Driving Test today!

Obfleur · Post by **Obfleur** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 6:50 am

I think it's ******* crazy that sixteen year olds are allowed to drive by themselves (No offence Tired Tracks

).

saysadie · Post by **saysadie** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 6:56 am

I've been driving offroad since I was roughly 16... haven't taken my test though, would probably need lessons all over again as it's been ages since I last drove.

Congrats BF! As my family usually puts it whenever someone passes a drivers' test, "The ditches will never be safe again"

Post by **Best First** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 10:28 am

Thanks again peeps.

Got mashed last night in celebration...

then drove home.

Obfleur · Post by **Obfleur** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 10:44 am

Pissin' Poonani · Post by **Pissin' Poonani** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 4:13 pm

Mind if I ask you good people for your bestest driving lesson/test advice?

Post by **Best First** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 4:31 pm

- don't rush, even if you stall (which you will)

- when parralel parking (may need a few mirror tweaks for this one) start turning to the right when the kerb dissapears in the left wing.

- have lessons until you feel comfortbale just driving around with no insruction other than where to go. Worked for me anyway.

- when doing manouvers if you stuff up try and correct, its as valuable a skill (if not more so) than the ability to get it right in the first place and there is a good chance it will help in your test.

- when doing manouvers if you feel unsure of how far away you are from say, the kerb, or another car, assuming its safe to do so(yep) stop the car and get out and look, its a good way to relate how things look inside the car to outside the car.

- when doing manouvers don't focus too much on the reference points - check them regularly rather than fixate on them, you may get the move right but you also need to remember your other observations.

- When coming off the handbrake always push it all the way to the floor.

- assume everyone else on the road is a moron with no regard for your safety and drive accordingly.

- Hitting a ramp and then driving the car down an ally on two wheels to lose the cops is an auomatic pass and will probably also get you laid.

Pissin' Poonani · Post by **Pissin' Poonani** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 4:45 pm

Best First wrote:Pearly wisdom, coupled with a Starskey and Hutchesque finish.

Cheers dude-never heard the parallel parking advice before, but I'll definately bear that one in mind.

Post by **Best First** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 4:55 pm

in the car i was in (Clio) it worked if you had the mirro tilted so you coul dsee the whole of teh door handle but not much more.

obvioulsy also keep an eye on your wing to make sure that you are actualy clear of the car you are parking next to...

Pissin' Poonani · Post by **Pissin' Poonani** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 5:11 pm

Are they still really strict about the whole 'ten-to-two' hands on the wheel thing?

Another thing that bothers me is the checking of mirrors-how often is enough, and can you get away with just looking into them, or do you have to make it really obvious that that's what you're doing?

Obfleur · Post by **Obfleur** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 5:29 pm

Just make this face when you are checking the mirrors:

Post by **Best First** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 11:39 pm

Pissin' Poonani wrote:Are they still really strict about the whole 'ten-to-two' hands on the wheel thing?

yes, but once you get it it sticks

Another thing that bothers me is the checking of mirrors-how often is enough, and can you get away with just looking into them, or do you have to make it really obvious that that's what you're doing?

primarily:

every time you doanything - speed up, slow down (especially that one), chnge lanes - prior to any manouvre, which means any change in speed or direction and also when you get onto a new road to check if anything stoopid is 'appnin, aight?

that's your base.

aftetr that just check em regular like, a glance every time seems appropriae to ensure nothing in the road set up has changed - its subjective. But make sure you visibily do it when you do it.

hope that helps - i'm twatted.

Pissin' Poonani · Post by **Pissin' Poonani** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 3:50 pm

I am **** at this-just failed my third mock test. Bugger.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 4:22 pm

At least it's just a mock, right?

How long've you been learning?

I spent about eighteen months on and off taking lessons. Failed the first two tests.

Re the mirrors thing (late advice, I know!) - the main thing is to show the instructor/tester that you're looking in the mirror. Head turn 'n everything.

Post by **Kaylee** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 4:29 pm

Pissin' Poonani wrote:I am **** at this-just failed my third mock test. Bugger.

Salright mate, took me 8

Pissin' Poonani · Post by **Pissin' Poonani** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 4:48 pm

Brendocon wrote:At least it's just a mock, right?

How long've you been learning?

I started driving my dad's car at the start of July, and my lessons began in September-I've been out in my dad's car loads but I couldn't say what that amounts to in terms of hours, and I've had 25 hours with my instructor.

I originally had a 20 hour intensive course booked-first hour was a meet and greet, followed by three, 5 hour lessons, and the remaining time was for a lesson before my test, and then the test itself.

At the beginning of my third lesson, I had my first mock test-I got 45 points, 6 of which were serious and 1 dangerous (rolled backwards towards little kids crossing the road behind me)-in fact,,my score was worse than that because my instructor said she either ran out of space to mark down faults, or I was making the same ones so often she only marked every other one-awesome!

Next mock was 29 points, todays was 32-plenty of serious faults but no dangerous.

It's frustrating-once the pressure of working up to a test date was gone and I started doing normal, 2 hour, lessons, I got better-I finally got all my manouveres down and things were looking good, but now I just keep ******* up. Really dim, obvious ****, too-like not checking mirrors, forgettling to put the handbrake on at pedestrian crossings, hitting the kerb during manoueveres...just loads of idiotic stuff that I shouldn't be doing.

Frustrating.

[/rant over]

Post by **Best First** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 5:25 pm

Sound slike you stated having mocks too early to me.

I didnt start having mocks until i was well into 20 hours of driving, so i suspect that may have dented your confidence a bit.

the only advice i can give is to take your time with all the manouvers and to remember that if you can do it outside the test you can do it in the test - sorry, i know thats a bit obvious.

Post by **Kaylee** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 5:31 pm

I only passed mine because I was convinced (after 7 fails, its easy) that I'd already failed it. So I drove like I really did NOT give a flying [composite word including 'f*ck']. Didn't care, didn't worry. And I passed.

Mysteriously, everybody that day passed. Also it was the only test I did which wasn't last one in the evening- can't help but think the magic word 'quota' had something to do with it... as it wasn't even my best test!

Pissin' Poonani · Post by **Pissin' Poonani** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 5:44 pm

Best First wrote: sorry, i know thats a bit obvious.

Not at all mate-this is why I'm getting so frustrated, because I know I can do it all, I just can't seem to pull it off when it counts. Stupid brain. The only good thing is that Brighton's test center doesn't have a car park, so no bay parking on the test! Woo!*

Karl Lynch wrote:I only passed mine because I was convinced (after 7 fails, its easy) that I'd already failed it. So I drove like I really did NOT give a flying ****. Didn't care, didn't worry. And I passed.

I've heard that from quite a few people-I've tried to adopt that thinking on my mocks, but it hasn't worked yet! It's not even the failing that bothers me-I wouldn't be ashamed to admit it took me twenty times to pass, it's just the expense that gets to me. When it comes down to it, I suppose I'd rather be driving on my own because I'm good enough, not because I fluked a pass, no matter how long that may take me.

*Which was obviously the first thing I learned how to do, and the only manouver I could do flawlessly when I started my proper lessons.

Aaron Hong · Post by **Aaron Hong** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 5:48 pm

Rebis wrote:
Metal Vendetta wrote:Good work BF

Can I have a lift to Brighton this weekend?
Do the latest codes on driving licenses cover tuk-tuks?

This reminds me of that 30-tuk pileup from Ong Bak.

Yeah, that was random.

Pissin' Poonani · Post by **Pissin' Poonani** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 6:01 pm

Ong-Bak annoyed me. Sure, the stunts were impressive, but seeing each stunt three times in a row kind of took away 'the special', if you follow?

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 9:08 pm

Okay, my first driving instructer was a ****. Miserable, disinterested, really quite harsh. Not at all helpful. Had a few months worth of lessons, stopped, moved... then after a while started again with a new instructor in a new part of the country.

I rocked his socks. I'd not driven in over a year, but most of it had just sunk in at an instinctual level. The break helped me relax and get a bit of focus. The new instructor was also good because he was actually helpful.

Also helped that my theory lapsed in the interim and I was crap when it came to taking it again - by the time I was able to book a test, I was actually ready for it. Failed due to three gaffes (only one of which was my fault, natch).

Had another break for a bit... came back at it. Should have aced it the second time except for getting a bit confused on a one-way system's junction and not realising a certain red also applied to me. Oops.

Where I'm going with this - if it's starting to feel a bit too much, or you're getting annoyed with yourself over it... take a breather. Lay off it for a few months. Spend lots of time as an observy passenger person... and then start again rejuvenated.

As with many things, rushing and getting upset/angry with yourself is just going to make it harder.

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 4:48 am

In the US, they give pretty much anyone a license. Which is great, because then people who have no business driving get in giant assault vehicles (have you SEEN an Escalade? A Hummer? A bloody International?) and completely obliterate people driving smaller cars.

sprunkner · Post by **sprunkner** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 6:05 pm

In a completely unrelated subject, I've never taken a train (except in my time in Europe).

Shanti418 · Post by **Shanti418** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 7:51 pm

Professor Smooth wrote:In the US, they give pretty much anyone a license. Which is great, because then people who have no business driving get in giant assault vehicles (have you SEEN an Escalade? A Hummer? A bloody International?) and completely obliterate people driving smaller cars.

Actually, that's no longer true. We were all just doing that to piss you off.

In the week and a half you've been gone, we've ennacted sweeping legislation making driver's tests much more difficult. We've all traded in our GAVs for small four doors (Slogan: Ain't made in Japan, ain't happenan'), and you can't get on the highway unless you have at least 6 people in your car.

In other news, our Lexuses can park themselves.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Tue Oct 31, 2006 11:03 pm

Shanti418 wrote:In other news, our Lexuses can park themselves.

A work colleague almost bought that model, until he noticed the feature whereby the car executes an emergency stop if the cameras in the steering wheel detect the driver facing more than 15 degrees from straight ahead for more than a short time. Thought it might cause a problem when emerging from busy junctions...

He did like the front and rear radar and the self-parking, though.

Shanti418 · Post by **Shanti418** » Wed Nov 01, 2006 12:59 am

I'm just glad our R&D is going to sensible inventions that EVERYONE can afford and use.

I mean, rich people getting their bumpers scraped up because they don't know how to park? Is there a more important issue in the world today?