How did you learn to drive?

N

NancyNGA

Well-known Member
Location
Georgia
Do you remember who taught you, or at least went with you while you practiced? Driver's Ed anyone?

My mom taught me when I was 16, because my father was, well, let's just say "a perfectionist?":rolleyes: She taught his brother, too, for the same reason.
 

My sister tried, but, I gave up after two tries with her, I never really wanted to ever have to drive if I didn't have to, but, when I moved from Westchester Co NY where the transit system wasn't the best, but, it was easy enough to get to work by bus or rail system, but, my relocating to an area of NJ where the bus system was practically non-existent , I hadn't any choice but to learn to drive. I used a driving school. What a nightmare the first time the instructor took me into major traffic, for sure, I expected I would kill us both any minute.

I failed my first driving test miserably. They had a full course they used at our dmv, how was I two know it was a two lane road or that there were stops signs just beyond the bush that I wasn't paying attention for. :dunno:For one, I just thought to myself I really appreciate the extra wide road I got to ride in the middle of with so much space on both sides of me.

When I knew better, I did better. :bigwink:
 

Jujube: They had driver's ed at our high school, too, but I don't remember how you arranged to get into it. Maybe there was a fee, 'cause very few took it.:confused:
 
AprilT said:
...I failed my first driving test miserably. They had a full course they used at our dmv, how was I two know it was a two lane road or that there were stops signs just beyond the bush that I wasn't paying attention for. :dunno:For one, I just thought to myself I really appreciate the extra wide road I got to ride in the middle of with so much space on both sides of me.

When I knew better, I did better. :bigwink:
Click to expand...

:lol:

There was a rumor going round that the they failed everyone who took the road test when they were 16. It seemed to be true. So many failed on the first try at 16.

I never wanted to learn to drive either, and took it when I was 17 (and passed;)). The hardest part for me was the parallel parking. I bet they don't even ask you to do that now. Hmmph!!
 
The hardest part for me was the parallel parking.

I knocked over the cones, then I knocked them down and ran them over, I only passed by the goodness of the instructor.
 
My parents taught me, mostly my mother because my dad was at work during the day. I learned on an automatic when I was 15, then we got a stick-shift car and I learned to drive that when I was 16, but took my test in the automatic. I did have a couple of lessons with a guy from AAA who taught me how to enter and drive on the interstate. One week one summer my mother took me out to a new subdivision every morning where the road was long and level with a circle at each end and taught me how to shift gears.

7dcd3586c3f01fd0e17b1629a4d0dff6.jpg
 
My Dad taught me. I know he was a nervous wreck when he took me out but he always remained calm and never yelled. When I first got behind the wheel we would go to the local cemetery because there were a lot of empty roads. lol. We had drivers ed in school which I flunked because the teacher seemed to think it was important to know the parts of a carburetor. I also couldn't get the hang of folding a map correctly. Had to repeat it the following year. My Dad had a big Plymouth with a stick shift. I used it for the test and did everything correctly,a fluke,I'm sure. When we headed out he told me to make believe we were out in town. The last thing he asked me to do was park. Which I did perfectly. I waited and waited for him to tell me to pull out when he put a notation on my test sheet that I didn't actually park because I didn't turn the car off. Not enough to flunk me though.He just had to say something. When I got my own car my Dad put a curb finder on. The greatest thing they ever made! No more chewed up tires.
 
jujube said:
Drivers' Ed, the first semester of my junior year in high school. The football coach was the teacher and he was tough! He was always throwing us into situations where we had to make split-second decisions and I think he turned me into a good driver.
Click to expand...

Did you go to my high school Jujube? I also took Driver`s Ed the first semester of my Junior year. And the football coach taught it. Keith Bedford-wonderful man who just passed away recently. I did get my license at 16 and on the first try. I aced the parallel parking-to this day I amaze my husband at how quickly and easily I can park a Tahoe or even a Suburban. My backing up skills were not very good though-I think I must have missed that class lol. And no,they don`t make you parallel park for the driver`s test anymore-at least not in California.
 
I did not learn to drive until I was 18 years old because no one would teach me prior. At 18 and in the Air Force I took a jeep out on a unused runway and taught my self how to drive. I think I might have stripped a few gears in the process.
 
Ruth n Jersey said:
... When I got my own car my Dad put a curb finder on. The greatest thing they ever made! No more chewed up tires.
Click to expand...

Yes!!! I remember those! My dad put them on my car too.:) I'd still like to have something like that, only sticking out the back on my old pickup, for backing up to loading docks.
 
I learned the same as Pappy. Tractors and Field Cars. We had a '49 Ford truck that had a contraption we called a bale picker upper bolted to the running board. I wasn't even big enough to completely reach the pedals and Dad would put it in first, get it rolling , set the hand throttle and jump off. My job was to follow the row of bales and catching them on the pick up forks.Which would then lift them and throw them into the back. My instructions were if anything went wrong to pull the key!.
 
My boyfriend taught me; my dad actually asked him if he would, because trying to teach me just drove my dad nuts. Scared him to death, I think, when I'd miss a gear or slide backwards on a hill or something and he'd yell at me, which made the whole thing worse. Boyfriend had nerves of steel, and knew better than to yell at me when I made a mistake. I did fine, and passed my driver's test at 16 on the first try. I still can't parallel park worth a flip, though -- I avoid it like the plague. it's OK if I have a lot of room, but a really tight space, nope. Fortunately, around here there aren't too many places where you have to parallel park in tight spaces.
 
We had driver's ed in high school, then it was my mom who went with me on lots of practice rides. Funny, I don't remember my father riding with me, but it may be because the year I got my license, we had moved to NH, but he couldn't find work in the union up there and stayed behind in NJ during the poor economy in the early 70s. Where we were living in NH at the time was a good place to learn to drive. Not as congested as NJ.
 
I left home at around 15 and once ended up out in the country in the middle of nowhere one night at a small gas station. A older (60 or so) farmer with only one arm came in on his tractor for fuel and after a short chat he wanted to know if I wanted to go to work on his small dairy farm for him and his wife for room and board and a little bit of spending money........I was young, tough, broke, getting in a lot of trouble where I'd left, and with it now dark and chilly outside and with me having no place to sleep I said yes.

He taught me how to drive farm machinery and his pickup......I ended up staying there almost two years till I was old enough to volunteer for the Army.
 
Last edited:
Mrs. Robinson said:
Did you go to my high school Jujube? I also took Driver`s Ed the first semester of my Junior year. And the football coach taught it. Keith Bedford-wonderful man who just passed away recently. I did get my license at 16 and on the first try. I aced the parallel parking-to this day I amaze my husband at how quickly and easily I can park a Tahoe or even a Suburban. My backing up skills were not very good though-I think I must have missed that class lol. And no,they don`t make you parallel park for the driver`s test anymore-at least not in California.
Click to expand...

My teacher was Mr. McCool. No, really...that was his name. He did teach us well and I did pass my test on the first try.
 
NancyNGA said:
:lol:

There was a rumor going round that the they failed everyone who took the road test when they were 16. It seemed to be true. So many failed on the first try at 16.

I never wanted to learn to drive either, and took it when I was 17 (and passed;)). The hardest part for me was the parallel parking. I bet they don't even ask you to do that now. Hmmph!!
Click to expand...

If they did ask me to parallel park, I probably just got out of the car to move the cones and well that's better now isn't it, not I can park without any obstructions. :D Actually, I wasn't bad at parking, I mean, I would hang half way out of the car to look while doing it, but, I was decent when it came to parking. Lies, who am I kidding, it's been so long since I drove a car, I don't remember. btw, I was 26 when I took those driving lessons. Our DMV had a private driving course where we took the road test.
 
I learned to drive when I was 26. I did not want to but since we lived in a rural area my husband insisted I learn. He was afraid that if one of the kids got hurt and he wasn't' home an ambulance would not get there in time. I managed to pass my driver's test the first time. I don't think I would have gone back if I hadn't. I still don't like to drive but I am so glad he made me and he was a great teacher.
 
Crap, my middle boy is 21. I want him to find a driving school. Middle girl I taught her in rural PA. If you didn't run over a cow it was all good. Where we live now...they pass left, right, wherever they can terrifying.
 
I taught myself ,after buying a old bomb of a car ...I was a single mother of 3 children living 15 minuites drive out of a small town in a rented home on a fruit orchid ..so I drove up and back a long drive way ,500 mtrs long ..then out on the road ..when confident enough.... Thinking back now thank goodness I didn't have an accident ..
 
It's always been 17 here in the UK. My father tried to teach me, but we didn't hit it off. Then my elder brother took over and I did OK, passing first time. I remember the date because it was 29th Feb. My wife was taught by an ex-police driver, and she learned to drive mainly in the city. A totally different style of driving to mine - having learned on country roads.

Now in the UK, learners have 'theory tests' and hazard perception tests - I think it's just a way of getting more money as I'm not sure it improves their initial driving skills.
 
My sister taught me to drive and that's all she ever taught me. She would have been wise to follow in my footsteps. She always thought (and still does) that she is smarter than everyone else.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top