Driving with foot on clutch

Trinity

Any tips how to break this bad habit? All other aspects of driving seems to be ok but failed test mostly on this.

Got professional lessons before last test and the instructor was so bad i cancelled my test i was so shaken. He was grabbing the wheel from my hand and almost forcing me onto the kerb. I completely lost all confidence in myself this lasted months.

Anyway i am not sure why i am scared to take foot off, i cant seem to do it when i am stopping, i go down in gears and just leave my foot on it. I think i am afraid i will miss the pedals, get mixed up, or my feet wont do what i tell them!!

Any helpful tips?

chris85

you gotta force your foot to stay on the foot rest to the left of the clutch. Only when changing gears should you move your foot onto the clutch, and when coming to a stop of course.

Practice makes perfect

SeanW

Yes, I just passed my test this morning so I feel qualified to advice.

Practice makes perfect, if you still have a second provisional, make good use of it.

Then, if that instructor screwed you up, forget everything he told you and find a better instructor, one who's better known locally. Like who instructed your friends, family etc and helped them pass. A lot of misfortune I had with tests in the past was partly due to instruction from my first driving school that was, at best, inconsistent. To me, one thing has become clear and that is that a good instructor will set you right. Full stop.

Saruman

Stop thinking about it and just do it.. yes ironically that sounds like advice from the matrix... but use it.
Take your foot off the pedal and keep it off thill you need to change gear.. then take it off again.
When driving you can not be thinking about what you are doing, it has to be natural and simply an automatic resonse, leaving your braind to concentrate on what the muppets all around you are going to do to try and hit you

Trinity

Saruman wrote: »

Stop thinking about it and just do it.. yes ironically that sounds like advice from the matrix... but use it.
Take your foot off the pedal and keep it off thill you need to change gear.. then take it off again.
When driving you can not be thinking about what you are doing, it has to be natural and simply an automatic resonse, leaving your braind to concentrate on what the muppets all around you are going to do to try and hit you

But thats just it, its natural when i have my foot on the clutch, when it comes to taking it off i just go into a panic. DOnt get me wrong i can take it off but i cannot stop without my foot on the clutch, i always clutch then brake. Everyone tells me BBC - Brake Before Clutch, my brain can take this in, my feet wont.

You are right about the instructor. He was making me stop and start in 3rd gear at corners and yeild signs etc. i always stop in 1st, the car kept jumping and cutting out and i just didnt feel comfortable he kept losing the head with me. I didnt feel it was necessary to have the car jumping and spluttering when i have a bloody 1st gear?!?

aniascor

The instructor was right to have you stop in third, or second. There is no need to go down to first. In fact if you read back through some older threads here, you'll see that you should always be stopping in third or second. Stop in third if you have to come to a complete stop (Stop sign, or lights that are turning red, or have only just turned red) and stop in second if you might need to start moving again just before you come to a complete stop (Yield sign or stopping at lights that have been red for some time).

Maybe you need to sign up for a series of intensive lessons with a driving school and do your best to forget how you currently drive, and try to take on board everything they are saying to you. It sounds like the car was bumping and spluttering because you're not using the clutch correctly... So you need to take on board any advice given to you by the driving instructor.

Not sure about moving off again from a stop sign in third. He should have had you stop in third. Then change to first before moving off again.

chris85

Trinity1 wrote: »

You are right about the instructor. He was making me stop and start in 3rd gear at corners and yeild signs etc. i always stop in 1st, the car kept jumping and cutting out and i just didnt feel comfortable he kept losing the head with me. I didnt feel it was necessary to have the car jumping and spluttering when i have a bloody 1st gear?!?

Ok you have definite clutch control problems as well. Firstly never stop in first, bad for your car and also car can not move off easily if needed. Should always be stopping in 2nd, some people do it in 3rd which is fine but i have always stopped in second.

WUSBDesign

I was facing a similar situation with my foot constantly down on the clutch. Have a go at reminding yourself verbally "Off the gas, gently brake, brake, clutch down...", etc. My limbs went octupus-like during my first lessons over all the controls required.

Tell yourself that this series of steps is mechanical, and your legs/feet will get the hang of it all with practice.

Trinity

aniascor wrote: »

The instructor was right to have you stop in third, or second. There is no need to go down to first. In fact if you read back through some older threads here, you'll see that you should always be stopping in third or second. Stop in third if you have to come to a complete stop (Stop sign, or lights that are turning red, or have only just turned red) and stop in second if you might need to start moving again just before you come to a complete stop (Yield sign or stopping at lights that have been red for some time).

Maybe you need to sign up for a series of intensive lessons with a driving school and do your best to forget how you currently drive, and try to take on board everything they are saying to you. It sounds like the car was bumping and spluttering because you're not using the clutch correctly... So you need to take on board any advice given to you by the driving instructor.

Not sure about moving off again from a stop sign in third. He should have had you stop in third. Then change to first before moving off again.

Thanks. Its been 15 years since i learned to drive so I honestly thought he was wrong to have me stop in 3rd, i just dont get it!

I'll have to find a very patient instructor to undo all my bad habits.

aniascor

Trinity1 wrote: »

I'll have to find a very patient instructor to undo all my bad habits.

Or buy an automatic and forget all about the clutch!!

Trinity

chris85 wrote: »

Ok you have definite clutch control problems as well. Firstly never stop in first, bad for your car and also car can not move off easily if needed. Should always be stopping in 2nd, some people do it in 3rd which is fine but i have always stopped in second.

I didnt know this. I am almost certain this is how i was taught to drive many moons ago. I thought my clutch control was great in 1st !! I better start from scratch.

Octopus legs, yes, sounds familiar!

Trinity

aniascor wrote: »

Or buy an automatic and forget all about the clutch!!

I did consider this but i quite like changing gears, makes me feel like i am actually driving Albeit incorrectly as i just found out!!

nacho libre

Trinity1 wrote: »

Any tips how to break this bad habit? All other aspects of driving seems to be ok but failed test mostly on this.

Got professional lessons before last test and the instructor was so bad i cancelled my test i was so shaken. He was grabbing the wheel from my hand and almost forcing me onto the kerb. I completely lost all confidence in myself this lasted months.

Anyway i am not sure why i am scared to take foot off, i cant seem to do it when i am stopping, i go down in gears and just leave my foot on it. I think i am afraid i will miss the pedals, get mixed up, or my feet wont do what i tell them!!

Any helpful tips?

well, i'm not really qualified to give advice but i will relay my own experience;
i know exactly how you feel- i was doing the same thing when stopping up till recently.
the reason i was doing it is because i was apprehensive about the car jumping and banging into the car in front if i came to a stop and my foot was not back on the clutch in time. however, i now feel confident enough to go from fourth down into second, without leaving my foot on the clutch the whole time, when coming up to a stop.

by the way that instructor is a brat by the sounds of it. so forget about him/her and get a new instructor.
i would suggest going to an empty car park, with a friend, during the day, to practise moving off and stopping over a short distance. this way you'll feel less pressure about making mistakes and it's a relatively safe place to make errors, and in time you'll become more confident about taking your foot off the clutch when changing gears as you are coming to a stop

Trinity

nacho libre wrote: »

well, i'm not really qualified to give advice but i will relay my own experience;
i know exactly how you feel- i was doing the same thing when stopping up till recently.
the reason i was doing it is because i was apprehensive about the car jumping and banging into the car in front if i came to a stop and my foot was not back on the clutch in time. however, i now feel confident enough to go from fourth down into second, without leaving my foot on the clutch the whole time, when coming up to a stop.

by the way that instructor is a brat by the sounds of it. so forget about him/her and get a new instructor.
i would suggest going to an empty car park, with a friend, during the day, to practise moving off and stopping over a short distance. this way you'll feel less pressure about making mistakes and it's a relatively safe place to make errors, and in time you'll become more confident about taking your foot off the clutch when changing gears as you are coming to a stop

Thanks, thats exactly it. Am afraid of havng less control and car jumping or not stopping and hitting the car in front. I am planning on doing the empty car park thing as i traded in my car and was hoping to make a fresh start in this new one. It does sound like i also need some lessons though !!

BM_318i

nacho libre wrote: »

I would suggest going to an empty car park, with a friend, during the day, to practise moving off and stopping over a short distance. this way you'll feel less pressure about making mistakes and it's a relatively safe place to make errors, and in time you'll become more confident about taking your foot off the clutch when changing gears as you are coming to a stop

Would do no harm to do this, at least you can concentrate on control and not keeping your foot on the clutch without worring about running into people , preferably with someone who won't give out to you too . You can do as much jerking and crappy clutch control as you like (Its unlikely you'll break the car unless your really bad ) until you get the hang of it, which you will.

Definately get lessons though, my girlfriend went through 2 or 3 instructors, she'd come home crying from driving lesson's which did her confidence no good at all. Find a good paitent and encouraging instructor (they are out there) and you'll be fine.