Anyone else learning driving?

[green_tranquility]

Doll,
I have lost my figure liao after endless heavy suppers. Haha now even got a guy telling me that my arms looked muscular! *Faint* U know who!

 

[sgbabydoll]

Greenie, if you want me to punch that guy who said your arms looked muscular, just tell me hor, I will not hesitate to teach him a lesson for you hehe.

Stickymouse, I can't drive barefooted as my pedals are sports pedals that can cause discomfort when used "barefootedly". You also driving manual car?

 

[mark78]

doll driving a manual car....her skill must be damn goood..

 

[violac]

doll, we switched to auto car already... but even with the old civic with sports pedal, i also drive barefoot... in fact all the more 'cos the clutch is very heavy i need better control using the ball of my heel.

maybe i'm a bit 'bian tai' but i like the feeling of the "discomfort" with sports pedal.. it's kinda like driving our nail into the mosquito bite bump

 

[dogtag73]

Doll car is like racing car la...clutch biting point so high up like my previous ride. I was parking her ride along duxton hill so paiseh keep missing the biting point...keep reving nonstop lolz

 

[sgbabydoll]

Meng, I didn't know that leh...I just know that my pedals are sports type. Next time let me try your car and feel the difference, can? Haha

Stickymouse - For "vanity" reasons, I have my shoes on when behind the wheel...I don't want more dead skin forming on my feet haha. On another note, no wonder my clutch feels so heavy. When I go longer distance or during heavy traffic, I feel weak in my left knee hehe

 

[crazy_guy]

i never been driving manual cars for donkey yrs!!!..think if i drive one, i will sure fail big time!!...

 

[miloice]

Driving is like learning to walk. Once you learn it, its quite hard to 'forget' actually. Maybe a bit rusty but can refresh quickly one lah.

Mainly, its not the knowledge or skill but rather the confidence that is lost.

 

[sgbabydoll]

Auto car also OK mah. But of course, manual car gives you better control and response.

 

[crazy_guy]

true..cos long time no drive manual, rusty n kinda lack confidence lor..moreover would be pretty lazy to keep on engaging gears

 

[mark78]

i seldom ssee charbo driving manual Car. Thumbs up for DOLL...

 

[sgbabydoll]

Engaging the gear is the fun part...then drag the gear a bit to pull away fast-fast haha

Mark, thanks. My sis also drives manual car. Maybe no choice for us cos her hubby bought the car whereas for me, it was my ex-husband who wanted a manual. By the way, are you gonna teach me defensive driving?

 

[mark78]

defensive driving...omg....

ei u know this term...u got mata fren is it.
i love to spin a bitch. but find it abit scary..

miss those days driving police car but its those. mazda or lancer not WRX or bmw orh.

 

[green_tranquility]

Femme,
Have u changed yr instructor?

 

[roomfulofstars]

hi green, im looking for a good backup first before I make the switch. I'm at Bt Batok area.

 

[miloice]

Femme,

while your instructor might be naggy and impatient but being terribly distracted and confused on the road is a big problem. If you cannot cope with that then, frankly you make a dangerous driver.

What if you are on the high traffic area and you are getting honked for obstructing traffic. Will you be equally distracted and confused?

Knowing the technical part of driving is the bear minimum actually. It doesn't matter if you can be much better if no one is honking and your car is in control. How you can react to stress when things are out of your control is what is important.

Frankly, no one is a natural born driver. But confidence and calmness is key essential in every experience good & safe driver. Experience will take time. One day, handling a car will be like walking. Left hand or right hand drive, car or van, manual or auto, continental or Japanese, its still pretty much the same. Just taking a short while to familiarize.

That's the way cars are designed. It is intended to be simple enough so that the user don't need to focus on managing the vehicle but on getting to where they want. Its just a tool and not a complex operation.

 

[sgbabydoll]

How one is going to fare on the road in future is up to him or her, now, the most important thing is to get the driver's licence. If you can't learn well and fast with one instructor perhaps because his style of instructing is not suitable for you, go to another one simply. No big deal.

 

[roomfulofstars]

I think it's too early in my learning to adapt to constant nagging and snatching of wheel lor. I'm sure as time goes by I can learn to adapt to nagging passengers or constantly honking cars. But for me, right now is just too soon. Just my own opinion.

Thanks Doll! I agree with you. I think it's a matter of compatibility too.

 

[sgbabydoll]

Femme, my instructor used to adjust my steering wheel too as I didn't position the car right when I was doing parking or getting into the pocket for right turning at traffic junction. How does your instructor snatch your wheel?

 

[sane]

I will be taking my test soon, my 4th attempt, auto somemore *pengz*, got any particular things to look out for or tips to share?

 

[sgbabydoll]

Inn, don't panic. Just do it. Good luck!

 

[mark78]

doll must be a good driver. ..manual female driver..w/o complaining the need of changing gears @ sg traffic condition.

or maybe she master the art of swerving.
doll btw TP got one high way patrol fpo long hair one...and she driving the bmw...

her skill must be one level above alot of ppl.
as bery bery few ppl go the chance to go for adv lesson. and she went and clear it..at least one of the few charbo who can control the wheels..

 

[roomfulofstars]

Doll - mine just snatch, as in make the turn for me whether I'm turning correctly or not. But today not so bad. He only snatched it once. And I went "TSK!". Heehee. Not like he cares lah, but it was instinctive. Hahaha.

 

[two_piece]

Hi Femme,

Totally understand how you feeling now.. Hee your instrutor reminds me of my 1st instructor. He was ALWAYS late for my lessons and he's very busy, only can confirm timing with me a few days before. And he's very impatient with me, scold me this and tat. Everytime aft his lessons, i'll feel so demoralised.

Luckily my fren intro me another instructor, he was previously a sch instructor n my fren passed at first time under him. He was really patient, and always nag at me at a gd way, this will make me remember my bad habits and mistakes. Really thankful to him

So i think you should really change instructor, get your frens to recommend theirs to you loh. Mine is at CDC, so if you dun mind, i can give you my 2nd instructor's contact

you just email me at [email protected] loh

 

[piggy12]

hi Femme,

Seems like u got yourself a very bad instructor.. getting a reliable instructor is impt

u taking private or sch? I remember the last time when i was learning drivin the instructor is v lousy also end up i failed twice n the best part is before i went for my test i ask him for the things to take note guess what he say? He told me to drive as usual!! i was so piss off he should have pointed out what are the mistake i alway made..

after the 2nd time i failed i change to another instructor my friend recommend he was v gd n he teach me a lot of thing tt my first instructor din mentioned and guess what i finally pass...he was very nice on my test date he even spray some flower water for lucky

if u wan i can gave u his contact i also learn my driving at Batok

but i did not pay any $50 deposit/registration fee to either of my instructor...
I also have a uncle teaching drivin at Bukit Batok but he like to chat n joke a lot not sure if u like his style but many friends learnt from him and most of them pass either the 1st or 2nd time...

 

[roomfulofstars]

Hi lorna, thanks so much for your reply!

But I really do need someone at Bt Batok area coz I live around this area. About 5 mins drive away only.

Piggy - sure! Pls PM me your instructor's contact. Is he Eng or Chinese speaking?

Thanks guys!

 

[piggy12]

Hi Femme,

have PM u the contact. He is chinese speaking can?

 

[limahkow]

harlo, anyone can recommend me a good driving instructor for refresher driving

i got my licence donkey yrs ago but never drive.vy scared of auto car

please let me noe if you noe any good refresher driving instructor...

 

[hots]

Hi all,

I'm learning driving with my pte instructor for mths now... Had fail my 1st test.

Still waitin for my 2nd attempt. Im must pass this time!

I have a good instructor. Any one want my recommendation, email me at [email protected]

I will give u the contact.

Btw, my instructor is in Ubi.

 

[simpleman]

I know I can be a driving instructor when I retire.. but then again.. i probably won't want to die by vomiting too much blood..

 

[sgbabydoll]

SM, you can't be private instructor because they stopped issuing licences since 1985. You can join a school though ha

 

[simpleman]

School.. nah..

I rather be a taxi driver to kill my time..

 

[sgbabydoll]

I think I will work at McDonald's to kill time after retirement ha. My eldest sis said she will work in a DVD rental shop. She's a big drama fan haha

 

[roomfulofstars]

hi piggy12, thanks so much, got your PM!

I can't learn under Chinese speaking leh, unfortunately. Coz I tried before when my current instructor had a replacement instructor for one lesson who spoke Mandarin. While I converse easily in Mandarin, I found it very confusing to learn in Mandarin. I'm not sure why.

Anyway... I learn about once a week now, coz I can't afford more. I find I get rusty leh. Like when I learn to brake nicely the week before, by the next lesson, my brake is not as nice, even tho I remember how to brake properly. It really annoys my instructor... sigh.

Does anyone have any pointers on how to really take everything in? Coz I find myself pausing to shift focus to listening to instructions, THEN doing the instructions. I can't seem to do both at the same time. It's almost like I cannot multi-task... any advice? I really want to improve.

Meanwhile I'm still on the lookout for any good English speaking instructor in West, if anyone has anymore recommendations.

 

[green_tranquility]

Doll,
No, u shld work in Ya Kun Toast instead! haha

Then me work in bubble tea stall.

 

[green_tranquility]

Femme,
I think you just lack practice.

 

[sgbabydoll]

Noooooooo, Greenie, I should work in Xin Wang or Toast Box mah haha

 

[green_tranquility]

Toast Box under Ya Kun lah!

 

[piggy12]

Hi Femme, I think u really need to learn to multi task.. i have been driving for yrs and i can tell u while driving u really need to pay attention to many thing.. u need to take note of car ard u the traffic light etc..
u have to know there are many reckless driver ard n u have to really react fast enough esp Jam is everywhere in Sg.. so u must really get used to listen to instruction while driving.. u must know during TP we also must listen to the tester instruction.

i tink like what green mentioned u might be lack of practice. last time i only learnt 1-2 days per wk each time 1 hr and i find it quite alright.. well it is also possible that u r too nervous on road. but i believe that once u get used to it u will be able to handle it better..

 

[green_tranquility]

Practice makes perfect! Try practising in carpark with hb or someone supervising u.

 

[sgbabydoll]

Toast Box under Ya Kun??? Since when? I didn't know leh...hee

 

[miloice]

its practice and more practice. When you are driving on the road... you should not be thinking how to brake nicely, how to engage what gear, blind sports to check, signaling early. Its really becoming like walking or running. You don't think of which leg to start walking with or how to balance yourself.

Do you cycle? In the same way, balancing on a bicycle becomes instinctive. As long as driving remains a task for you, you will need to multi-task.

 

[roomfulofstars]

Milo - heheh, I can't balance a bicycle. And to think I used to consider wanting to learn scooter! *faints*

I think I really lack practice too. I wish I could practice more but my instructor is too busy to have me for more than 1 lesson for 1 hour per week. And HTB is scared of lending me his car for practise driving (which I understand lah, haha).

My instructor is very hard on me with things like braking perfectly. He MUST have it perfect every time. When I don't, he scolds and sighs. So I am under pressure to brake perfectly.

I'm still trying to learn to multi-task and be less self-conscious and stiff. I get tense and I try to relax, but when I drive, I can feel that my mind is reminding me of a lot of things (safety, clutch in, brake nice,) - when I need to do these, lah, that is. So when someone else talks to me, my concentration breaks from this and goes to that someone talking. This is not good.

Think the brain-foot/hand/eye co-ordination is very clumsy.

I really want to improve. Will try harder...

 

[miloice]

femme,

one tip. you should be as relax on the steering wheel as possible. If you are gripping hard, then you are too stressed and trying too hard.

Not every is a natural. But it will get better with time & experience ... its a been there, gone through phase for us drivers and a learning curve for newbies like you. Cheers

 

[roomfulofstars]

Thanks Milo! Yeah I used to grip the wheel hard which resulted in the car not going in a straight line. So unsafe. I have since learnt to relax and the wheel control is getting better.

I'm still tense in the other aspects - I often thinking I'm overthinking and therefore overdoing things too.

 

[roomfulofstars]

Anyone knows ...for driving students, if you're on first gear, are u supposed to half-clutch all the way (unless u've reached 20km and above)?

 

[miloice]

hi femme,

there is no thumb of the rule of half-clutch till a certain speed. The idea is simply, apply half clutch till a sufficient speed for the car to prevent stalling. If the car is shaking, it indicates the wrong gear for the speed. Likewise, when its dragging, it means you are engage too low a gear for the speed you are driving. We should avoid stepping on the clutch longer than required actually. With the clutch stepped on, you have lesser control of the car speed as engine brake will not kick in.

 

[simpleman]

Strictly speaking, if you are accelerating.. there shouldnt be half-clutch. Changing of 1st to 2nd gear should be done in split second.. shouldnt be half-clutch all the way.

Generally you half-clutch when you are going slow (car could be stalling) in tight situation and balancing on slope. Other than that you should not be stepping on the clutch unless you are changing gear.

All these changing of gear should be second-nature and you not need to think about it.

 

[violac]

should google and read up on the functions of a clutch... Milo's explanation would make better sense to you

 

[sgbabydoll]

Femme, apply half clutch only when you are in first gear, and you should not be in first gear for longer than to get the car moving off from stationery state. By the way, don't clutch in unnecessarily because you will be free-wheeling and that will send the car "nose diving" - dangerous and uncomfortable for your passengers.