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Rascal's Learning to Drive


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After passing my car driving test and then actually learning to drive, the biggest shock I encountered was my first motorway experience, on the newly opened M25. After driving from the A12 round to the M4, my hands and shoulders ached, with gripping the wheel so hard. I would always advise a new driver to get some motorway tuition, after passing their test...

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32 minutes ago, kingfisher666 said:

After passing my car driving test and then actually learning to drive, the biggest shock I encountered was my first motorway experience, on the newly opened M25. After driving from the A12 round to the M4, my hands and shoulders ached, with gripping the wheel so hard. I would always advise a new driver to get some motorway tuition, after passing their test...

The week after passing my test my dad asked me to deliver him and his then girlfriend to Heathrow, I live in Brighton, so this also necessitated circumnavigating the M25, it was a baptism of fire! 

After that driving became part of my life as I went to uni in Epsom, but still lived down here, so M25 was a twice daily routine, then I got married to a Yorkshire lass so visits to the outlaws were a frequent occasion, however since getting divorced, and subsequently meeting a new lass, I’d be lucky if I covered 6k miles a year, longest trip we do is brighton to Wroxham 

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These days there are far more miles covered and time spent on faster duel carriages, and also fast country roads than ever before - both in the learning phase and in the driving test. You also need to navigate with Sat Nav and not let it dictate to you - just guide you. You will then also have to follow some signs.

I have not updated this thread but in the last two days more progress has been made, and today marked the first of the independent driving. This is where I am told where to go, but otherwise no other input is given until later. This moves up to actual 'mock' tests. These are not true mocks as there is no actual paper the Instructor is using to mark the pupil, but the conditions are the same and the punishment at the end is hearing if you would have failed (or good new passed). Today I would have failed.

The first reason was I was on a quiet residential road, clearly marked as a 20 MPH zone. I then came to a larger, wider road and needed to turn left. I stopped at the give way line when a lady coming down the road flashed me - now you are taught to never believe that being flashed means go, so I did not - but she then proceeded to flash me again and 'wave' me out. Clearly this was intended for me so I pulled out, and once I had drove on the new road. The issue was I sped up to 24 MPH thinking it was a 30 MPH zone, but was actually still a 20 MPH area until just around another corner where it changed to 30 MPH. In a test I would have failed for speeding.

The second failure was where we were driving along a 40 MPH open road, no traffic was coming up behind or in front and things were going smoothly, all of a sudden I spot a Squirrel running out from the right hand side of the road, quick glance in rear view mirror and a hard brake (not an emergency, just firm) and went from about 38 MPH to 27 MPH and did not hit the Squirrel. I was then told in a real test if that was to happen, regardless of animal, I should never avoid it as this could cause a car following me to brake sharply loose control or plain old hit us up the back, Only take emergency action if it is a person in the road.

I would be seriously miffed if I failed my test because I did not run over an animal but would pass if I had. Hey ho, luck of the draw.

Other than that its all being going really well. I feel confident even at 70MPH on the duel carriageway and overtaking. Parking is easy, but roundabouts - for some reason I need to think every time if I am going 'straight on' or 'second exit' to steer enough to the left and then to the right so I keep right over and hug the left hand of them, so long as it causes nobody else issue it would only be a minor, but could be a serious (and automatic fail) if it did cause someone else to move over etc.

I have more practice on Monday and Tuesday, real mock test Wednesday. Once that is done, Thursday and Friday is London, Saturday and Sunday with my Mum and Simon, and will get some driving in there to keep a bit refreshed. Tuesday then is a 2 hour standard lesson with my Instructor and the next day Wednesday 3rd October is the actual test. I am not nervous yet, but I just feel I have been doing so well and putting so many long days into this I have come too far to fail now.

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Well that's me failed plenty of times and a rule I strongly disagree with.  Can you imagine being on the Mighty Tiger at speed, then a deer / dog / badger etc appears in the road, I check mirrors, yes nowt behind me then don't slow down or swerve to avoid it? - Result 999 and off to sample hospital food at best.

And why not slow down / swerve in a car if the road is clear and no one is tailgating ?   Hitting wildlife tends to kill it, or worse maim it not to mention cause damage and expensive repairs to vehicles - A daft rule imho

Griff

 

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A 20mph zone and a road with a 20mph limit are very different. A zone will normally have speed humps or chicanes to naturally slow the traffic as a 20mph limit does not but should have repeater signs indicating the speed. The trouble is if you go too slow your wrong and if you go too fast your wrong you can’t win. 

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3 hours ago, brundallNavy said:

A 20mph zone and a road with a 20mph limit are very different. A zone will normally have speed humps or chicanes to naturally slow the traffic as a 20mph limit does not but should have repeater signs indicating the speed. The trouble is if you go too slow your wrong and if you go too fast your wrong you can’t win. 

The old adage on the fail certificate of "not making due progress"

Regards

Alan

 

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1 hour ago, ranworthbreeze said:

The old adage on the fail certificate of "not making due progress"

That's the easiest thing to fail for on the HGV test. The next easiest is running through a red light. If you are driving a full length artic and the light goes yellow just as your cab goes past, then it will go red before your trailer has passed clear of it. So you have failed! But if you creep up slowly to the light in case it is about to change, then you have "failed to make normal progress".

So you just have to pray that all the lights are red as you approach them, and you have to stop.

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Robin what's the rules for bikes these days, If I'm turning left I indicate and tend to move towards the kerb to block them as them race down the inside. One rider last year pushed my wing mirror in so he could get passed which was flashing orange.

 

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If I'm turning left I indicate and tend to move towards the kerb to block them as them race down the inside.

I can see why you might do that, but that is a no no because you are doing something that causes other road users to change what they are doing. The point of dirving and way through the test, is to ensure you do nothing that effects others - pedestrians, cyclists, cars, you name it. How many times do people indicate to pull out and a car slows and lets them out? Fail. You should wait until you can move out when the road is clear - your indication should be the last thing to indicate your move, not pre-empt it.

So far as bikes coming up the inside, of course they are not meant to do it, stupid thing and as a cyclist I do not myself, but despite every more deaths from this in central London every year, cyclist still do it. Your basis is to block them and thus be safer, makes sense but I think the best way is just accept they are likely going to come up your nearside and be ready for this. I have had this occur every time we drive in the centre of Norwich. What annoys me most is at lights they should all congregate at the cyclist box but you still get the odd one hanging about on the nearside just behind your mirror.

I am looking forward to tomorrow, need to iron out these few little issues and work on show me/tell me as get one of those wrong and it could end up being two minor faults before you've even left the test centre. Some are easy:

"Show me how you wash and clean the rear windscreen"

Show how using the correct stalk or switch would operate the rear window wash wipe.

But some are more tricky like:

"Tell how you'd check that the brakes are working properly before starting a journey?"

Brakes should not feel spongy or slack. Brakes should be tested as you set off and the vehicle should never pull to one side under braking.

 

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Hi Robin

I think although the test has changed since I learned to drive one thing still stands fast, it is not that you make a mistake, everyone does , it is what you do next. As I took my test and was told at a junction to turn left I dutifully moved right and indicated. The tester said "I did say left" I said sorry but I cannot do that now without upsetting everyone. I turned right and we made our way back to the junction and I turned left at the second time of asking. I naturally thought that's a fail, wrong, passed first time. So when you are in the wrong place be careful how you put it right.

Good Luck

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I passed my test second time (back in the 70s) and when the examiner said "You've passed" My immediate words were "You're joking!". I'd made an early cock-up and figured I'd failed. I relaxed and just drove the rest of the test, doing what I was asked to do. I think that's what got me through, so point one, Try to relax.

In this thread Robin has said many things I disagree with, and I think others have disagreed too, however things might have changed since we passed our tests, so I make no specific comment except this.

You are in training to pass your test, nothing more, nothing less, so do as they say and good luck to you. Actual driving skills will come later.  

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My instructor had a fruity turn of phrase, but the things he said have stuck with me. For instance, when negotiating a series of blind corners  - "Can you effing see round effing corners? No, so why are you effing driving as if you effing can?". When not checking over my shoulder before moving off, after I'd checked the mirror - "Suppose there'd been a effing midget in a effing go-kart coming past?" (not likely, but he made his point). "If you're effing turning effing left, why move the effing steering wheel effing right?" after I'd swung over to miss the kerb on turning (incorrectly positioned). And one he never swore during, but was deadly serious about - "When waiting to turn right, keep the wheels straight until you start your turn, it will stop you getting shunted into oncoming traffic if some numpty tail-ends you. And BEFORE starting to turn, check the wing (door mirror, nowadays) for overtaking motorbikes - it's a life saver".

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