by sjc » Tue Feb 25, 2014 10:37 pm
Hi there,
I am currently learning to driver - currently in an automatic car....Personally, I find it better in an automatic car....alot of people get a little snotty when one mentions automatic car - some people think there is no difference in a manual or automatic, and some will tell you to do manual anyway as it dead easy...but it is down to you on how you think you can learn...
Don't get me wrong, if you can do manual driving lessons - then great! Some people can with things better then others...But I think automatic driving lessons are better, as it less pressure on remembering gear changing and learning how to use the clutch control...
The problem I have is remembering instructions - my memory is terrible.....so I want to learn fast with little issues as possible, so obviously I have gone for automatic lessons...But the lessons itself, well, I would look around at different driving schools and independant first....ring around and only enquire first before signing up...From my experience, I have been with a few dodgy driving instructors....some will promise you the world when they speak to you on the phone but fail to deliver when actually doing the lessons itself...
So, enquire all around first - if you go via a driving school, ask the enquiry team if you can speak to the driving instructor themselves, and ask them personally if they know anything about your conditions...tell the driving instructor how your conditions affect you and how it may affect your driving....and ask the school or driving instructor if they could adapt their lessons in a certain way that will suit you...if you need adaptions or specialised support, like swivel seat in the drivers seat to lift you up, then ask if it can be done....Always tell the driving instructor (presuming you may get one) to repeat instructions quite a few times and to keep communication short, especially if you have memory issues....you will not believe it but I have had some instructors that don't always communicate properly and this has causes issues for me when learning..
I did about 1 or 1.5 hours of lessons to begin with every week to start with...my concentration levels wasn't that great but now I am getting more confident, I am do slightly more hours now....You can sometimes ask for a female instructor if that helps...
Bear in mind, not everyone takes to driving....so don't worry too much if you cannot take to it...everyone's different...I have been doing lessons now for a wee bit - done about 30 hours driving approximately and I still get nervous....once I do my lesson, I am ok but just get them slight nerves before hand...
Get good sleep before hand, and make sure you eat and relax as well prior to a lesson....I always do my lessons after 9am in a morning but before the people come home in the rush hour...I prefer to do my lessons when it is quiet during the day....if you are on medications especially if you make you sleepy and drowsy very quickly just be careful...I take medications but I have adapted to them now....And stick to doing only short bursts of driving at any given time if you want to learn...
Hope you get the chance to learn....driving is a skill that could give you independence and freedom in the end....it maybe hard and cost alot of money, but worth it in the end....but if you get the right instructor, then you should be ok...but go on your gut feeling on how you feel about yourself.