How can I get a shot at driving?

[SolidSnake15]

I just thought of a new option - join an after school activity that requires frequent trips to practice - football, baseball, band, etc. Eventually your parents will get tired of taking you everywhere and they'll be itching for you to be able to drive yourself.

Would be a good idea, but I live only a 5 minute walk from my school, they would make me walk there.

EDIT: And I used to play football, worked my butt of and didn't get to play because I'm not a big guy. Even though I was hitting harder than the bigger guys.

 

[Boundary Layer]

Would be a good idea, but I live only a 5 minute walk from my school, they would make me walk there.

Note: After school doesn't necessarily mean at school.



I'd really recommend the driver's ed route.

When I was 15 (yikes! that's already 8 years ago), I found it very stressing practicing driving with my parents - they'd allow me to drive when I wanted, but not without constant CONSTANT instruction and worrying. I suppose they had my best interests in mind, but they would quite literally tell me while driving around my small home town of <400 people where all the stop signs are, and which way I have to turn on the way to the convenience store I'd been going to my entire life. Not enjoyable, and hardly a worthwhile learning experience.

Seriously, do driver's ed. You'll learn from someone who knows the rules of the road rather than get your parents 40+yr old interpretation of them mixed thoroughly with their own bad habits, plus it'll be way easier for you to relax as the driving instructor should be pretty forgiving of small mistakes and use them as a learning experience vs your parents who sound like they might be pretty paranoid (not unlike my own) and who might use small mistakes as a reason to take you out of the dirver's seat.

 

[Greycap]

I've been driving with a permit for a bit over four months now. With an old Saab 900, no ASM, no TCS, just ABS brakes and naturally a manual gearbox. And I seriously have no idea how a) people can't drive the cars of today that virtually drive themselves and b) someone can find manual transmission to be difficult to use. Steering the car is harder than shifting, not to mention trying to spot all the possible thing I have to take into consideration. Shifting is subconscious. Automatic would be just dull.

And don't even get me started about how difficult the manual gearbox is during the rush hour. I've driven in the traffic jams way more than a dozen times and if I can do it, every single even nearly intelligent driver can do it. The point is, many people from a certain country can't be bothered.

 

[Philly]

I didn't pass first time though, I did something I'd never done in all my lessons and times driving with my parents and hit the kerb during the turn in the road, I couldn't believe how I'd managed to. Second time round I actually made more errors but none were major so I passed.

I probably shouldn't advocate this but I went to the test with the drivers ed class and probably no more than 15 hours behind the wheel, half of which were in drivers ed, and probably half of the remaining on the freeway in the middle of nowhere. I scored 80% on the written (the absolute minimum) and 86% on the driving test, first try.

I would say that I am a pretty good driver. No accidents or tickets yet, although I did do a lot of driving with a friend 2 years younger looking out for me.

And don't even get me started about how difficult the manual gearbox is during the rush hour. I've driven in the traffic jams way more than a dozen times and if I can do it, every single even nearly intelligent driver can do it. The point is, many people from a certain country can't be bothered.

I always put my car into manual mode in traffic. I like having that control. I just leave it in 1st for stop-and-go stuff, 2nd for traffic that's slow but still moving and 3rd or 4th for heavy traffic. Plus, an automatic is never where you want it and takes too long to react when you want to go. With a stick, you can shift before you have to take off when you see something coming (assuming you pay attention to the road).

 

[Greycap]

Plus, an automatic is never where you want it and takes too long to react when you want to go. With a stick, you can shift before you have to take off when you see something coming (assuming you pay attention to the road).

The truth is pretty much in these sentences. 👍

 

[Philly]

The truth is pretty much in these sentences. 👍

Exactly why these are so appealing to Americans. You can shift yourself without actually having to shift or whenever you don't want to.

 

[SolidSnake15]

Now why would someone want shift paddles behind the wheel? It's no fun.

 

[Philly]

Now why would someone want shift paddles behind the wheel? It's no fun.

Some cars have them on top of the wheel:

It would be a little awkward to have them in front of the wheel. I prefer behind.

 

[YSSMAN]

Pontiac's old way of doing it was "different" too:

 

[Philly]

Oh my. If I haven't managed to throw this thread entirely off topic.

That said, I would prefer them mounted to the steering column.

The I would always know where they are mid-corner.

 

[Vasco]

I was FINALLY able to get my Florida Learners Permit about 3 weeks ago and still I haven't gotten a shot behind the wheel. There have been hundreds of chances that my parents could have given me, but when I ask I get chewed out and nearly grounded for a week.

How can I get my point across that I want to drive. My moms excuse is that I have never been behind the wheel before, (which I have) and I need to practice first. Please help.

Storm out of the room yelling "I hate you mum I wish I'd never been born!" And then smack some stuff around, and that should get you a shot at driving.

 

[G.T]

Storm out of the room yelling "I hate you mum I wish I'd never been born!" And then smack some stuff around, and that should get you a shot at driving.

Or just a sore hand.

 

[Vasco]

Or just a sore hand.

Well you don't have to use your hand necessarily...if you catch my drift.

 

[SolidSnake15]

Sore hand. Ha that's funny! Doing that will only get me a sore head and a sore @ss. They would smack me, brake my permit, then shove it up my ___.(fill in the blank)

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

Tell them that if you don't get lessons, you'll never move out of their house.