driving lessons

[k.loveh 0]

A cup of sugar? Anytime!

My fiancee was going to learn to drive the car before he goes to the interview lol. He lasted all of 1 lesson. It was really cute. I know how to drive a stick shift and I remember those days. Well apparently his instructor took him somewhere busy and he kept stalling the car. I think he was a little embarrassed to go back. I had to tell him my horror story which was much worse. I got stuck at the top of a hill in the middle of an intersection and like to never got the car cranked back because I was so nervous. Traffic was having to go around me in the intersection. It was traumatic lol, but I did eventually learn. He was very glad to hear that my car is not a stick shift. He's thinking about being a cab driver when he gets here lol...we will see how that turns out.

May take you up on that cup of sugar!

Ah, horror stories of drivers ed! One time when I was 16 and having a lesson as well, I was at this intersection and was supposed to make a right turn. Well, I made a right turn alright but drove too far into the middle of the intersection and made the right turn into the 'left turning lane' of the cars going to the left or opposite direction! Then she (the instructor) started screaming and I started screaming. I stopped right there in the middle of the road not knowing what else to do, then all the cars coming towards me stopped and just sat there staring at us even though they could have kept going since it wasn't their lane I was in. They were all looking at us with the most puzzled expression, not angry, just puzzled. I couldn't move forward and couldn't go backwards and didn't know how to get out of that mess until some guy stepped out of his vehicle and motioned for us to pull into a parking lot entrance in front of his car. Needless to say the driving instructor and me both had to take a break before proceding with that lesson. Even today I still get the weeby-jeebies whenever I think about it.

Edited November 15, 2009 by k.loveh

[ms_jinga_lala 0]

May take you up on that cup of sugar!

Ah, horror stories of drivers ed! One time when I was 16 and having a lesson as well, I was at this intersection and was supposed to make a right turn. Well, I made a right turn alright but drove too far into the middle of the intersection and made the right turn into the 'left turning lane' of the cars going to the left or opposite direction! Then she (the instructor) started screaming and I started screaming. I stopped right there in the middle of the road not knowing what else to do, then all the cars coming towards me stopped and just sat there staring at us even though they could have kept going since it wasn't their lane I was in. They were all looking at us with the most puzzled expression, not angry, just puzzled. I couldn't move forward and couldn't go backwards and didn't know how to get out of that mess until some guy stepped out of his vehicle and motioned for us to pull into a parking lot entrance in front of his car. Needless to say the driving instructor and me both had to take a break before proceding with that lesson. Even today I still get the weeby-jeebies whenever I think about it.

Oh the horror! I sympathize with you. I still remember having to do the demonstration for parallel parking in drivers ed. I was so nervous. I was praying he didn't pick me. Out of the sheer fear of embarrassing myself in front of all my friends I actually aced it. I was extra cautious and paid very close attention, but still to this day whenever I have to parallel park, I think about that. I still try to avoid parallel parking in real life lol.

[NCWife 0]

Okay, let me toss a jar of sugar across the border!

I am sorry but your story made me laugh so hard that I woke my husband up! I know it was not meant to be funny but I just don't know why I laughed. As I was reading, I was trying to imagine the scenario and the horror you went through. From what I notice, people here drive so courteously (is that even a word?) compared to people in my country, so it's like they will forgive you when you made a mistake while learning. If that same thing happened to me back home, all the drivers will be cursing, honking, you name it, whether or not you're a student or a regular driver.

I remember when I did my lessons back home, 12 years ago, I also had my parallel parking thing and we have this white and red poles around the parking space, at the practice arena. My instructor was sitting with his friends, conversing and sipping his coffee. I was going forward, reverse, forward, reverse with a stick shift and tight steering wheel. I had my windows down, sweating like crazy in that 100 degrees heat and guess what, I ended up knocking down all the 20 poles and the car was still not parked right. My instructor just shook his head and other student drivers were laughing! So embarrassing!!

Now come to think of it, I think I am a terrible driver! LOL.... I have so many horror, crazy stories just popped up! LOL..

Cheers..

A cup of sugar? Anytime!

My fiancee was going to learn to drive the car before he goes to the interview lol. He lasted all of 1 lesson. It was really cute. I know how to drive a stick shift and I remember those days. Well apparently his instructor took him somewhere busy and he kept stalling the car. I think he was a little embarrassed to go back. I had to tell him my horror story which was much worse. I got stuck at the top of a hill in the middle of an intersection and like to never got the car cranked back because I was so nervous. Traffic was having to go around me in the intersection. It was traumatic lol, but I did eventually learn. He was very glad to hear that my car is not a stick shift. He's thinking about being a cab driver when he gets here lol...we will see how that turns out.

May take you up on that cup of sugar!

Ah, horror stories of drivers ed! One time when I was 16 and having a lesson as well, I was at this intersection and was supposed to make a right turn. Well, I made a right turn alright but drove too far into the middle of the intersection and made the right turn into the 'left turning lane' of the cars going to the left or opposite direction! Then she (the instructor) started screaming and I started screaming. I stopped right there in the middle of the road not knowing what else to do, then all the cars coming towards me stopped and just sat there staring at us even though they could have kept going since it wasn't their lane I was in. They were all looking at us with the most puzzled expression, not angry, just puzzled. I couldn't move forward and couldn't go backwards and didn't know how to get out of that mess until some guy stepped out of his vehicle and motioned for us to pull into a parking lot entrance in front of his car. Needless to say the driving instructor and me both had to take a break before proceding with that lesson. Even today I still get the weeby-jeebies whenever I think about it.

Edited November 15, 2009 by NCWife

[ms_jinga_lala 0]

Okay, let me toss a jar of sugar across the border!

I am sorry but your story made me laugh so hard that I woke my husband up! I know it was not meant to be funny but I just don't know why I laughed. As I was reading, I was trying to imagine the scenario and the horror you went through. From what I notice, people here drive so courteously (is that even a word?) compared to people in my country, so it's like they will forgive you when you made a mistake while learning. If that same thing happened to me back home, all the drivers will be cursing, honking, you name it, whether or not you're a student or a regular driver.

I remember when I did my lessons back home, 12 years ago, I also had my parallel parking thing and we have this white and red poles around the parking space, at the practice arena. My instructor was sitting with his friends, conversing and sipping his coffee. I was going forward, reverse, forward, reverse with a stick shift and tight steering wheel. I had my windows down, sweating like crazy in that 100 degrees heat and guess what, I ended up knocking down all the 20 poles and the car was still not parked right. My instructor just shook his head and other student drivers were laughing! So embarrassing!!

Now come to think of it, I think I am a terrible driver! LOL.... I have so many horror, crazy stories just popped up! LOL..

Cheers..

Lol.... ***poof*** you are hereby given a second chance to prove yourself a good driver in a country where we promise to smile and waive and not cuss at you for any poles you knock over....just watch the paint jobs on the cars around you...k? lol... As for parking, just pull through a space at the end of the row when possible and forget all that parallel ####### lol. It's worth the extra walking to not have to stress in my opinion.

Learning to drive was fun wasn't it. I'm really excited about all the crazy things that could happen while I teach my honey to drive here. The memories will last a lifetime.

[k.loveh 0]

Okay, let me toss a jar of sugar across the border!

I am sorry but your story made me laugh so hard that I woke my husband up! I know it was not meant to be funny but I just don't know why I laughed. As I was reading, I was trying to imagine the scenario and the horror you went through. From what I notice, people here drive so courteously (is that even a word?) compared to people in my country, so it's like they will forgive you when you made a mistake while learning. If that same thing happened to me back home, all the drivers will be cursing, honking, you name it, whether or not you're a student or a regular driver.

I remember when I did my lessons back home, 12 years ago, I also had my parallel parking thing and we have this white and red poles around the parking space, at the practice arena. My instructor was sitting with his friends, conversing and sipping his coffee. I was going forward, reverse, forward, reverse with a stick shift and tight steering wheel. I had my windows down, sweating like crazy in that 100 degrees heat and guess what, I ended up knocking down all the 20 poles and the car was still not parked right. My instructor just shook his head and other student drivers were laughing! So embarrassing!!

Now come to think of it, I think I am a terrible driver! LOL.... I have so many horror, crazy stories just popped up! LOL..

Cheers..

A cup of sugar? Anytime!

My fiancee was going to learn to drive the car before he goes to the interview lol. He lasted all of 1 lesson. It was really cute. I know how to drive a stick shift and I remember those days. Well apparently his instructor took him somewhere busy and he kept stalling the car. I think he was a little embarrassed to go back. I had to tell him my horror story which was much worse. I got stuck at the top of a hill in the middle of an intersection and like to never got the car cranked back because I was so nervous. Traffic was having to go around me in the intersection. It was traumatic lol, but I did eventually learn. He was very glad to hear that my car is not a stick shift. He's thinking about being a cab driver when he gets here lol...we will see how that turns out.

May take you up on that cup of sugar!

Ah, horror stories of drivers ed! One time when I was 16 and having a lesson as well, I was at this intersection and was supposed to make a right turn. Well, I made a right turn alright but drove too far into the middle of the intersection and made the right turn into the 'left turning lane' of the cars going to the left or opposite direction! Then she (the instructor) started screaming and I started screaming. I stopped right there in the middle of the road not knowing what else to do, then all the cars coming towards me stopped and just sat there staring at us even though they could have kept going since it wasn't their lane I was in. They were all looking at us with the most puzzled expression, not angry, just puzzled. I couldn't move forward and couldn't go backwards and didn't know how to get out of that mess until some guy stepped out of his vehicle and motioned for us to pull into a parking lot entrance in front of his car. Needless to say the driving instructor and me both had to take a break before proceding with that lesson. Even today I still get the weeby-jeebies whenever I think about it.

Lol,my son came in and said whatchya laughing about mommy while reading your post. Yours made me feel like mine was less tramatic!! And soooo happy I didn't knock down any poles! Isn't it strange though that in situations like these (where no injury or physical harm is done) that we'll sometimes break out laughing hysterically?

[ms_jinga_lala 0]

Lol,my son came in and said whatchya laughing about mommy while reading your post. Yours made me feel like mine was less tramatic!! And soooo happy I didn't knock down any poles! Isn't it strange though that in situations like these (where no injury or physical harm is done) that we'll sometimes break out laughing hysterically?

Lol, yeah. Laughter makes us feel bad when there is no one really hurt.

[Nikita2Charles 32]

It's been less than 5 years, my wife is now an expert driver.

The key to teaching someone driving is Patience and able to hold your heart in your palm.

1) I have a sports car, stick shift, tried teaching my wife with it, she was doing well, but was having some hard time with switching gear, so i got her a Maxima Automatic to practice on, this will eliminate the need for switching gear so she can concentrate on the driving part.

The key to it all, when teaching someone to drive, try not to overly criticizing them, because with with my wife, the more you point out the mistakes she's making, she gets more nervous, and make even worse one, so it's very difficult to hold it and stay quiet, but if it's something major you have to point it out right away.

All i have to say is communication, communication and don't be afraid to speak, we were driving home and my wife was making some critical mistakes that I had to point them out, so that made her nervous.

Even now i am still paying for it, we used to live in an Apt with a Gate, and I always stop the car before the sidewalk, waiting for the driveway to open up, my wife like to pull up right in front of the gate. I blame myself for not speaking out that day and said wait a little bit futher wait for the gate to open then proceed.

To this day i still can't recall why, or why it happened, when the gate started to open up, my wife feet probably slip off the brake, all i know we Ram the gate.

The damaged was a slightly bent gate and it went off the rail, but the Apartment complex charged my car insurance almost $6,000 for the damage.

Needless to say it went on into my record as a car accident and I haven't had a car accident or any ticket for the last 8 years, now my wife car insurance premium is much lower than mine, because I told the insurance company at the time I was the one driving.

So it takes a lot of LOVE AND PATIENCE!!

[k.loveh 0]

It's been less than 5 years, my wife is now an expert driver.

The key to teaching someone driving is Patience and able to hold your heart in your palm.

1) I have a sports car, stick shift, tried teaching my wife with it, she was doing well, but was having some hard time with switching gear, so i got her a Maxima Automatic to practice on, this will eliminate the need for switching gear so she can concentrate on the driving part.

The key to it all, when teaching someone to drive, try not to overly criticizing them, because with with my wife, the more you point out the mistakes she's making, she gets more nervous, and make even worse one, so it's very difficult to hold it and stay quiet, but if it's something major you have to point it out right away.

All i have to say is communication, communication and don't be afraid to speak, we were driving home and my wife was making some critical mistakes that I had to point them out, so that made her nervous.

Even now i am still paying for it, we used to live in an Apt with a Gate, and I always stop the car before the sidewalk, waiting for the driveway to open up, my wife like to pull up right in front of the gate. I blame myself for not speaking out that day and said wait a little bit futher wait for the gate to open then proceed.

To this day i still can't recall why, or why it happened, when the gate started to open up, my wife feet probably slip off the brake, all i know we Ram the gate.

The damaged was a slightly bent gate and it went off the rail, but the Apartment complex charged my car insurance almost $6,000 for the damage.

Needless to say it went on into my record as a car accident and I haven't had a car accident or any ticket for the last 8 years, now my wife car insurance premium is much lower than mine, because I told the insurance company at the time I was the one driving.

So it takes a lot of LOVE AND PATIENCE!!

Hi Nikita2Charles,

Love and patience...can't get anywhere in life 'worthwhile' without these two key ingredients can we?.

Though he knows how to drive, I'm looking forward to watching my 'Soon-to-be-wonderful-Husband' get used to driving an automatic as well as driving on opposite side of car and lanes.

Also will take your advice and definately be sure to communicate clearly to avoid the same as what happened to you and your wife.

Thanks for sharing with us.

[Jasman0717 8]

I am scared to death to let Claudeth drive I did get her 8 hours of hands-on driving lessons but she has don't nothing with it since.

[NCWife 0]

It is true that "LOVE and PATIENCE" is the key to teach someone driving. When my husband said that he is going to teach me, I was like "Oh dear!!" because he is a very impatient man especially on the road and gets irritated easily! I told him that if he yells at me while I am trying to learn, I will just not drive and not get a job..... so he promised that he won't yell. We went for our first driving lesson last week and I was extremely surprised that he didn't yell, not even one time. In fact he was a great teacher and the end of the lessons he made sure I know that he loves me and proud of me!!!

Even though he has been driving forever, there are some things that he wasn't aware that I should know and do especially when taking the test. So, I actually hired an instructor to drive with me for about 8 hrs so he could teach me things that I should know. I have done 4 hrs so far and I must say it's great. He took me to the DMV site and practice with me the skills that will be tested so I will be more prepared when the day comes to take my test.

I hope I will get a license early December or whenever my husband decides to work on my insurance

Cheeeeers....

[ms_jinga_lala 0]

It's been less than 5 years, my wife is now an expert driver.

The key to teaching someone driving is Patience and able to hold your heart in your palm.

1) I have a sports car, stick shift, tried teaching my wife with it, she was doing well, but was having some hard time with switching gear, so i got her a Maxima Automatic to practice on, this will eliminate the need for switching gear so she can concentrate on the driving part.

The key to it all, when teaching someone to drive, try not to overly criticizing them, because with with my wife, the more you point out the mistakes she's making, she gets more nervous, and make even worse one, so it's very difficult to hold it and stay quiet, but if it's something major you have to point it out right away.

All i have to say is communication, communication and don't be afraid to speak, we were driving home and my wife was making some critical mistakes that I had to point them out, so that made her nervous.

Even now i am still paying for it, we used to live in an Apt with a Gate, and I always stop the car before the sidewalk, waiting for the driveway to open up, my wife like to pull up right in front of the gate. I blame myself for not speaking out that day and said wait a little bit futher wait for the gate to open then proceed.

To this day i still can't recall why, or why it happened, when the gate started to open up, my wife feet probably slip off the brake, all i know we Ram the gate.

The damaged was a slightly bent gate and it went off the rail, but the Apartment complex charged my car insurance almost $6,000 for the damage.

Needless to say it went on into my record as a car accident and I haven't had a car accident or any ticket for the last 8 years, now my wife car insurance premium is much lower than mine, because I told the insurance company at the time I was the one driving.

So it takes a lot of LOVE AND PATIENCE!!

Thank goodness I am a very calm person lol. I figure the worst thing that is going to happen is that he damages the car. As long as no one gets hurt that is not a big deal. It can be fixed. I just don't want anyone traumatized either lol. I think I'm just going to take it extra slow to give him time to build up his confidence. Just a little joke....the love and patience part is easy, it's the screaming for my life that worries me...hahahahaha...jk!

[ms_jinga_lala 0]

It is true that "LOVE and PATIENCE" is the key to teach someone driving. When my husband said that he is going to teach me, I was like "Oh dear!!" because he is a very impatient man especially on the road and gets irritated easily! I told him that if he yells at me while I am trying to learn, I will just not drive and not get a job..... so he promised that he won't yell. We went for our first driving lesson last week and I was extremely surprised that he didn't yell, not even one time. In fact he was a great teacher and the end of the lessons he made sure I know that he loves me and proud of me!!!

Even though he has been driving forever, there are some things that he wasn't aware that I should know and do especially when taking the test. So, I actually hired an instructor to drive with me for about 8 hrs so he could teach me things that I should know. I have done 4 hrs so far and I must say it's great. He took me to the DMV site and practice with me the skills that will be tested so I will be more prepared when the day comes to take my test.

I hope I will get a license early December or whenever my husband decides to work on my insurance

Cheeeeers....

I'm rooting for you! I think you are going to do great. It seems like you are really putting in the effort to do a good job. One things I find is helpful for me in learning things that I normally don't need to know is posting them on sticky notes all over the house. For example, in the state of NC I had to know about tractors driving on the road. (never been on a tractor, don't intend to be on one) I would post that one on the fridge because it's going to be the hardest to remember. While I don't remember the specific question now, my sticky note may have looked like this....

A tractor is allowed to drive on _____ kinds of roads at a speed not exceeding _____mph.

Then I would see it a lot and not forget it.

Another question I remember being asked is how long they can suspend your license for if you are caught driving under the influence of alcohol. I got it wrong lol...I was much stricter than they were. Oh well, should have had that on the fridge too.

Good luck!

[Nikita2Charles 32]

Thinking about driving here is easy

You haven't try driving in India, it's basically AN ART FORM

I like to say, there's some kind of control in all that madness,

I was in Madras when I 1st went to India for a project i was working on, After a Day of Driving, i was feeling a little bit OK about it, then later in the evening I was making a Left turn,

GUESS WHAT?

I saw a bunch of light coming at me, I basically made that turn into incoming traffic, Good thing it wasn't too busy, I had enough time to make a U turn, Needless to say the next day, I return the car, and starting taking a TAXI.

Nearby the hotel they have Auto Rickshaw which is faster than taxi, because these little bikes can squeeze around traffic quite a bit. From there on I started taking Auto Rickshaw wherever I go.

Click on the link, you'll see

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nmsi/2547588497/

[NCWife 0]

Awww... thank you very much for your words of encouragement!!! I actually post sticky notes on my instructor's car. LOL.... I tend to forget to look over my shoulder at this specific corner and that note helps a lot. And I always forget about the blinkers and the hazard lights while backing out... LOL..

Did you mean the written test when you said you were asking about the tractor and DWI question?? Oh... I took the test like 3 weeks ago and it's all still so fresh in my mind now. The guy at DMV said "the questions are not tricky, just bad grammar. Make sure you read it at least twice before answering! " LOL....

Cheers..

I'm rooting for you! I think you are going to do great. It seems like you are really putting in the effort to do a good job. One things I find is helpful for me in learning things that I normally don't need to know is posting them on sticky notes all over the house. For example, in the state of NC I had to know about tractors driving on the road. (never been on a tractor, don't intend to be on one) I would post that one on the fridge because it's going to be the hardest to remember. While I don't remember the specific question now, my sticky note may have looked like this....

A tractor is allowed to drive on _____ kinds of roads at a speed not exceeding _____mph.

Then I would see it a lot and not forget it.

Another question I remember being asked is how long they can suspend your license for if you are caught driving under the influence of alcohol. I got it wrong lol...I was much stricter than they were. Oh well, should have had that on the fridge too.

Good luck!

[NCWife 0]

I agree driving here is easy if you compare to other countries. Or I should say less pressured! I have never been to India but people in my country (Malaysia) drive like crazy. There are plenty of rules but no one seems to even bother! LOL... Sometimes during bumper to bumper traffic jam, you will see cars making their own 5 lanes in a 3-lane road! LOL.. and pedestrians have NO rights on the road! Imagine that!

I have the same problem here sometimes with driving on the correct side of the road. Just like today, I was at the parking lot and I was driving on the wrong side of the road until my instructor said "to the right, to the right" and I did the same thing at this new road (no lines yet)..... The worse was when I was making the turn into the other small lane, I turned into the left hand side of the road... Dang....Luckily there wasn't any incoming traffic. Pheeew.....

More practice!

Cheers..

Thinking about driving here is easy

You haven't try driving in India, it's basically AN ART FORM

I like to say, there's some kind of control in all that madness,

I was in Madras when I 1st went to India for a project i was working on, After a Day of Driving, i was feeling a little bit OK about it, then later in the evening I was making a Left turn,

GUESS WHAT?

I saw a bunch of light coming at me, I basically made that turn into incoming traffic, Good thing it wasn't too busy, I had enough time to make a U turn, Needless to say the next day, I return the car, and starting taking a TAXI.

Nearby the hotel they have Auto Rickshaw which is faster than taxi, because these little bikes can squeeze around traffic quite a bit. From there on I started taking Auto Rickshaw wherever I go.

Click on the link, you'll see

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nmsi/2547588497/