beginning to learn

midmadman

I'm 28 and have only started getting lessons.
I've zero experience about driving so have to learn everything.

I'm only going around a car park at present learning the very basic in 2nd gear.

I already feel so stressed and worried the instructor is loosing pastions especially when I make a mistake.

Any advice anyone could give please

marty555

Is your instructor say something to that effect or is it just a feeling your getting ?

JamboMac

Why is your instructor taking you around a car park, I had no experience and a similar age and was on the road from day 1. If this is a family member taking you out, they always tend to be the most nervous.

spurious

If your instructor has a dual control car, they have no need to be nervous. They can stop you if needs be.
Agree you shouldn't still be going round car parks. I had never sat in a driver's seat my first lesson, but had managed to move the car (somewhat smoothly) by the end of it and was on the road after that.

ProudDUB

Learning to drive is a stressful process. Good instructors do not add to their pupils stress levels by getting visibly frustrated and annoyed with them. If he is genuinely doing that - as opposed to you just presuming that he is - then change instructors. You are paying for a service. If he isn't delivering it properly, then find someone else who will.

Redser87

Where are you based op?if you are in North Dublin I can pm you the name of my instructor, he brought me out on the roads from the first lesson and never got annoyed, even though I was very nervous and kept making mistakes!

midmadman

Thanks for the responses appreciate.
He's definitely getting frustrated with me, got annoyed when I cut the cat out on just a 2nd lessons. Another lessons this weekend will see how it goes

midmadman

Redser87 wrote: »

Where are you based op?if you are in North Dublin I can pm you the name of my instructor, he brought me out on the roads from the first lesson and never got annoyed, even though I was very nervous and kept making mistakes!

I'm a long way from Dublin but thanks for the offer

CSSE09

midmadman wrote: »

Thanks for the responses appreciate.
He's definitely getting frustrated with me, got annoyed when I cut the cat out on just a 2nd lessons. Another lessons this weekend will see how it goes

Maybe he was having a bad day, if it happens again though switch to someone else there's a sticky up the top for instructor recommendations. Even people driving for years cut out it's no big deal, take your time start back up and away you go.

jimgoose

Well, I wouldn't be for bringing a complete novice out on the road immediately, not until after a lesson or two getting the very basic hang of the car's operation in a car-park. But that shouldn't go on too long, and an instructor certainly shouldn't be getting frustrated at a novice, never mind actually communicating their annoyance in any way. And yes, we all have Club-Footed moments. :pac:

J_R

midmadman wrote: »

Thanks for the responses appreciate.
He's definitely getting frustrated with me, got annoyed when I cut the cat out on just a 2nd lessons. Another lessons this weekend will see how it goes

Hi,

Telephone, ask him where will he bring you on the next lesson. If he says "car park again" cancel and get another instructor.

A car park is no place for a learner driver. Nice wide open quiet road is ideal - even on the first lesson.

Fluffy Cat 88

Don't worry about making mistakes. We all had to learn to drive - including your instructor!

If he/she is being impatient with you or isn't trying to improve your confidence, there are plenty of good instructors who will do a better job.

I've been driving over 20 years and I still make silly mistakes sometimes - we all do. I stalled the car at traffic lights myself yesterday, forgot to put it in neutral!

MascotDec85

Bringing a total novice out on the road right away can result in total panic on their behalf and the instructor having to take control. This can end up with a lack of confidence and skill.
Starting off in a car park moving off, stopping, turning left and right and getting the basic control of the car including braking pressure is ideal. Let them make their own mistakes in a quiet and safe area first. Ever heard of walking before you run?

steve_r

My confidence was very low when I started learning.

I did a lot of practicing, both with instructors and friends/family.

The best people to learn from are the people who:

• Know their stuff
• Help you relax
• Recognize the mistakes you made and show you how to fix them

It sounds like your instructor is not doing the last two. When I finally passed I had a really good instructor and the lessons were really calm, but also really beneficial

J_R

MascotDec85 wrote: »

Bringing a total novice out on the road right away can result in total panic on their behalf and the instructor having to take control. This can end up with a lack of confidence and skill.
Starting off in a car park moving off, stopping, turning left and right and getting the basic control of the car including braking pressure is ideal. Let them make their own mistakes in a quiet and safe area first. Ever heard of walking before you run?

Hi,

Not just any old road. Ideally It must be quiet, little traffic and wide enough so that traffic can easily overtake. Also nice long straight stretch of road to the first (gentle) curve.

When a novice moves under those conditions they can concentrate solely on that one task, that is moving off under full control - with power in reserve.

No distractions. After successfully moving off, perhaps change into 2nd, then concentrate on stopping. One task at a time. (Learners can not multitask. Most of their brain power is used trying to remember the position of the foot controls, which foot goes where, how to hold the wheel, when to indicate - which seems to be a big worry and myriads more).

When they have mastered moving off and stopping, then steer around the first curve. Curve successfully negotiated speed up and change up.. Then perhaps stop on a gentle gradient and teach clutch control. Then into a small industrial estate for steering.

In a car park, you get traffic of all kinds, delivery trucks, cars, pedestrians, cyclists, kids on skateboards etc and they can come from all directions.

Even if completely deserted the very large drawback of a car park is that when the novice driver is moving off for the first time, facing them will be a wall or perhaps even a row of parked cars. Therefore they may well worry about their ability to stop, consequently they will move off very gingerly, hesitantly. At this stage they have never stopped the car, so that could be a real worry. And moving off correctly for the first time is of the utmost importance.

Using a road for the first lesson works. I had a "Check Test" with the now defunct Driving Instructor Register. I had a seventeen year old girl as my pupil, she was a complete novice, no driving experience whatsoever. On the test I took her to my nursery route, a road (as above).

Comment the examiner made after the test. "I gave her too much confidence, she may now bug off and practice with her boyfriend, you may well not see her again until just before the test and by then she will have plenty of bad habits.

MascotDec85

J_R wrote: »

Hi,

Not just any old road. Ideally It must be quiet, little traffic and wide enough so that traffic can easily overtake. Also nice long straight stretch of road to the first (gentle) curve.

When a novice moves under those conditions they can concentrate solely on that one task, that is moving off under full control - with power in reserve.

No distractions. After successfully moving off, perhaps change into 2nd, then concentrate on stopping. One task at a time. (Learners can not multitask. Most of their brain power is used trying to remember the position of the foot controls, which foot goes where, how to hold the wheel, when to indicate - which seems to be a big worry and myriads more).

When they have mastered moving off and stopping, then steer around the first curve. Curve successfully negotiated speed up and change up.. Then perhaps stop on a gentle gradient and teach clutch control. Then into a small industrial estate for steering.

In a car park, you get traffic of all kinds, delivery trucks, cars, pedestrians, cyclists, kids on skateboards etc and they can come from all directions.

Even if completely deserted the very large drawback of a car park is that when the novice driver is moving off for the first time, facing them will be a wall or perhaps even a row of parked cars. Therefore they may well worry about their ability to stop, consequently they will move off very gingerly, hesitantly. At this stage they have never stopped the car, so that could be a real worry. And moving off correctly for the first time is of the utmost importance.

Using a road for the first lesson works. I had a "Check Test" with the now defunct Driving Instructor Register. I had a seventeen year old girl as my pupil, she was a complete novice, no driving experience whatsoever. On the test I took her to my nursery route, a road (as above).

Comment the examiner made after the test. "I gave her too much confidence, she may now bug off and practice with her boyfriend, you may well not see her again until just before the test and by then she will have plenty of bad habits.

It depends on the car park. Housing estates can also be used, depending on the layout obviously.

My point is, most on this thread seem to think getting on the road proper on the first lesson is the holy grail when it isn't.

J_R

Hi,

suppose depends on what is available. But to me a car park would have been a waste of time.

On a road or a housing estate the pupil is also learning road positions and reference points in taking corners.

Also when the pupils meet their friends they can boast they accomplished something - drove someplace. Instead of, Oh, just aimlessly circling in the car park again.