Driving problem

I am 21 one when I wrote this post, I am 22 now now but I won't be for long, and the leaves that a green turn to brown.

Sorry for my Simon and Garfunkel influenced introduction to this wonderful thread.

I am starting to notice that I am about the only person I know of my age who cannot drive. I am 22 and still can't drive. I've had plenty of lessons in the past and I know how to drive I just can't seem to make much progess. I found I couldn't be myself when having lessons I was always extremely nervous.

I was thinking when I get a job I could buy an old N Reg Fiesta for about £500, insure it and then ask my mate to to set in with me while I drive the car and pactrise. I reckon this all I need, I was at test standard in the last time I drove a car.

I reckon I could drive to London and back without anybody noticing I cannot drive. However I just don't want to bother paying some old ex copper £20 an hour just for pleasure of driving his Renult Clio or what ever in traffic.

Has anybody had experience of driving having driving practise with mates? Did it end up in tiers?

 

Driving to london and back would be a very slow process for you since you can't go on motorways.

If you're test standard then take a few refresher lessons with an instructor and take your test. The problem with driving with your friends is that they will teach you all sorts of "handy hints" that are bad habits that will fail you the L test.

Most driving instructors will make an effort to get you out onto country roads as well. They know what they're looking for and so it is worthwhile.

 

Yeah its not just I stopped making progress. I would go on a motorway if I had a modern decent car with decent passive safety, in a ten year old Fiesta though they may be save at 40mph with their airbags etc I can't see them offering much protection at 70.

My mate in question is very sensible almost old man like so thats why I think he might be good. I would be worried about getting into bad habbits though.

My mum won't go on motorways either. Believe me I know all about slow journeys, the last time we went accross the peninnes to see my dads family it took us four hours for an 80 mile journey! (Scunthorpe)

My mum simply won't go in cars now any further than the local shops that was after the accident in 2002.

There isn't any country roads near me its all dual carriage ways or busy suburban roads.

If I had to go to London I would probably go by train, I don't know many people who drive there because of the hassles when you get to London etc.

 

By can't go on motorways, I mean you are not allowed to drive on motorways on a provisional license. You have to have a full license to drive on any road subject to motorway regulations.

 

Oh year I know that, I just meant even if I had a full licence I wouldn't go on the motorway anyway unless I had a modern car with enough power.

 

Motorways aren't that bad, a large percentage of driving comes down to confidence. Lessons and tests are much harder than actual driving.
You shouldn't rely on airbags, abs, side impact etc. etc. for anything. They may help in a crash, they may not. You should only rely on being a safe, alert driver.

 

at,
you seem to have little real reason to need to drive. if i were you i'd revel in the fact that i could get mullered whenever i went out and had lots of extra money because i wasn't being raped by insurance companies, the government and grease monkeys.
iirc you are in I.T. this means you'll eventually end up in london and so a car will be as much use as some naim loudspeakers.
cheers


julian

 

Lol will this is what stopped me having lessons. I suddently realised hold on everybody I know who has cars get the bus to work anyway. Manchester is almost as unfriendly for cars as London.

At the moment a car would be very much a hinderence, public transport gets me everywhere without any problems. I just feel while I don't have a driving licence apart of me is missing as most adults do.

I would nothing more but to be able to cycle every where but the roads are just not designed for it.

 

The advantage of manc is you can walk virtually everywhere. I don't trust london, can't see where you going and theres always people standing too close to you on the tube.

 

The city centre you can, I live in Chorlton which is 4 miles away from the centre, its a bit too far to walk if you're doing it all the time. Still the buses are every two minutes so its not a problem. The city centre is great for walking in though, I often walk back from Salford to the city centre.

 

Yeah I walk to and from uni everyday, live on oxford road. Takes 35-40 mins ish.

 

It is equally possible that you don't end up in london though. From where I live I have three choices to get to where (or near) I work:

1) Train. I would have to catch the 6:45am train into manchester, and then back out to oldham. With changes and the walking both sides, I would be lucky to be in 15 minutes late at 8:30, and there isn't an earlier train.

2) Bus. I would have to catch the 6:30am bus (once an hour). This will deposit me around a mile from where I work at around 8:27am, already 12 minutes late for work.

3) Car. I fall out of bed around 7:30, get into the car at 7:45 and I'm on time for work at 8:15. I can carry random heavy objects to and from (about 40% of journies I do have some object(s) to take, or do shopping on the way home).

Public Transport is not a credible alternative in this case. I would lose more than two hours a day compared to using my car. Over the work days in a year, that's about 450 hours. Two and a half weeks of useful time (my time) that would be wasted. And the real kicker? The train would cost more than using my car.

Rant over, there is another reason to get your license, and that is that when you finally do by a car, which is probable, your insurance cost will be affected by how long you've had your license, until about 5 years after you got it.

 

I was getting hints of New England by Billy Bragg to be honest...

 

isaac,
yes out in the sticks where rif raf like you and i live a car is a necessity however in a city they are pointless imho. london's public transport system is pretty good - unless you are out late and then it's taxi time and from what i remember manchesters is similarly good - although all my experiences of that have been augmented by alcohol / etc.
as at is in the IT biz he'll probably end up in a large city, most likely london if he wants to earn the big bucks.
as for wanting a driving license to be 'complete' well i hope we aren;t that americanised yet and it's encouraging to know that a number of people i know are proud that they know bugger all about cars and driving.
cheers


julian

 

Anyone with normal eyesight who is physically capable of driving and doesn't learn really gets my goat to be honest! I'm not a big one for liking cars personally, and I don't see that every driver NEEDS to own a car, but if you've got the ability to drive, you should use it!

...if you don't own a car, you can then go out and get mullered, but can hire a car as and when you need one

Otherwise, if you don't bother, anyone want to give me an eye transplant, as I could make good use of those non-driving perfect eyes

 

Very much depends on your needs - I'm 25 and don't drive. I've got poor eyesight - I wear contact lenses, which puts me off. I live in a pretty compact city, where I can either walk or get the bus from where I live to the city centre (where I work). My new job on Monday is even better - 15 minutes walk from home. Parking is horrendous where I live, plus there is the cost of running a car, which in all honesty, I wouldn't use a great deal.

If I need to go somewhere long-distance, I simply use the train - thus I'm only paying for transport when I use it.

 

I wouldn't worry too much AM - I only passed my test just over a year ago (aged 33) - mainly due to finnancial constraints and the fact that I lived close to newcastle city centre (jesmond and spital tongues) and I enjoyed walking, cycliing and busing it...

but I moved in with my now ex and I wouldn't be without a car now tho...

 

I think you should learn to drive if you can afford it. It's a different argument from if you should run a car. Hell, someone may want to give you a car when you work for them. I didnt learn until my late 20s and also grew up in a great transport city - Newcastle, but get it on your CV before it's needed. Public transport is fragile in the UK.

 

Yes. My mate crashed straight into a football stadium.

 

Like a wedding cake?