I tend to keep personal achievements off of this website. I know I get annoyed when I read tweets about “It’s my cat’s birthday” or “I’ve just finished doing my nails!”, so that has made me have a negative reaction towards every bragging about anything I have accomplished, in case it annoys others for being something I really shouldn’t be bragging about.
I tend to keep personal achievements off of this website. I know I get annoyed when I read tweets about “It’s my cat’s birthday” or “I’ve just finished doing my nails!”, so that has made me have a negative reaction towards every bragging about anything I have accomplished, in case it annoys others for being something I really shouldn’t be bragging about.
But today is an exception - I passed my driving test yesterday!
It’s been a long journey, slowed by quite a few of my lessons being called off in Winter, but I’ve now finally become the owner of a full driving license. And it does kind of relate to this blog - my productivity is about to skyrocket!
So now I feel like I should make this blog more purposeful. I found the very early stages of my driving education difficult, but my instructor passed on a few tips that really helped smooth things out. So here are those very same tips, mixed with a few of my own.
Form good habits
On my first lesson, my driving instructor told me “the end goal is to make driving easier than walking”. When you first get behind the wheel, this seems like an impossibility. There are so many things to do, mixed in with the general early jitters, that that level of comfort seems unachievable. But, I’m here to tell you now that it does indeed become as easy to drive as it is to walk after a while. And the best way to reach this comfort level is to form habits.
You’ll do this naturally, as you do with all things in life. These are usually subconscious - for example, the next time you find yourself typing on a keyboard, you may notice that you don’t actually look at it that often! So get into the groove of adjusting your seat, checking your lights, and changing gear the right times, and eventually you’ll do it automatically.
Get out of bad habits
On the other side of the coin, there are bad habits. These have to be nipped in the bud, especially when you are still learning. My bad habit was leaving my hand on the gear stick instead of having two hands on the wheel. The way to combat this is to notify whoever you are driving with about them, and tell them to point it out every time you do it. Eventually, you’ll get so annoyed at them telling you that you’ll stop! Keep in mind that many bad habits constitute minor marks against your driving test, so get them out of your system well before the test.
Unsure? Slow down
Hesitation is natural when you are a learner driver. You are never not aware that everyone else on the road is weary of you, and may have no patience should you start to struggle. I’m here to tell you that you should ignore them. All of them. You are there to remain safe, not to appease other drivers. So when approaching a situation, don’t think “What would so and so do”, or “Will other drivers get annoyed if I make a mistake here”, think clearly. If it’s safe to continue, continue. If it isn’t, or if you are unsure, slow down. Come to a stop if you have to. This way, you’ll always remain safe.
Expand upon mirror, signal, maneuver
It’s drummed into you from the beginning. Mirror-signal-maneuver. Rinse and repeat. But these three words don’t cover everything. In fact, “maneuver” is kind of vague. There are plenty more steps you’ll need to go through. After using your mirrors and signalling you intentions, you need to sort out your placement and your speed, before quickly checking everything again. Only after assessing everything should you do the maneuver.
Think clearly
Above all else - remain calm, and think logically. It may seem easier said than done, but you’ll find people make mistakes when they over think things on the road. Whenever something crops up that requires attention, think about your next stop with common sense. When approaching a junction, don’t think “I have to stop soon” - “I should have gone down a gear” - “Where are we going next” - “I haven’t checked my mirrors in a while”. Otherwise you are liable to become distracted. Revert back to those good habits, and let logic do the rest.
This applies to revising for the theory test as well. I failed mine twice, and the second time, the man at the desk asked me how much I had been revising for it on the practice CDs. When I told him every day for two hours, he told me I was revising too much, and it was clouding my judgement, as I was trying to link every Hazard Perception video to one I had already seen. Once you know the rules of the road, you should simply refresh for 15 minutes every day, and then when you sit the exam, take everything on a case by case basis. I did, and passed on my third attempt. Hopefully you’ll do better than me with this advice.
Follow these tips, and you’ll hopefully be ruling the road in no time. There are many dangers on the road. But most of them, including all of the ones listed here, are easily avoidable if you just remain calm and work in good driving habits. Do that, and you are well on the road to success.