Ever noticed how some jump and say...

[gbb]

Something that didnt need saying, or something that is not relevent...

I need to explain...i was watching a news program where apparently more people are being taught the basics of driving on private land..just manoevering and gear change, braking etc. It seems to me to be a good way of getting a little experience of how a car works without the added stress of being on the road.

So what happens...there's immediate opinion from anyone and everyone about how this will never prepare you for the real roads etc etc...derrrrr it was never meant to do that, no-one said it would, so why throw that comment in ?

Why can't people accept what's being said and not try to put their spin on it, making it something it never was.
I've noticed that often happens...rant over

 

[trustysteed]

good point. makes sense to learn how to manoeuvre the car till it's instinctive so when you go on the road, you can spend more time concentrating on the roadtraffic. people don't see that though.

 

[Tollers]

I loved that rant gbb and i 100% agree. People like to talk, like to show and opinion and participate in life/conversation wether they have thought it through or not. In my option/experience, the ability to pause for a second to think before opening the gob seems to be disaperaing.

Anyway, rant over. I know what you mean.

p.s Aren't we all as guilty as anyone, especially in here

p.p.s It'd help if there was a ban on daily mail links

 

[marinyork]

People will spend a lot of money these days on driving lessons for themselves or their kids and the £3k or £4k to get it insured so people are likely to have an opinion on anything that gives others a head start - and a not very positive opinion at that.

 

[Black Sheep]

my dad took me to an industrial estate on a sunday afternoon when it would be pretty much empty for me to get used to driving the car. was a good help, I then drove home from there.

Near where i live there is a bit of a car park at one end of the common, its also where the fair is when it comes to town. It has locked gates but often see driving instructors cars moving around on it - think its a good idea to be used to changing gear, steering etc, comfortable in the car before being on a road.

 

[psmiffy]

A lot of countries they do not let you anywhere near the road as a learner until you have spent several hours practising on a dummy road layout

 

[gbb]

Mind, learning to drive off the road isnt without its risks
At 16 my dad used to take me to a place on the airbase we used to live on to gain some experience.
All was going well...till he said, drive slowly up to that open garage and put the nose in.
I can't...
Yes you can, just go slowly...
Ok.... I took the front wing off his MK2 Cortina on the side of the wall.

We never told mum until about 10 years later...he just claimed it was done while it was parked up

 

[buggi]

my dad took me to an industrial estate on a sunday afternoon when it would be pretty much empty for me to get used to driving the car. was a good help, I then drove home from there.

me too! And when we were there he taught me how a clutch actually worked and what it looked like, and then lo and behold i just clicked with the clutch control thing. my driving instructor even asked me what my dad said to me and my sister because he noticed such a difference

 

[swee'pea99]

Conflict makes 'good tv'.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I was driving from the age of seven, in the desert in Kuwait and Qatar in a Chevrolet Impala and a Land Rover. My driving instructor didn't need to teach me clutch control.

 

[meenaghman]

I "learned" when I was about 10-12 to drive progressing from tractors to car.. however I picked up lots of bad habits.. The driving instructor had to teach me to "feed the steering wheel through the hands" bit.. so to do it an empty multi-storey (this was before Sunday trading) and using the pillars as a slalom course. His words after I passed the test - "when I first met you, you drove like a maniac.. now you drive like a trained maniac!" In the Republic, you can get a provisional licence and drive unaccompanied although they've put some restrictions on the number of provisional licences you can have.

 

[Rhythm Thief]

I "learned" when I was about 10-12 to drive progressing from tractors to car.. however I picked up lots of bad habits.. The driving instructor had to teach me to "feed the steering wheel through the hands" bit ...

They have to teach everyone that, mainly because it's such a bloody ridiculous way to drive. It's the first thing I "forgot" after passing my test, only to have to relearn it for my HGV tests ten years later. Now (in the car) I tend to keep my hands in one place on the wheel all the time, racing driver style. This is the safest way to do it as you've always got a grip on the steering wheel.

 

[XmisterIS]

OP - Most people engage mouth before brain ... not that it would make much difference if they did it the other way around!

 

[atbman]

A lot of countries they do not let you anywhere near the road as a learner until you have spent several hours practising on a dummy road layout

Which is why you shouldn't cycle/drive in Florida. The test takes place on a dummy road layout.

It has the worst cycle injury/fatality figures in the US - for some reason

 

[Tollers]

did i miss the point of the OP?