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Learning to drive ( poll )

Eduard the weeb

Learning to drive  

72 members have voted

  1. 1. Who did you learn to drive

    • Just did it
      21
    • Parents/Guardian taught me
      40
    • Learned how through books and shit
      11
  2. 2. Do you need that book the DMV sells you ?

    • Yeah
      25
    • No
      47


We had a new estate in its early stages happening behind our house, all of the roads were there but nothing else.  My father would take me there and sit on the sidewalk and read the newspaper as i practiced navigating the empty streets.  It was an old Toyota with a stick shift, they don't seem to be particularly common these days though.  SO far as the book was concerned i read through it cover to cover once the night before i took my test, got 97% i think. 

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49 minutes ago, bowrilla said:

ZF 8 speed as can be found in BMW's current line up (and some other manufacturers as well). Can be gentle and quick as hell right on your demand.

But we're now drifting off quite a bit.

 

Is it really that unregulated in the US? You just go on and get a learner's permit? I'm staggered. In Germany you got to driving school and drive with a proper driving instructor in modified cars that offer brake, clutch and throttle controls for the instructor as well. There's a minimum of practical lessons within cities, roads outside of cities and on the Autobahn. Then there's the theory part. You have to attend a specific amount of lessons at the driving school after that it's up to you and your learning to properly prepare yourself for the test. Once you've completed mandatory lessons and passed the theory you can apply for the practical test.

While it doesn't hurt to practice on private property or practicing grounds driving itself isn't that hard outside of rush hour city traffic. It's the complexity and business of city traffic that's making people nervous. A lot of stuff happening at the same time, many potential hazards, traffic of all kinds out of different directions.

Yep- the 9 spd ZF in the Chrysler 200 is godawful though, so a lot has to do with manufacturer calibration.

 

To drift back on topic-- When I got my permit in Colorado, we had the option of taking a Driver's Ed class offered by an accredited company and get our permit at age 15, or take the written exam at 15.5 and get the permit that way. Once we had the permit we had to get ~50 hours of supervised driving before we could apply for the full license (and then take the written and practical exam) at age 16.

 

My driver's ed course included ~10 hours of in-car instruction in a dual control car (one steering wheel, dual brake). I took an additional optional ~4hrs of manual driving instruction, and then the rest was supervised driving with parents.

 

To be honest, that was barely sufficient for commuting purposes, and is utterly inadequate for avoiding tunnel vision or in reacting correctly to loss of traction or at-limit-handling situations, let alone keeping composure under pressure and stress (high traffic, high speeds, inclement weather, etc). After getting my license, I took a winter driving course as well as the street survival courses which helped alleviate some of that, but really just show you how little you actually know and how far you have to go before you're competent.

 

...then I hit the HPDE and car racing crack pipe, hard, and actually got good at driving.

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To get you permit in CA (cali not Canada) you need to have pass a class and then a written test. I found the test with a little review before was easy after doing the online course.

Once you get your permit you can drive with family so I did that quite a lot.

I then had the 3x2hour lessons needed to get my drivers license.

I did my first 2 driving tests and failed them. First was due to not looking over my shoulder enough when making right turns. 2nd was a BS one, I was stopped at a light with a left turn and the light changed. I didn't see it change as the only light indicating a safe left turn was surrounded by trees and I didn't see it. I did eventaly go when honked at but that caused me to fail.

I then drove almost 2000miles cross country fro NC to CA.

My final test before I had to restart I passed by a thread. 13/15 posible points wrong. Way worst then my 2nd which was 4.

I drive a automatic most days my parents will make me learn on a stick soon.  

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My current experience:

- got my license when I was finishing my high school (looong time ago)

- since I'm from EU, 99% of the cars are manual transmission cars so learning to drive with MT is a standard thing

 

And some time passed, I've graduated and moved to the far east country. In order to get a new license I have to take a drive test on the test track. Now differences:

- most of the cars here have automatic transmission, difference being sports cars which have manual transmission

- steering wheel is on a wrong side (yikes)

- there are two types of licenses, manual and automatic transmission

 

I am planning to get manual transmission license because it allows me to drive both car types. In addition, driving on a left side of road is a bit confusing at the beginning but you get used to it. During my test drive I was confused for the first 3 min of driving after that it felt natural.

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20 hours ago, Canada EH said:

The book the DMV has, will have every answer on the test in the book, that is 110% guarunteed.

If you have any other book, you are gambling.

Its all common sense.

 

Also please learn to drive standard shift.

 

Unless someone has a desire to learn Manual, it isn't at all a necessity in America. They're not all that common to come across. Heck, it cost me slightly more to find a car with a manual than it did in Automatic.

 

First time I drove a manual was during the test drive of my current car. My first two cars have been Automatic. It wasn't particularly difficult once you understand the underlying mechanics.

 

Honestly though, the driving test in California was a joke. Learn to drive your vehicle, then the only real hurdle is to memorize the book. The test itself took about ten minutes, no parallel parking needed.

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The best thing you can do is go take a bunch of practice tests online. The official dmv practice tests are the actual questions that they will ask you. During the test its just common sense and a mixture of the practice test questions. 

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14 hours ago, Zodiark1593 said:

Unless someone has a desire to learn Manual, it isn't at all a necessity in America. They're not all that common to come across. Heck, it cost me slightly more to find a car with a manual than it did in Automatic.

 

First time I drove a manual was during the test drive of my current car. My first two cars have been Automatic. It wasn't particularly difficult once you understand the underlying mechanics.

 

Honestly though, the driving test in California was a joke. Learn to drive your vehicle, then the only real hurdle is to memorize the book. The test itself took about ten minutes, no parallel parking needed.

If I wanted to throw another wrench in the "learn manual" drive, driving a manual transmission car in traffic absolutely sucks and why I would never buy a manual car as a daily commuter.

 

Also I know this because I ride a motorcycle. Even with lane splitting, working three driving controls is the pits. A day trip to LA really works out my left hand.

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1 hour ago, M.Yurizaki said:

If I wanted to throw another wrench in the "learn manual" drive, driving a manual transmission car in traffic absolutely sucks and why I would never buy a manual car as a daily commuter.

 

Also I know this because I ride a motorcycle. Even with lane splitting, working three driving controls is the pits. A day trip to LA really works out my left hand.

Driving behind a semi truck that insists on going 3 mph, up a 15% grade, with a line of cars about a foot or so from my rear bumper, isn't exactly the ideal situation for a manual transmission either, or anything without a torque converter for that matter 

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Also, it shouldn't need to be mentioned, but, here's a list of things NOT to do.

 

Don't:

1. Text while driving - even at a stop light

2. Drive while intoxicated/impaired (high on weed, drunk, impaired by certain prescription drugs, etc)

3. Tailgate (Leave at least 3+ car lengths while in city traffic, and at least 2 to 3 seconds delay while in highway traffic)

 

I seriously had an argument on this forum with some user who drove a truck and defended tailgating people, because he could "see farther" because of the high vantage point of the truck. Like that fucking matters if the guy in front of you decides to break suddenly because an animal ran onto the highway?

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On 2/20/2018 at 2:24 AM, BlueChinchillaEatingDorito said:

I would see if you can find an older copy of the DMV book from a friend or relative because you will need to know about road signs and not just the obvious ones. Some traffic lights are also not obvious. For example, do you know what this means?

 

photos.medleyphoto.9108181.jpg

I have no idea what that means but I would most likely be allowed to drive in the US since I have a Dutch drivers license... Which to me makes this an rather interesting topic.

 

As for the general question; I can't answer since the systems seem to be so different.

 

On 2/20/2018 at 3:23 PM, dalekphalm said:

If the OP has a specific interest in driving manual, then yes. Otherwise it's an entirely useless skill in 2018. Driving manual is "for fun" now, as almost every vehicle comes standard with an Automatic transmission now, and there's absolutely no shortage of good condition used auto's also.

Please add "If you live in the USA." as in Europe manual is still the standard and is still the standard.

 

On 2/20/2018 at 3:33 PM, Teddy07 said:

Did learn through a driving school. I didn't do much to pass the written test on the first try.  I failed the driving test the first time but passed the second.

 

I think people should make a driving test every ~10-15 years because I only drive once a year now. I still can drive but I am not very confident and would never reverse into a parking space.

I can understand your point but since my work>home drive alone accounts for 45k KM a year I wouldn't want to do a "regular" test every 10 years because someone (like my brother) basically never drives unless they pay the hours I have to take off work... But I know (over here) they won't and thus are wasting my time.

 

On 2/20/2018 at 5:16 PM, Tcrumpen said:

Being from the UK i paid for lessons and used the AA Driving books (AA are a breakdown service company here) for a few months i was doing 1 hour a week after about 6 months i bumped that up to 2 hours a week and my skill improved a lot quicker) it took me 2 tries to pass my theory (which is ironic as i'm normally very good with theory things) and passed my practical on my first go. I also did pass plus which was a further 6 hours of driving on motorways and country roads; this makes my insurance cheaper with some companies (up to 10% for some)

 

I also did a couple of nighttime lessons i highly recommend doing that also winter driving if possible. I passed my test before i was 18 (you can start learning officially at 17 here in the UK)

Nearly did all of my driving lessons in winter time until my instructor asked me to do some during day time at least...

 

Since all I did was drive in the dark with snow, ice and darkness.

 

On 2/20/2018 at 7:02 PM, bimmerman said:

The DMV booklet and Driver's Ed may touch on the theory, but theory is useless without muscle memory

Not fully, I managed an over steer moment a couple of years back just fine because I knew what to do (in my case keep going to straighten the back by adding more power) while I never experienced anything like that. For me at that moment it was 100% about feeling what the car was doing even if I didn't understand it.

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i didnt get my learners permit until i was like 22 lol cuz i jsut didnt need it, and even then i didnt get my license until i was 25.  my wife(girlfriend at the time) threw the keys at me and told me to go to the store cuz she was busy cooking. and thats how i learned lol  only reason i actually got my license when i did is cuz i got pulled over for driving outside restrictions(i ended up getting my license before the court date).

 

 

driving is super easy once you get the basics down.  turning and not slamming on the breaks/gas are the only things that can take a bit to get used to, and that changes depending on what vehicle youre in

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On 2/20/2018 at 7:03 PM, GDRRiley said:

To get you permit in CA (cali not Canada)

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xD Time for Cali to become Canadian Eh? Then again that would mess everyone up...

 

7 minutes ago, Tsuki said:

driving is super easy once you get the basics down.  turning and not slamming on the breaks/gas are the only things that can take a bit to get used to, and that changes depending on what vehicle youre in

The problem is 99% of the people don't know or care to obey the basics... only 1% actually do, I'm not just referring to the simple rolling through stop signs, or failure to use your turning signal in turning lanes, I'm referring to the actions they think are miniscule that can and (sometimes) do harm/affect others lives.

 

Sometimes I wish the practices of "Test" by Theodore Thomas was put into place... The streets would actually be safer for everyone, and transit systems wouldn't suck xD We also get to get rid of much of the gas pollutants as well...

 

10 hours ago, Zodiark1593 said:

Driving behind a semi truck that insists on going 3 mph, up a 15% grade, with a line of cars about a foot or so from my rear bumper, isn't exactly the ideal situation for a manual transmission either, or anything without a torque converter for that matter 

Invest in a rear facing and front facing dash cam(s), no worries ;) Most cops won't bug a manual if the ass wipe behind you was too close, if they do it should get thrown out of court.

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16 minutes ago, Egg-Roll said:

The problem is 99% of the people don't know or care to obey the basics... only 1% actually do, I'm not just referring to the simple rolling through stop signs, or failure to use your turning signal in turning lanes, I'm referring to the actions they think are miniscule that can and (sometimes) do harm/affect others lives.

by basics i meant the foundation of actually controlling the vehicle in the direction of where you want to go without crashing or causing whiplash.  the finer points of not beind a dick and use your fucking blinker, while extremely important, come after actually learning how to go forwards

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1 minute ago, Tsuki said:

by basics i meant the foundation of actually controlling the vehicle in the direction of where you want to go without crashing or causing whiplash.  the finer points of not beind a dick and use your fucking blinker, while extremely important, come after actually learning how to go forwards

I actually disagree, if you don't know how to indicate you shouldn't be allowed to go straight. The likelihood of a person always going in a straight line is 0. It's also imperative to know how to indicate in a non-dedicated lane, my example was dedicated lanes.

 

Knowing the laws and your vehicle should always come first, if you can't be arsed to learn the basic laws and functions of the car going straight is hardly a issue as going straight the worst you're likely to do is run over a stupid ped (killing them) that can't be bothered to judge what the dumb car driver is failing to do (which is stop), unless it's a senior with mobility issues.

 

Also whiplash is hardly something to worry about, this is coming from a person who has been in a accident. It's death I'm more worried about like I said 99% of the drivers shouldn't be driving, 99% of the drivers are people in a seconds notice can turn their modes of transportation into a murder weapon because they failed to follow 1 simple law, and the worst part the person they kill could be their loved one while injuring others.

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1 hour ago, Tsuki said:

by basics i meant the foundation of actually controlling the vehicle in the direction of where you want to go without crashing or causing whiplash.  the finer points of not beind a dick and use your fucking blinker, while extremely important, come after actually learning how to go forwards

Some days, I would like to buy a billboard, stick it near a mountain road and put a message on there that says: "PSA, please stay on your own side of the roads. Thank you."

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My camera lens sees the present…

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On 2/21/2018 at 8:36 AM, bowrilla said:

It's way easier to get going with a manual on snowy grounds than it is with an automatic. Especially if you're sitting with your tires in sort of a bulge and the snow is all icy and stiff. It's by far easier to wiggle yourself out of it with a manual than it is with an automatic. Very own experience. Despite that: in a lot of parts of the world automatics come at quite a premium so it's very likely that you'll end up with a manual rental. If you don't want to travel around, sure, ignore that one, it's still useful to know and not that hard since the invention of gearbox synchronization decades ago. No heel and toeing anymore, no double clutching, no rev matching. You just need to get used to using your left foot and develop some feeling in it.

 

Oh and no idea how moving trucks are equipped in North America, but in Europe most of them are manuals, same goes for smaller rental vans and trucks. 

Sure, I'd go with a modern 8-speed automatic if I had the choice (performance and mileage wise) but – you can't always choose.

Automatics are fine in the winter. I drove my Toyota Echo car up and down some nice snowy roads just fine. 

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On 2/19/2018 at 6:23 PM, Eduard the weeb said:

Okay so in a few months I'm can and plan on getting my learners permit so I wanted to ask how you recommend to learn it and stuff.

I learned first taking a driver's education course in high school. I practiced with my parents.

 

take a driving academy course, practice with a peer, and drive as you are taught. pay attention the the driver ahead of you, and the traffic ahead of them. I see entirely too much of monkey-see-monkey-do on the road. There are rules of the road that should be followed to keep yourself and other drivers and pedestrians safe. Just because someone else is doing something does not mean it is right or that it is safe. They are most likely impeding someone else's right of way for their own convenience.

 

The three biggest violations of driving safety i see are as follows:

 

*Passing on the right 100ft before an intersection (where there are no turning lanes or there is a 4-way intersection, passing on the right is only allowed if the vehicle being overtaken is turning into a private driveway and there is no intersection of roadways within 100ft)

 

*Turning into the far lane of a 4 lane road (turn into the lane closest to you unless turning lanes are segregated)

 

*Failure to use signals

 

(minor, yet important) The left lane of a highway is for passing or overtaking slower traffic only (drive in the right lane unless overtaking)

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