Learning To Drive

[rpm]

When you were learning to drive what where your problems?

Let's see mine are as follows.. (according to my parents :angry:)

I roll through stop signs (Defense: I stopped you just didn't see)

I don't stop soon enough (Defense: I didn't hit the car and we don't have whiplash)

I speed over the limit (Defense: I'm keeping up with traffic)

I stay to close to the edge (Defense: I'm trying to avoid hitting another car)

My mom drives our SUV at 60mph and above around these sharp ass corners and I can't yell at her.. some bull****.

:devil:

[ad345zAdZ0d9_]

Whats the point of this thread... is it meant to be funny?

[Si Veteran]

Just stay within the rules till you pass. Then go nuts. Just make sure you're away from populated areas eh ;)

I had problems with giving way to people mostly in all my 6(!) tests lol :laugh:

[devilman2590]

No... seems like a rant to me. I can't drive yet ... or learn to drive yet.. pretty soon though :).

[rpm]

Well I am wondering what kind of problems people had or were critized about when they first started driving.

[CatnipOligarchy]

it took a week or so to get my timing down on my stops.. main thing was the speeding for me. i had to learn not to speed the hard way.

[aem4162]

When you were learning to drive what where your problems?

Let's see mine are as follows.. (according to my parents :angry:)

I roll through stop signs (Defense: I stopped you just didn't see)

I don't stop soon enough (Defense: I didn't hit the car and we don't have whiplash)

I speed over the limit (Defense: I'm keeping up with traffic)

I stay to close to the edge (Defense: I'm trying to avoid hitting another car)

My mom drives our SUV at 60mph and above around these sharp ass corners and I can't yell at her.. some bull****.

:devil:

alex, you defenses suck. you are NOT the expert driver that you think you are. learn the rules and learn how to drive BEFORE you go out and act like an ######. if you wreck your car, the least that could happen to you is that your insurance rates go up and mommy and daddy have to buy you another car. the worst that could happen is that your passengers or the person/people in the other car DIE because of your stupidity.

[rpm]

*runs from anitia's wrath*

[LiLViEtDuDe917]

yes, thats why you take classes. you must learn before you actually drive. an experienced driver usually have driven for about 3 - 5 years already.

[draugluin]

didn't have any problems driving really, i self taught myself in a manual when i was 13 and everything fell into place from there, i drove my mom's car about 3 years before i even got my lincense, so wee.

good thing about living in a southern state, cops don't really care.

[aem4162]

*runs from anitia's wrath*

i'm not mad about anything, alex. :D

do you ever pay attention to the news reports on tv and in the paper about how teenagers are killed in wrecks while driving like idiots?

[rpm]

Yes.. Street racing then a car hits a tree. :( :(

I wasn't street racing though and I go the speed limit unless I'm on I-95 because if you go the limit there you'll get rear ended.

[maplecookie Veteran]

hmm...don't remember any problems for learning to drive about me...but i know my sister had a hard time remembering which was the break and which was the gas! lol she hit the garage of our house and caused about 2k worth of damage

[Boffa Jones Veteran]

Its really easy jsut drive slow as a ****er for the first little while. Once you have your full liscence you can do wahtever, but dont bitch when you get tickets

[aem4162]

Its really easy jsut drive slow as a ****er for the first little while. Once you have your full liscence you can do wahtever, but dont bitch when you get tickets

oh my....i never thought of that! we're gonna have to hear his rants about ALL of his tickets!!!!!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Hawkeye]

Yes.. Street racing then a car hits a tree. :( :(

I wasn't street racing though and I go the speed limit unless I'm on I-95 because if you go the limit there you'll get rear ended.

Well, I agree about the I-95 thing! When I drive from my house in NYC to my college in Albany, NY, I have about 110 miles on I-95. Let me put it this way. You are gonna get people honking at you and giving you the finger if you go at the speed limit or slower.

I was doing 80 mph on I-95 last time (where the speed limit is 65), and no matter which lane I was in (didn't even have to be the left lane), I was still the slowest car on the road, and people were constantly tailgating me. Until I finally hit 90 mph, this would be the case.

Now, Alex, as for what I initially had problems with when I started learning to drive, I think my initial problem was that I was too afraid of the gas pedal, so my instructor would constantly tell me to speed up a little. Also, like ultimaweapon, I was still fairly scared at that time, so even when it was my right of way, I was still letting people go before me.

Finally, Alex, for now, all those defenses you mad ein your first posts are useless. You are learning to drive, and had a cop actually pulled you over, those defenses would not hold up for a second. When you have several years of driving under your belt, then you can say these things, but right now, just stick to the rules. It'll be better that way and less stressful for whoever else is in the car with you.

[.will]

alex, you defenses suck. you are NOT the expert driver that you think you are. learn the rules and learn how to drive BEFORE you go out and act like an ######. if you wreck your car, the least that could happen to you is that your insurance rates go up and mommy and daddy have to buy you another car. the worst that could happen is that your passengers or the person/people in the other car DIE because of your stupidity.

:yes: well said.

[.will]

Yes.. Street racing then a car hits a tree. :( :(

I wasn't street racing though and I go the speed limit unless I'm on I-95 because if you go the limit there you'll get rear ended.

FYI: It's not just streetracing :rolleyes:.

[Louisville Slugger]

My experiences

First time driving a stick 8/15/2003

I did circles in a parking lot on a standard. Standards are so much fun though. I was a bit nervous. I didn't realize such a lite touch on the accelerator would move the car a decent speed, so I had to get comfortable with that. Lifting my foot off the clutch, waiting for the gears to catch, and gently pushing the accelerator. I shifted into 1st, and 2nd while driving. .I still can't believe it. My dad says he is going to take me out two dozen more times. .I guess I really need to get comfortable with it.

8/16/2003

2nd time driving today! I started the car five times without stalling, and drove around in a bigger parkinglot. I stopped the car, simulating an intersection with a light, and started it up with no problems. I used the blinkers too when turning.

Frustrating at first, I learned to relax and gently lift up my left foot, which was on the clutch. Basically, I took my right foot off the break, and put it on the gas without pushing that hard on it. I almost let the weight of the shoe give it some gas, because the one slightest touch would make the car jerk a bit. Once the car was rolling a little, I took my left foot off the clutch and gave it a little more gas, gently pushing down the accelerator. It was another fun experience.

There's a bit of an incline where that parking lot was, so next time I am going to try and start the car while on the incline. I don't want to do to much in one day you know?

8/23/2003

I learned something today. I prevented myself from stalling out a number of times by starting the car with my foot all the way down on the clutch and my other foot on the break. I took my foot off the break and gave the car some gas (the RPM meter went to about 1,500) then I lifted my foot 1/2 way off the clutch until I felt like the car was moving, and not rolling (because I was on an incline). I then lifted my foot directly off the clutch because I felt the mechanism "catch" inside the engine. Once I was driving everything else was cake. I just have to keep practicing.

I never really thought the car would move if I gave it a little gas, while my foot was 1/2 down on the clutch. Since it can work that way, all I had to do was make sure the car was acually moving instead of rolling, at that moment I knew that I could take my foot off the clutch.

The hard part is doing it on an incline, while at a stop light, with people behind you. I need to develop skill, so I'll be quick enough to go from "stopped" to "go" without rolling to far back causeing an accident when the guy behind me goes. Why should I even bother to think about that now? I am only learning the little things. I guess I really should be practicing stopping and starting in one motion.

I did shift from 1st to 2nd, then I downshifted from 2nd to 1st. The thing is, you really need to have an adequate amount of room to undergo that process. You see when I shifted into 2nd, I had to keep the car at a certain speed or else the car would begin to shake forcing me to downshift, which I did without the car shaking. However, I am beginning to use my ears more than my eyes to tell me when to shift. My eyes need to be paying more attention to the road. Hopefully, if I exercise these skills I'll be able to do everything in one motion causing me more time to think about what to do on the road, rather than what to do in the car itself. Once your in control, your in control.

8/31/2003

Sweet, I didn't stall out today. I was rolling back and started the car, then I stopped and started the car again via holding the clutch petal at a certain spot and giving it gas.

I did so well, my mom wanted to see me reverse out of a parking space. So I pulled into a parking space in the lot, then pressed the clutch, shifted into reverse and slowly balanced the clutch petal while giving it gas. I was looking behind me also, and did fairly well with that. Next thing I did was reverse all the way up the parking lot. I did that pretty well, then I shifted into first and increased the speed to 20 MPH. I shifted into second right away and drove around the parking lot at that constant speed.

I think I should get my permit now, so I can drive around the neighborhood. I should try driving around the parking lot a little bit more though, paying more attention to the rules of the road. Hopefully, I am on my way to becoming a good driver. However, do you think I should take my road test in this car? Or use one of their automatic cars, which could give me an advantage. Should I even be worrying about this now?

11/16/2003

I got my permit and here's some updated information about driving:

I started out driving my dad's standard car in the night time with my mom around the neighborhood. Not too shabby except for some reason I felt uncomfortable. My foot was shaking and it was hard to control the clutch pedal. I managed and the next day I tried it with my dad in the afternoon. I couldn't seem to back out of the garage and put it into first then turn up the driveway. On top of that my dad was yelling at me, so it made me feel less confident. He knew I just wasn't ready to drive a standard on the road.

Okay, so he told me I should try to learn to "drive" my mom's car, which is an automatic. I should focus on looking left right back and in front on me when I drive rather then paying too much attention on the clutch. I thought that would make sense since if I learn the rules of the road; the comfort of my mom?s car will have an impact whether the clutch falls into place when I drive my dad's car. Well, I took my mom's car out today and boy it was fun. Even though it's a van it's nice to know that I wasn?t shifting. However, the car is much bigger than my dad's car, so judging was a bit more tedious. I went around my neighborhood about three times, making various turns, and going up and down hills.

In conclusion, I just need to develop the right approach towards driving. I'll be taking my drivers test with an automatic, so my parents want me to have experience with that as well as with a manual. Hopefully, my confidence will increase instead of depreciate while driving. My mom doesn't seem to yell, but at times she seems paranoid as to how close I am to the curves. Nonetheless, I had a great experience today in an automatic and in the near future I hope to build up my confidence.03-03-2004, 15:50

Ever Have That Feeling? (Manual Car Drivers) - When you are driving down the street and the speedometer needle is going up at a considerable rate, and just before you have to shift there is a sudden burst of adrenaline and you feel like you?re in a car race? I think that happened to me last weekend. I was practicing in my dad's standard and I think I got a little carried away. When I approached a straight away I immediately increased speed, which caused me to shift into a different gear. However, my excitement rose and I must have hit the gas pedal way more than when I pushed down the clutch pedal. The engine revved like crazy and I freaked out. I tried the same process over again and then this time I was more relaxed. When it was the right time to shift I pushed the clutch down softly with a quick upward motion from 2nd to 3rd on the stick. I didn't even know I shifted because of how quiet the engine was while I did it. More importantly it was as if shifting had become second nature after a couple of days of practicing. I can't wait until I get really good at this.03-07-2004, 17:5252

Hehe, I went driving again today. A lot of people were looking at me because I was making circles around my neighborhood. I just want to get comfortable starting up, shifting, and then I can move on to the highway/traffic. I am just taking it step by step, no rush.03-08-2004, 20:2222

Ahh! My friend today told me that his parents thought I was driving to fast I was going down a straight away and shifting like crazy! They said they didn't even hear me downshift. It's so fun though03-13-2004, 16:1111

Fun, fun, fun. Today I practiced starting on very steep hills. No problems; I totally owned them. Funny thing is when I went out on the road and I tried to make a left turn I had to stop because of oncoming traffic. Then bam! I tried to start up and the car went 2 inches then just stopped. I had to get out of the car and my mom had to take the drivers seat. Turns out I wasn't in first gear and that's why it felt like something was "stuck" when I tried to start. Pretty ironic isn't it? I felt so stupid and got angry because two people had to pass me. Well now I am trying to get into the habit of putting the stick into neutral and then back to first just before I go. Therefore, I'll know for sure that it's in gear. Over time, I'll become more comfortable and get a "feel" for it, that it won't be a problem. This goes for many people who are learning new techniques in life. Practice, practice, and more practice. I got a good hour of driving a manual today and I hope I can drive some more tonight. I want to go on the highway because it's so much fun shifting through the gears. I am amazed how much speed I can get with the 1500 lb 110 HP 1.8L stick shift, rather than the 2600-3000 lb auto mini van.03-14-2004, 19:4343

Well today I took the car around three neighborhoods, mine, and two of my friends. I was just shifting up and down like crazy because of the side streets and the tight turns. I found this steep incline on one of the side streets, so I decided to try it out. I kept rolling back, but didn't stall out. I just stopped, took a minute to think things over and went at it again. I found the spot where the clutch engages and at that point a little gas is all it needed. I almost held the car in that sloped position, but I knew that just puts pressure on the clutch, so I just went. I drove through some intersections with more confidence - not worrying about the people behind me or passing me. I hit fourth gear on one of the major roads. It felt so good shifting through all the gears on a smooth straight away road with Joe Satriani's music playing in the background. At that point I knew driving a stick was going to be awesome!3;

Edited March 15, 2004 by Louisville Slugger

[kombolcha]

i never had problems driving the first time.. i was 9 years old when i learned to drive stick and i was 13 first time i drove all by myself.

but legally i've been licensed for 1 year and 1 month to date. but i really have 5 years of experience :D

your defenses suck..

my definition of defensive driving is..

1% - attention to the way you drive

3% - attention on predicting the road and drivers ahead.

96% - attention to your surroundings and the cars and people near and ahead of you.

don't tailgate and if you do have your hands ready to pull the hand brakes.

always, always slow down to the speed limit and obey all signs when you are near donut shops

and don't be an ###### and slow down too much before you get to the light, it really ****es off the person behind you especially if they drive stick.

[DigitalN.]

i tought rpm was banned?

[aaron901]

i tought rpm was banned?

lol :laugh:

my problem was speeding as well, but now i drive really slow when someone is in the car, and hit the gas hard once in a while when i'm driving alone.

[John Veteran]

Alex, I'm starting to see why so many people don't like your threads... :rolleyes:

A small piece of advice from me: don't drive fast when it's snowing. I learned from experience.

[Hum]

Let's see mine are as follows.. (according to my parents :angry:)

I roll through stop signs (Defense: I stopped you just didn't see)

I don't stop soon enough (Defense: I didn't hit the car and we don't have whiplash)

I speed over the limit (Defense: I'm keeping up with traffic)

I stay to close to the edge (Defense: I'm trying to avoid hitting another car)

:o I see a major accident and much damage in your Future :ninja:

[Deaf Spacker]

When you were learning to drive what where your problems?

Let's see mine are as follows.. (according to my parents :angry:)

I roll through stop signs (Defense: I stopped you just didn't see)

I don't stop soon enough (Defense: I didn't hit the car and we don't have whiplash)

I speed over the limit (Defense: I'm keeping up with traffic)

I stay to close to the edge (Defense: I'm trying to avoid hitting another car)

My mom drives our SUV at 60mph and above around these sharp ass corners and I can't yell at her.. some bull****.

:devil:

OMG! How lame can your excuses get? I predict that you will die a horrible and painful death from a car crash which was your fault.