LOL at putting 'car' in the title ... only on NR!!
Just had my first driving lesson at the ripe old age of 25 (nearly 26) because frankly I have been too nervous/busy to do it before now. I have pretty bad co-ordination and cannot judge distances well (have problems with eyes) and so have been v v nervous to start learning to drive. Both my younger sisters have passed their tests and I really *need* to learn now as hoping to buy a house in about a year or so, and would need to drive down to work.
Needless to say, it wasn't as bad as I imagined. The driving instructor was really good, and worked on building my confidence. It was funny, I was panicking last night and my OH told me not to be so silly and related it to horses. He asked me to think back to how I felt when I first got on a horse, and how nervous I was that the horse would do something/I would do something wrong, but that there was a leader there to 'help' me if needed. Funnily enough, that calmed me down.
Driving out with the instructor to the bit where I would learn, I ended up blurting out a lot of stuff as he asked what my hobbies were, and how nervous I was as I am not a 'practical' learner really. I also realised that having driven a golf cart around pastures in America when I was working at a summer camp REALLY helped me with steering, though not with clutch/changing gear as the golf cart didnt have a gearbox.
Steering was also helped further by horse experience, as he advised me to follow the bend of the kerb rather than the lines in the middle of the road, and said it was good as I didn't turn my whole body, just followed with my eyes. Strangely enough, my brain jumped to steering horses towards a jump as you look at a jump but your body doesn't necessarily follow.
I ended my first lesson by going around a mini roundabout and driving at 30mph in third gear down a fairly busy road, with traffic on it too! Pretty chuffed really, just wanted to have a little 'yay' about it and wonder whether anyone else has had a similar experience when learning to drive?
Just had my first driving lesson at the ripe old age of 25 (nearly 26) because frankly I have been too nervous/busy to do it before now. I have pretty bad co-ordination and cannot judge distances well (have problems with eyes) and so have been v v nervous to start learning to drive. Both my younger sisters have passed their tests and I really *need* to learn now as hoping to buy a house in about a year or so, and would need to drive down to work.
Needless to say, it wasn't as bad as I imagined. The driving instructor was really good, and worked on building my confidence. It was funny, I was panicking last night and my OH told me not to be so silly and related it to horses. He asked me to think back to how I felt when I first got on a horse, and how nervous I was that the horse would do something/I would do something wrong, but that there was a leader there to 'help' me if needed. Funnily enough, that calmed me down.
Driving out with the instructor to the bit where I would learn, I ended up blurting out a lot of stuff as he asked what my hobbies were, and how nervous I was as I am not a 'practical' learner really. I also realised that having driven a golf cart around pastures in America when I was working at a summer camp REALLY helped me with steering, though not with clutch/changing gear as the golf cart didnt have a gearbox.
Steering was also helped further by horse experience, as he advised me to follow the bend of the kerb rather than the lines in the middle of the road, and said it was good as I didn't turn my whole body, just followed with my eyes. Strangely enough, my brain jumped to steering horses towards a jump as you look at a jump but your body doesn't necessarily follow.
I ended my first lesson by going around a mini roundabout and driving at 30mph in third gear down a fairly busy road, with traffic on it too! Pretty chuffed really, just wanted to have a little 'yay' about it and wonder whether anyone else has had a similar experience when learning to drive?
. Its too many years ago for me to really remember but I did love the sheer freedom I felt the very first time I drove solo after passing my test.