How do you learn to not be a terrible driver?

Mad_maxx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119068713#Comment_119068713

That no longer matters as automatics are plentiful and all electric cars are automatic

Outdated wisdom

BorneTobyWilde

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_hmH39KQ8Q

She's good to watch, can pick up a lot watching her teach.

They're just taking the piss. Don't reply. Report.

Ubbquittious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119068750#Comment_119068750

This year, though it was last year when this happened. Always hated the damned things with a passion

Burt Renaults

Unless you're one of those tedious car bores, who thinks that changing gears with an antiquated stick "gives you more control" over the car (like you're fucking Lewis Hamilton or something), a modern automatic gearbox is vastly superior to a manual one. And there is no disadvantage whatsoever in having a restricted licence. In a few years, it'll be irrelevant anyway, since manual cars are thankfully dying out. I think I've driven a manual car once, maybe twice, in the last twenty years since I passed my test.

And ignore the idiots who think that being a nervous learner means you shouldn't be on the road. Ultimately, with the right tuition and plenty of practice, that nervous start (and the heightened awareness of the potential dangers of driving) will stand you in good stead. Overconfident men are, by a long way, the absolute worst drivers on the road, and their opinions on all-things-motoring should never be listened to.

OP, a restricted licence is still that... restricted.

For the sake of a few months of practice, my advice would be hang in there and get an yourself an un-restricted licence. You never know when you may have to drive someone else's car, or a courtesy car.

With an unrestricted licence you can drive either manual or automatic.

Best of luck, 🚙

Mad_maxx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119068773#Comment_119068773

Weird

Mad_maxx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119068864#Comment_119068864

The OP only needs to drive their own car so provided it's automatic, their licence being restricted won't matter

I learned and passed my test long ago in a manual, very long time now since I’ve driven one. I drive a hybrid Toyota CH-R, the likes of which I recommend to any beginner, great handling car which allows you to focus on road-craft. Yes there are still manual cars, but they will become a thing of the past unless you’re a classic car enthusiast. When my car is being serviced I always get a hybrid/automatic courtesy car. When renting it is always an automatic, but I know up to this there has been less availability of them, however the future is not in manual transmission, no more than the recent past has been in non-synchromesh cars requiring double-declutching.

That said, automatic vehicles are still fairly more expensive than manuals. But other running costs of hybrid/EV automatics tend to be lower, so that should be factored in.

As for nerves when learning, we should have nerves commensurate with our experience. Experience and learning bring confidence. I remember during a helicopter lesson, the instructor saying that you have no business flying one unless you are a tiny little bit nervous. You have no business driving a car unless you appreciate the potential damage it can cause when not treated with respect.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119069007#Comment_119069007

And you can see into their future and guarantee they'll never have to drive any other car, not even a hire car, either here or abroad, or maybe a courtesy car from a garage?

OK then. I never knew there were psychics on Boards. 🙄

Mad_maxx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119069275#Comment_119069275

other countries dont have the same cultural aversion to automatics that we do traditionally , there will always be automatics available , I could count on one hand the number of times Ive had to drive a car different to my own and Im driving nearly twenty eight years and even then there were other people around to drive , I can drive a manual BTW and learned in one but I have only owned automatics since 2008 , I hate manuals

an automatic is a silver bullet solution for most nervous drivers , changing gears is tricky for people who are also anxious about other driving responsibilities

And yet somehow the vast majority of those anxious drivers end up managing to pass the test.

Just because the OP is a nervous driver now, doesn't mean she always will be. All she needs is practice, not discouragement.

Personally, I don't think its good advice to tell her to give up on learning how to drive a manual car and limit herself to a restricted licence only, but its up to her to decide what she wants to do.

fevertrees

Thanks for the responses guys.

As for the automatic, I really want to learn manual so I'm not closing myself off. Manual is a lot more affordable. And besides, I've already committed a lot of time learning to use gears/clutch, it feels like a waste if I just give up now.

That being said, if I'm still not passed a year from now, I probably will switch haha. I live way too far from Dublin to rely on public transport, I really do need a car.

WildWater

Manual is already at the point where it is a nice to have rather than a necessity. However, let’s leave that to one side.

Becoming competent driver is about building confidence and that’s about reducing the stress of the situation. Progressing at the right pace, for you, is key. People are different and some can progress very quickly and some not so. You happen to be progressing slowly and that’s nothing more than a personal (and financial) inconvenience. Ultimately, so what. You just need to navigate the best way through the situation for you.

The tried and trusted way of learning to drive is to practice in quiet places. Industrial parks on a Sunday for instance. Then when you are competent at handling the car (changing the gears etc), start taking on more and more normal situations. The key here is to pace this according to your comfort level, not what you ‘should’ be able to do. However, two things, 1) much of the above has already been given in previous advice 2) you’ve been trying this and (for various reasons) success has not been forthcoming. My suggestion is to try a different approach.

My advice would be to get some lessons in an automatic car. Automatics are incredibly easy to drive and you can build up a lot of necessary experience and build road confidence in an automatic. Practice all the stuff that is so essential to passing the test, Position, Observation, Mirrors, Progress etc all of this is so less stressful in an automatic. Remember there are 18 categories in the test, but only one of those relates to the basic control of the vehicle.

The key point is you will get to build your skills and develop your confidence of being out there on the road. You might need 1 lesson you might need 10 but build your confidence and your experience of everyday driving. Once you feel you have mastered all that, then you can make a choice of either doing your test in an automatic or switching back to a manual to master the gears etc. It’s a little unconventional do to it this way but absolutely nothing wrong with it.

BTW there is also nothing stopping you from doing the test in an automatic and then doing it again later in a manual if you see the need. Make your decision based on your priorities. What’s more important to you being licensed to drive? Or being licensed to drive a manual? That’s up to you but it needs a rational consideration that also incorporates issues like time and cost. Anyway best of luck.

Mad_maxx

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119069845#Comment_119069845

that " restrictive licence " term in ireland carries far too much undue baggage , even the term " restrictive licence " is completely outdated and was created at a time when automatics were as rare as hens teeth

CreadanLady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119068578#Comment_119068578

I can imagine the driving test. The tester escorts you out to the car to start the driving part of the test and you stop a car out of the traffic at gunpoint, pull the driver out of the car by the scruff of the neck, pistol whip them to the ground, bundle the examiner into the passenger seat at gunpoint, and then proceed off on your test.

WildWater

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119070264#Comment_119070264

Just make sure you select a car with L plates, otherwise it’s an automatic fail.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119069880#Comment_119069880

Best of luck, fevertrees.

You won't know yourself with the sense of freedom getting your full licence will give you. I think learning to drive is a very important skill and it would be great if they started a programme to start teaching teens in secondary school - maybe transition year. The one thing my daughter hates, is having to ask me to go with her when she drives, because she always feels like she is inconveniencing me (and sometimes its not convenient, but I'd never discourage her). She's on a waiting list now for her test. 🤞

CreadanLady

The never should have brought in that unaccompanied thing, or at least give the Gardai discretion in enforcing it. For example, for young lads acting the bollox, do them, but for a young woman just going to or from college or work, leave her off about her business.

And the other thing with that is that for a young woman it is far safer for her to drive herself than to be walking or on public transport. For her the danger to her of assault or harrassment while walking home or from being a passenger on public transport is far far greater than any danger posed to the public by her being on a learner .

It has made things so much more difficult for people learning. Like it is not reasonable to expect that you can find a fully licecnced driver to accompany you wherever you go. It just isn't practical. And the result is people have an awful lot less driving experience when they do the test so they are much more likely to fail.

And i often found that having someone with you learning giving you a running commentary on your clutch and watch this and watch that and do this don't do that is incredibly off putting and distracting. Once you know then basic workings of it, it is best to just drive by yourself and have the car to yourself where you can take your time to practice the skills and not have a well meaning passenger watching and commenting on your every movement.

GreeBo

You need to get to the point where changing gears/clutch etc us sub conscious, then you can focus all your attention on the stuff outside of the car, which is the important stuff.

You shouldnt be trying to navigate on the roads when you are still struggling to know what gear you are in or are 100% comfortable changing gears.

The easiest way to do this is find an empty car park in the evening and try to get into 2nd and back to stopped on the handbrake as many times as possible in a short stretch of road. At the moment it sounds like too much of your attention is inside the car.

daithi7

- get lessons

- practice

- scenario visualisation

- practice being an active passenger

- get out on a bike

- every lesson write down what you've learned (say ~3 things per lesson)

- practice, practice, practice!!!

I see sheep

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119069880#Comment_119069880

There's not much difference in price now.

I don't get why anyone drives a manual still, it's like still using Windows 95.

Potential-Monke

I used to be a manual only man. Until my last car. I knew what I wanted, an E220 coupe, and had the one picked out but she was auto. Man selling Mercedes for years, taking over from his father who did the same. I asked if he had any manual version, and he said it was the first time someone ever asked him for a manual Mercedes. I took it. So happy I did. Don't get me wrong, manual is good fun depending on the car. But for modern driving, automatic is the way. Aside from not having to worry about changing gears, I'm pretty sure you can't accidentally roll backwards in an automatic. My car won't go backwards, even on a hill, unless I put it into N or R.

I'd echo the auto recommendations. And you can always upgrade you licence to a manual afterwards if you want, but people are right, manual won't be as common in years to come. Once you have your auto, get someone to go with you to industrial estates in the evenings or weekends. Usually quiet, lots of varying roads to navigate. Your biggest problem there though is finding someone who actually knows what they're doing. Lots of people out there think they know how to drive, but at the same time wouldn't even realise the laws they regularly break.

Lessons in an auto then!

Burt Renaults

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119071165#Comment_119071165

It's worse than that; it's like using an abacus because a calculator doesn't give you the same sense of satisfaction. I had to hire a car a couple of years ago, and chose a manual because I hadn't driven one in over a decade and fancied a change. I resented every gear-change and was delighted to get my own car back. The sheer tediousness of it - such a needless and antiquated procedure that has long-since been rendered wholly unnecessary by technology.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119069880#Comment_119069880

The woman has already come back and stated that having come this far, she wants to continue learning in a manual transmission.

I don't see why posters continue to push their advice on automatics down her throat.

Potential-Monke

Because it would be a massive help in the short time frame mentioned, and has already said that the changing of gears is a big distraction. Remove that, concentrate on the rest, get the licence, then work on upgrading it to a manual if needed. Honestly, autos are made for people like the OP. I can totally understand the frustration of manual gearboxes, each car is slightly different, some have a tiny release for clutch engagement, others you need to put your foot through the floor. Remove all that, allows one to concentrate on everything else.

It's the best bit of advice they will get on here.

Ave Sodalis

OP, I was like you way back when I was learning. I didn't do well with people leaning over my shoulder when learning to drive. I over thought things and then struggled. The last lesson (not the pretest lesson) before my test, the instructor even stopped the car and asked if I was sure I wanted to do the test because the lesson was going so badly.

So I was left off in a quiet, private property place. And I spent a few hours practising by myself. Over and over. There was nobody there to judge or to criticise. If I made a mistake, I just went back around and did it again and nobody was any the wiser. I passed the test with absolutely no faults whatsoever. I'm now a very experienced and confident driver but if I went off the advice here, I never would have gotten it.

I get why you have to have someone in the car with you, but long term drivers make very bad passengers even in the cars of experienced drivers. I had to sit on with my younger sister a few times when she was learning and I'm surprised I didn't have gouges taken out of the seats from gripping them. And I ride horses so I'm very used to acting relaxed when inside I'm trying not to panic! I still dislike driving with my mother or my aunt in the car because they still sit like they're being electrocuted.

ohnonotgmail

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119069880#Comment_119069880

Take 1 lesson in an automatic and see how you feel about them then.

cj maxx

Stick , for a while to professional driving lessons, then after you feel more confident behind the wheel practice regularly with your dad while doing your lessons. People often forget how overloading learning to drive can be on the brain , gears , mirroris ,traffic etc all at once can be just too much for a beginner. OP, don't go down the automatic route till you pass your test. I have an automatic now, and while it much easier, you're only short changing your self.. practice, practice practice and don't beat yourself up when you boo-boo.

o1s1n

Just keep practicing. It's mad how much practice you actually need. Whatever you think it is, it's actually a hell of a lot more. And to make it worse, every time you have one of those big gaps in your practice, you need quite a bit of 'catch up' practice to get back into the swing of it.

I've been learning to drive on and off for a couple of years now and my main issue is I don't need to drive to get anywhere as I live in the middle of Dublin city (cycle all over the place), so have to really kick myself up the arse to get out and practice in the evenings.

Have all my EDT lessons completed, but they were done in a fairly rushed way during the pandemic (two lessons per session once ever week over 6 weeks) - so I wasn't as comfortable with driving as I should have been by the time I was finished them.

Best thing to do is to book in all your EDT lessons on a schedule (don't leave massive gaps between each lesson), pay for them up front so you are commited and then do them all one after another, every two weeks or so and keep practicing a lot in between.

When you do practice, try to go on a long drive. Pick a far enough away location and try to get there. Sundays are great as roads tend to be a bit more empty.

My parents live out in Bray, so to visit them I've to drive from the northside of Dublin city, through the city centre and then out to Bray. The first time I did it was nerve wracking, had a massive headache by the time I reached Bray and my face felt like it was flush red - but once I got us home again, the improvement in my driving was actually staggering and the confidence boost was huge.

Best of luck with it anyway, I definitely know how you feel - it does improve eventually! (I'm still not 100% of the way there myself!)

Edit - some folks mentioned getting out and cycling a bit - this helps massively! Especially if you cycle in and around busy areas like town centres etc. You really can try out some of your driving skills (right turns for example and road placement) on a bike.