And suddenly one day later I'm driving at will! Tonight I had my first evening lesson and I just got in the car and drove it. I drove all the way around town, I negotiated traffic lights, pedestrians, junctions - and even the roundabout of doom at Seven Dials (an area of Brighton renowned for its scary roundabout)
Apologies for keeping on about this driving thing,and you know this won't be the last post - but I am so chuffed with myself I could explode. To get it right this evening I basically mentally pulled off and stopped a billion times, in my mind I used clutch control to 'creep and peep' until I felt that I understood what I was doing. And it clearly worked cos now I can suddenly confidently manoeuvre the car.
Woo hoo!
Woo Hoo!! Well done you!! And actually - there are clutches in most cars over here so learning to master them is a good idea! Keep up the good work old girl! x
ReplyDeleteThank you Sarah. The client wanted me to learn in a manual as, although all of his cars are Automatics, I may be required to hire Manuals. Plus I would need to know how to drive a British car when I cam back! He said he was thinking of sending me to a motoring school in Arizona to learn defensive driving after I pass so I can gain more confidence.
ReplyDeleteWolynski - they're a nightmare but give you complete control of the car. Low gears are for gaining speed and manoeuvres, and higher gears are for when you're at speed. We're just becoming friends!
Actually I just described gears - the clutch is a pedal then wehn pressed, disengages the engine from the wheels. So if you pressed the accelerator and the clutch was down, nothing would happen.
ReplyDeleteIf you release the clutch slowly so the 2 plates just meet, then you can inch forward at junctions & when pulling away from behind parked cars, just by gently bringing the clutch up and down. It's pretty hard. If you bring the clutch up too quickly, then you stall the car.
Hey! I am glad you changed the picture for this post as per our conversation yesterday... That erection was off putting! Glad it is all going well for you. XX
ReplyDelete