My driving instructor told me after I passed my test about some new law they might be bringing in (This was agood few months ago) about everyone having to sit 200 compulsery hours of lessons before they are aloud to go for there test. I think it may be closer to coming around now, so if your thinking of getting your liscence, get it now.

Was talking the other night about it and how it's basicly a way to stop more youngsters getting on the road, doubt many people would be able to afford the 200 hundred lessons then the insureance and stuff. Overall I had 10 and I was annoyed at the amount I had to spend on them....

The lowest i've heard of anyone passing was 3 lessons, but he had driven in cars with his parents and stuff, but none, there's no way i'm driving in America with people who pass without 1 lesson.

200 hours? thats a complete joke. 10 lessons (what, 15 - 20 hours?) costs about 190 quid, so 200 hours would cost a stupid amount.

I hope to only take about 10 lessons, i can drive fine, been out with my dad all the time basically, all i need is the instructor actually teaching me how to pass the test. Not even sure if 10 will be needed.

Yeah, insane that would be. Still it does not stop rich idiots being idiots on roads, but will stop future economy growth pretty nicely as people can't get to work.

Maybe there is some green decision behind that too and if that is planned in UK our government copies it to here, like they have been doing in other things, of course they copy only bad parts of it and adjust it to be bit worse.

Majority of people is still living such places where own car is necessarity to be able to live.

Quote from DeKo :

200 hours? thats a complete joke. 10 lessons (what, 15 - 20 hours?) costs about 190 quid, so 200 hours would cost a stupid amount.

what ? you get 15 hours of driving lessons for 190 quid ?

American Roads are filled with crap drivers. Probably more than other places, as the tests are a joke to get one's license. I rarely go a day (total 4 miles) without being amazed by some new low standard of crappy driving. Mad world.

I have my driving test on monday. I am afraid of failing it, because my instructor yells at me if the car isnt perfectly centered in the lane. Does anyone have an suggestions on how to stay centered in the lane? It is hard to tell how far the car is to one side of the lane. It's not like I'm touching the lines, I just get close to them.

Quote from wheel4hummer :

I have my driving test on monday. I am afraid of failing it, because my instructor yells at me if the car isnt perfectly centered in the lane. Does anyone have an suggestions on how to stay centered in the lane? It is hard to tell how far the car is to one side of the lane. It's not like I'm touching the lines, I just get close to them.

Don't concentrate on things that are close to your car / in front, try to anticipate more on things that are a bit further away. It's like in the circus where you walk on a cord ( ? ) if you look down, you fall of. But if you look straight ahead of you, it's easier.

Quote :

Yeah, I have had the drill of parents . I still have no car however, I'm keeping an eye out for a 1992-96 Suzuki Swift GTI

I got the drill when I passed in Feb too. Not sure what the Suzuki insurance will be in your own name though! Don't expect below £2000 unless you cheat and go on as a named driver... (my insurance is in my name and is over £2000 on a 1.25 51 plate Fiesta).

Wheel4hummer: When you're centered, look at the location of your rearview or wipers in relation to the road and aim to keep them there as a reference point.

Quote from Michel 4AGE :

Don't concentrate on things that are close to your car / in front, try to anticipate more on things that are a bit further away. It's like in the circus where you walk on a cord ( ? ) if you look down, you fall of. But if you look straight ahead of you, it's easier.

But what about going around corners? My instructor makes us keep the car centered in the lane when going around corners. I always go from the outside of the lane, to the inside of the lane at the apex, to the outside of the lane, and then back into the center. It is much safer, because then if someone in the opposing lane goes over the center line. Then you have a larger gap of space between you and them then if you stayed in the center.

EDIT: And, thanks for the suggestions.

Quote from Shotglass :

what ? you get 15 hours of driving lessons for 190 quid ?

Im not sure, as i havent started them yet. The average for a lesson is about 1 1/2 hours - 2 hours though, i think.

lol... (prepares for flames in advance)

If you drive in the cockpit view, hop on a City driving server or the cruise that has narrow sections, and just get comfortable driving staying centered in your lane.

Try and relax and just think about being smooth following the road, you should be fine.

(alt b. Get a Macca F1 w/ driver seat in center)

Well, in traffic I'd say you should stay in center, then during corner move to inside and then go to center again. Moving around in the lane not only looks stupid but can also make other drivers nervous.

Quote from DeKo :

Im not sure, as i havent started them yet. The average for a lesson is about 1 1/2 hours - 2 hours though, i think.

either way sounds unrealisticly cheap for me ... iirc i had to pay ~40 euro for 45 mins of driving lessons

as for staying in the centre of the lane just look into the far distance
also driving in a country where if you are at the centre of the lane you can actually see the lines rather than having them disappear at the horizon might help

Quote from Shotglass :

also driving in a country where if you are at the centre of the lane you can actually see the lines rather than having them disappear at the horizon might help

What do you mean?

Quote from wheel4hummer :

What do you mean?

Corners, I do believe he means corners

Quote from Bawbag :

there's no way i'm driving in America with people who pass without 1 lesson.

I agree with you and others' statements concerning the fact that there are too many people on the roads that can't drive. I've been around cars all my life and have been driving tractors, go karts and other machines since i was 4 years old. Because of this, i was already an experienced driver, i didn't need lessons to teach me how to parallel park or make a 3- point turn . I don't know how it works in Europe, but in America, when you turn 16 you get a permit and this allows you to drive with a licensed, over 18 year old in the car with you. I spent many many hours driving with parents or family members in order to get accustomed to traffic driving. Thats why i didn't need lessons

Quote from ans7812 :

Thats why i didn't need lessons

Well, I don't actually *need* behind-the-wheel lessons. But, it is required by the state of virginia that you take them. Classroom drivers education is all that I needed to learn the rules. I already know how to drive a car. I have never hit anything or anyone by accident (only on purpose).

WELL DONE!, Borat is Kazakhstanian

Quote from wheel4hummer :

Well, I don't actually *need* behind-the-wheel lessons. But, it is required by the state of virginia that you take them. Classroom drivers education is all that I needed to learn the rules. I already know how to drive a car. I have never hit anything or anyone by accident (only on purpose).

exactly, i took classes that reviewed the rulebook that everyone got but no behind the wheel instruction

Quote from ans7812 :

I agree with you and others' statements concerning the fact that there are too many people on the roads that can't drive. I've been around cars all my life and have been driving tractors, go karts and other machines since i was 4 years old. Because of this, i was already an experienced driver, i didn't need lessons to teach me how to parallel park or make a 3- point turn . I don't know how it works in Europe, but in America, when you turn 16 you get a permit and this allows you to drive with a licensed, over 18 year old in the car with you. I spent many many hours driving with parents or family members in order to get accustomed to traffic driving. Thats why i didn't need lessons

here its similar, we get a provisional 3 months before we turn 17 which allows us to go out in a car with L plates on with a driver who has been driving for at least a year, iirc.

Quote from wheel4hummer :

What do you mean?

lanes in the us are generally a whole lot wider than they are in europe

Quote from Bawbag :

200 compulsery hours

200? Two... hundred? Please say that's a typo. That would take a hell of a long time too if you have even two lessons a week.

I took 32 lessons, £50 a time, two hours each, except the first ten were half that.

Whatever you might do in LFS, in real life you have the responsibility for other people too - just be careful and enjoy it

Quote from Shotglass :

lanes in the us are generally a whole lot wider than they are in europe

I highly doubt that.

Quote from wheel4hummer :

I highly doubt that.

Our roads are mainly 6-7 meters wide, that is width of whole road, usable space is 5-6 meters so that is 2.5-3 meters per lane. We do have lot of roads that are narrower than that, only 2 meters per lane. Then there are few wider roads but not many km of those compared to these most common roads which are main routes across country. These are two lane roads naturally, but we don't have too much of roads with more lanes, only in some cities and near some big cities.

2.5 meters is 8.2 ft
5 meters is 16.4 ft
7 meters is 22.7 ft

How wide are main roads in US ? How about other countries?

Here are few pics how our roads look like:


big_road_lot_of_traffic

road_over_water

Volvo truck


I travel a lot so I take lot of pics around country too, tomorrow need to drive 900km up to north, that place is around 1500 miles from north pole :P

Quote from TiJay :

I got the drill when I passed in Feb too. Not sure what the Suzuki insurance will be in your own name though! Don't expect below £2000 unless you cheat and go on as a named driver... (my insurance is in my name and is over £2000 on a 1.25 51 plate Fiesta).

Well no not cheating as a named driver, cheating with third party. Quinn Direct seem very cheap. £1800 for Swift GTI.