greatfire

I'm a "late bloomer." I'm a 22 year old male, and I don't have my license. Worse than that, I worry that I'll be a crappy driver. I have this habit of trancing out at random times (spacing out), and when I get behind the wheel I do not have any sense of where the car is on the road. Since I can see the bonnet, I don't know where I am. I had one lesson, and the guy told me I was swerving all over the place, but for the life of me I thought I was going straight.

This is kinda scaring me, so I'm looking for any tips/advice/opinions as to how I should go about learning how to drive well.

Thanks.

#1 STUNNA

Driving School?

The Dougler

iTrader: (1)

why not take a new driver class?

#1 STUNNA

I think that isn't his only problem, he seems to have severe ADD or something that he can't focus on driving. Maybe he's always trippin balls and he's so high he has no idea what's goin on right now!!

OP =

Gfaze

You need to be sure you will not space out while driving. You'll end up on the 6 o' clock news. Focus on yourself driving 3000+ lbs of machinery when you're on the road. A good driving school should be able to help.

Gnate

iTrader: (10)

At age 22 with no license is a good time to consider not even getting a license. Public transit FTW... not only that but from what you posted originally, you'll save lives with it!

teranfon

The most alarming part of your post was you mentioning that you can see the bonnet while driving down the road. Do NOT focus on the bonnet. Certainly be aware of it it, but don't focus on it. Focus down the road. Look at where you intend on going. Focusing on the bonnet will indeed make you swerve from side to side as you will not have a point of focus to concentrate on.

Terry

Gnate

iTrader: (10)

bonnet?

teranfon

Hood.

My mother is of British ancestry, so I can recall the word very well.


Terry

DarkSithCL

iTrader: (1)

Wow... where do you live Greatfire? One of our sons knew how to drive for some time, but just got his lic when he went to college.... a couple of my others are getting permits and taking driving classes at age 15 and 16... BTW... the whole "spaced out" thing has to end or you will be another MVA statistic... get a book, a permit and some professional classes IMVHO.... R.

Will Y.

Just go to a driving school so a professional teacher can teach you how to drive-- that will teach you the basics and get you comfortable with driving.
FWIW, my first in-car driving lesson scared me since I was taking turns much too wide and felt unsteady. That feeling lasted until about the 3d driving lesson.

As Terry wrote, don't look at the bonnet- look down the road to where the car will be in about 2 seconds in the future. That should keep you driving straight, unless a turn is involved.

JediMindTricks

play GT5: prologue...

incredulous1

i think the only way to get better is to practice....

PortlandRL

Some people have a natural knack for driving, others don't. I used to have a real problem with not looking far enough ahead or paying attention to stopped cars. You just have to program yourself to pay attention to what you're doing and be reminded of just how dangerous 3500 pounds of steel really can be.

I've been driving for almost 7 years now and every day is a learning experience. You never stop, really. Once you find a groove that fits you, go with it. From the get-go I programmed myself to always use my turn signals; now I don't even think about it. It's totally automatic.

Best of luck to you.

JS + XES

iTrader: (1)

try to practice alot in a huge parking lot?

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

There is no fast way to becoming a good driver. It's all about experience.

Having said that, I personally categorize "good driving" into two sections. First, vehicle control. For this, there are schools you can take. Second, negotiating traffic. This one is all about experience. The key is to learn how to read traffic flow. When you can read traffic and predict what they are about to do, then you're doing pretty well.




FYI, look far forward into the horizon, instead of looking at 5 feet in front of you. This will help you steer the vehicle steady in a straight line.

RaviNJCLs

iTrader: (4)

I know people in their 30's that just got their DL. When you live in large cities like NY, it's just not that important.

I recommend driving school. Most states will require that you have hours of driving practice before your road test. And if you can, have someone teach you as well.

Points on the bonnet / hood will not really help you. It varies from car to car. You need to learn the car you will be driving for the test. But focus more on the road.

Driving is NOT that tough, but you need to get as much practice as possible. And as much as practice in an empty parking lot is important, you also need to get real life driving experience. Try to get on the road as much as possible. Day and night, with and without traffic.

Good luck.

JJ4Short

I have been driving for 10 years and still hit curbs LOL mainly because people are asshats and trying to get around them and their parking gets you in trouble.

RaviNJCLs

iTrader: (4)

By the way, where do you live?

TeknoKing

OP, where do you live?

And what do you drive?

Should I be worried?

P.S. And it's never too late to learn to drive, first few years you'll be practicing, and then you'll become good at it. The main thing is not to get tempted by the speed. I would recommend driving slow, follow the speed limits, you need to learn to feel your car's width and depth. Take it to an abandon lot, and practice your sharp turn, slow and fast braking... Or driving school maybe your calling... The main thing about driving is not you driving the car, is watching out for other morons on the road.

TeknoKing

If you live in NYC area, please disregard the above recommendation.

I want to live.

Jackygor

Perhaps take a defensive driving course?

SG81

iTrader: (1)

Go Karting

myron

iTrader: (4)

they have people whose job is to teach you how to drive properly. Anyone can just sit behind the wheel and press the pedals and move but that doesnt mean they know how to drive. Get profesional help if you are unsure about yourself

hdcolumbus

Don't take lessons from WILLDOGS?

Bearcat94

You can learn to drive. Most 16 - 20-somethings are spaced out from time-to-time, it's just part of development - learning to focus/concentrate on a task.

Get lessons. Keep practicing. Experience and knowledge are the key to operating a vehicle properly.

It is VERY unlikely you'll be worst driver on the road -what're the odds?

DO learn to drive *safely* (speed, conditions, etc) and *properly* (turn signals, keep right except to pass, etc).

Learn to pay attention to what's happening ahead of you, not just where you are now.

*Look* ahead to where you want the car to go and thats where you'll end up.

jmkiang

iTrader: (5)

If my sister could get her license (at 28), then you can get yours.

Get some driving lessons from an instructor and you'll be on the road in a couple months.

Good luck!

CL-Slick

iTrader: (7)

Put a cougar in the car.


just take drivers ed, and practice. I think you will do fine.

Trackruner228

iTrader: (1)

Here is a list of things to keep in mind

- Drive safely
- Use your blinkers
- Check your mirrors often
- Don't mess with navi, radio, A/C etc while driving
- For every 10 MPH leave an extra car length of space between the you and the guy in front of you

Thats about it. Go out and drive now.

JLatimer

Go to driving school and practice, practice, practice. Pay your driving school for extra in-car time.

On a somewhat related note.
I know 2 girls with a similar personality, background and upbringing. The one difference is that one grew up with dirt-bikes, quads and bicycles - the other owned a bike that sat in the garage. The one familiar with bikes and quads learned to control a vehicle trouble-free in a few weeks - the other still struggles a year later to safely control a vehicle. Getting your kid's ass off the couch does more than just keep them from getting fat and lazy... It prepares them for future experiences.

black label

Bonnet = hood
Boot = trunk
Petrol = gas
Fag = cigarette
Backwards peace sign = :tonguefaw

That concludes todays Brit to U.S. translation lesson.

Rounder

If my friend can pass his drivers test on the 9th try, you can, too!

And no, I will never get in a car with him.

Moog-Type-S

Observe a female asian driver. This may be time consuming, and take some risk.

Once you have a complete understanding of how they drive and operate an automobile,
then.........DO THE EXACT OPPOSITE.

Eoanou

I can't stress enough how critical experience is. Just drive the car enough so that you're comfortable with it, able to fit in narrow spaces, able to merge properly and what not.

I remember when I first started driving I would take turns wide so much so that I would jump the curb. Sometimes when I had to pull in a parking lot and someone was exiting I would be very nervous about hitting him. Just be mindful of how much space you have in front and left and right of you. I'd say it's the most critical aspect of driving.

I would also recommend learning how to merge as well, merging is also very important many people merge improperly and end up cutting off other drivers because they think they had room, when of course they do not.

As you drive the car more you'll get more comfortable driving and it won't be as bad. I remember when I first got my license I would be so nervous to the point I would not want to drive alone, I got used to others driving me. Of course, the more I drove the more comfortable I got and I improved my driving DRASTICALLY.


I certainly wish you the best of luck!

Cheers!

stogie1020

What happened to the rest of the posts that were here?

I work hard at this shit...

Myxomatosis

yep, practice. ----->experience

I learned to drive using a boat inadvertently. Basically operated boats all my youth and driving a car isn't much different...except cars have brakes and the road doesn't move.

Maybe a simple task and I found this helpful, with boats and cars. Really get a picture of where you are, how wide the car is, length, how far the bumper literally is from you in the drivers seat and sometimes more important, how far the rear bumper is. Knowing where you are in the car will help you stay on the road and in between the lines.

just one tip......out of a million

synth19

practice, that's all you need. The first time I drove I went into someones lawn. We all go through it. Regardless of age, a beginner is a beginner.

Myxomatosis

I wonder do any of you guys think like me that miles driven equates experience? Not purely, but basically. I've driven about 500,000mi. I think that's pretty good for my age, I would still consider myself intermediate.

funny, writing this post I deleted a crap load and realized I need to go to racing school now, that's all there is to it.

phee

iTrader: (5)

stay out of atlanta

Blazing GT

I think driving should be a natural thing.

driving well atleast.