes, they took about one lesson a week, around 35 lessons (she will only let you take the test once she knows you are ready) but I don't really want to spend 35 weeks learning, as I want to be able to drive as soon as possible (even if it means I don't have the test as soon as possible). Reason is because I may be moving cities too, so I don't want to miss out on the chance of learning under a good instructor, so at least if I have the basics sorted I will be happy.
Anyway, so I decided I will take as many lessons I can at the beginning so I feel confident. Yesterday I had my first lesson and discussed the options with my instructor. She told me that she used to do intensive classes and it worked out fairly well for some students, whereas for others she didn't recommend it due to concentration levels being low. My own opinion is if I have a lesson, and then wait a week, I will feel uncalm waiting for the next lesson. So my instructor has 37 years of experience and I had my first lesson yesterday.
When put behind the wheel, I was absolutely nervous. I kept thinking I was going to hit a car etc. and when I got home, I looked back at how silly that was as the instructor can stop that from happening. Her instructions for driving which she kept on repeating were continuously on my mind, which must be a good thing. I wanted to knock the nervousness and get behind the wheel again, which was okay as I had another lesson the next day (one hour each).
Today I once again got behind the wheel, this time not nervous but fairly confident. At the beginning I really felt I could drive on the roads alone if I did at a not so fast pace, lol. But as the lesson progressed I was feeling frustrated. This is in regards to the cluth and gas pedals. When changing gears and easing of cluth, but also pressing on the gas, I can never guess how much I need to do each so that really frustrated me. I kept saying in the lesson that I cannot estimate how much I need to press or let go of any of the pedals (sorry for calling it pedals, you can tell me the correct word) including the break. She did say press slowly on the break but she presses more than that when she helped. Lol there was only one time I stalled but it was in the middle of the road and I was frustrated at how I can't estimate how much I need to press or ease of the clutch or the other pedals that I felt like staying put and not moving.
I don't know if I am being hard on myself but I was really frustrated over that. I feel like instead of going on the roads, I should only go in a big open space and drive forward, change gears, and get used to how much I need to press or ease off the medals, then do turns, then go onto the main roads. But I am not the instructor so I don't want to direct the lessons and end up not learning fast enough. I feel I want to have control of the car and understand why I have to do something a certain way.
Anyway, I know it depends in the person, but how long till I will get used to the pedals?
Sorry for the long post.