In celebration of five years of driving, I thought I would go back to basics with a tag which I made up. Because why not. This day five years ago was one of my most proudest moments ever. And another completely unrelated cause for celebration, this is my 300th blog post!!
I absolutely love driving. It is one of my favourite things to do, I've got to a point where I am very comfortable with driving in general and it has just become second nature to me. I can't imagine not driving now!
I've blogged about my driving theory tests, my practical driving test however I haven't really expanded beyond that. Hopefully this tag will do just that today!
1. What inspired you to learn how to drive in the first place?
When I was 16, I had no interest in learning how to drive straight away. I always wanted to learn at some point but thought I didn't have the time what with balancing sixth form and work. When I turned 17, my dad said that he was more than happy to teach me the basics of driving one afternoon. So we went to an old abandoned car park on a Sunday afternoon and I drove for the first time around this car park. From driving around in this quiet car park, I loved it and really wanted to learn how to drive.
I also didn't want to rely on my parents for lifts to places any more. I wanted to be able to get to different places by myself without having to rely on others. Being a driver now, I know how annoying it is when people sometimes do rely heavily on you giving lifts to various places. To clarify, I don't mind giving lifts, in fact I love having some company in the car whilst I'm driving and I offer lifts when I can (sometimes I can't if my car is getting looked at or being used for something else)
1. What inspired you to learn how to drive in the first place?
When I was 16, I had no interest in learning how to drive straight away. I always wanted to learn at some point but thought I didn't have the time what with balancing sixth form and work. When I turned 17, my dad said that he was more than happy to teach me the basics of driving one afternoon. So we went to an old abandoned car park on a Sunday afternoon and I drove for the first time around this car park. From driving around in this quiet car park, I loved it and really wanted to learn how to drive.
I also didn't want to rely on my parents for lifts to places any more. I wanted to be able to get to different places by myself without having to rely on others. Being a driver now, I know how annoying it is when people sometimes do rely heavily on you giving lifts to various places. To clarify, I don't mind giving lifts, in fact I love having some company in the car whilst I'm driving and I offer lifts when I can (sometimes I can't if my car is getting looked at or being used for something else)
I never expect petrol money simply because I have offered a lift... why would I want to charge people for an offer I have made for a lift?! But I think it's more the fact when people expect to have lifts near enough all the time which bothers me and other fellow drivers who I know. If it's the odd time or two, then yeah sure hop on in! I don't mind giving the odd lift! However if it's near enough all the time for everything and you feel like you are being taken for granted by someone, I will put my foot down and say no. Definitely feel like honesty is the best policy when it comes to that and it's a feeling you only know once you start driving!
Where I lived, there was no regular bus route, we had one bus which came past the village once every couple of hours but even then it wasn't the most reliable, and it was quite expensive. I lived quite far out in respect to a lot of things and I knew I wanted to get to different places easily in the future without relying on my parents, anyone else or buses. Therefore it just seemed to make sense to learn how to drive straightaway.
2. How did you choose your instructor?
I definitely think when choosing an instructor, you need to make sure the instructor is right for you, just as the instructor needs to make sure you are right for them. It's a two way thing. My instructor told me that, I take no credit for it! But I think it is 100% true as I know a few people who didn't get along with their instructor which made things worse in the long run and they ended up switching.
2. How did you choose your instructor?
I definitely think when choosing an instructor, you need to make sure the instructor is right for you, just as the instructor needs to make sure you are right for them. It's a two way thing. My instructor told me that, I take no credit for it! But I think it is 100% true as I know a few people who didn't get along with their instructor which made things worse in the long run and they ended up switching.
You also need to decide whether you want to go to a driving school, where lots of instructors work for or an independent company. I wasn't fussed either way, I just wanted an instructor who I got on with, no awkward silences in the car and was rated highly as a good instructor. After all, I wanted to actually be able to pass and have a good time whilst doing it!
My nan has a friend called Paul, who I had met a couple times before when I was younger and he had started up his own driving school alongside his catering business. So I decided to have one lesson with him to see what it was like and it was great. We got along well and I could definitely see him being my driving instructor. And he was happy to be my instructor as well. He was funny, but also strict, he had the most sarcastic sense of humour which was great. His approach to driving was fantastic and he really helped me through learning how to drive! I would definitely recommend him as an instructor, however he has closed down his driving school around three years ago to solely focus on the catering!
3. How were your lessons scheduled?
Luckily my lessons were scheduled around my second year sixth form timetable at the time of learning. We got into a sort of two week schedule. I can remember one week I had two free hours in the middle of one day at sixth form, therefore I'd go and have a lesson in those two hours, and then come back into sixth form. The other week, I think I used to have them in the early morning or afternoon before or after sixth form started. Paul would always save the same times for me as he knew I was at sixth form and my free time was limited.
When it was the half term, we would then have to adjust the schedule to when I was working. It was also difficult for Paul as well as he was running his own catering company and at times, he had days which he definitely couldn't do due to his catering. Sometimes I went a couple of weeks or even up to a month without a lesson as we just couldn't find a day that we could both do. I didn't mind as I was busy with sixth form anyway, learning to drive wasn't my number one priority back then! I also made the decision to cut back on the lessons when mock exam and exam season started, so half terms did screw up the routine but once we were back in the sixth form routine again, it worked!
4. How many lessons did you have before you passed your test?
I never kept track as my lessons were so unpredictable... I would say at least 30 hours! I wanted more learning hours compared to average so I would feel more comfortable and confident on the roads after passing. I started learning how to drive around November 2014 and passed my practical November 2015. It did take me a year, however I am very proud of that considering driving wasn't my number one priority at the time and my lessons weren't exactly regular.
5. What were your lessons like?
The lessons were great. If I could still have lessons with Paul now, I would! I was so nervous for my first lesson, as realistically I was a complete beginner. I only knew how the foot pedals worked and changing gears as my dad taught me. But that was a great start as it put me in a better position to know the basics straight off. After the first lesson, we didn't really waste much time in going on main roads! I went on so many different roads to gain more experience and confidence (which I think is very important when learning to drive - you have to get as much practice in as possible to get used to things). We chatted a lot about many random things which was so important for me as I didn't want to be sitting in awkward silence just to be told directions!
6. What did you do well with / what did you struggle with when learning?
The thing I did best at were the manoeuvres. As soon as we did them, I pretty much got the hang of them straight away. I practiced them every lesson in a while, however my brain just knew what it was doing in respect to reversing. Although I refuse to parallel park now... I can do it but I hate it! To this day, I still see many drivers struggle with manoeuvres however I've always managed to do mine!
However there is always something that everyone struggles with and the thing I most struggled with were roundabouts. I was terrified of them! Because they were round, cars were going round and they just looked like accidents waiting to happen. I was scared of pulling out in front of fast cars turning round and round. Paul used to tailor the lessons and routes to every driver's weaknesses and he knew very well that was mine... so he made sure to take routes with the most amount of roundabouts in one lesson... which I hated at the time but I am glad it happened now. Luckily, that fear has long gone and I can do roundabouts without feeling scared!
My nan has a friend called Paul, who I had met a couple times before when I was younger and he had started up his own driving school alongside his catering business. So I decided to have one lesson with him to see what it was like and it was great. We got along well and I could definitely see him being my driving instructor. And he was happy to be my instructor as well. He was funny, but also strict, he had the most sarcastic sense of humour which was great. His approach to driving was fantastic and he really helped me through learning how to drive! I would definitely recommend him as an instructor, however he has closed down his driving school around three years ago to solely focus on the catering!
3. How were your lessons scheduled?
Luckily my lessons were scheduled around my second year sixth form timetable at the time of learning. We got into a sort of two week schedule. I can remember one week I had two free hours in the middle of one day at sixth form, therefore I'd go and have a lesson in those two hours, and then come back into sixth form. The other week, I think I used to have them in the early morning or afternoon before or after sixth form started. Paul would always save the same times for me as he knew I was at sixth form and my free time was limited.
When it was the half term, we would then have to adjust the schedule to when I was working. It was also difficult for Paul as well as he was running his own catering company and at times, he had days which he definitely couldn't do due to his catering. Sometimes I went a couple of weeks or even up to a month without a lesson as we just couldn't find a day that we could both do. I didn't mind as I was busy with sixth form anyway, learning to drive wasn't my number one priority back then! I also made the decision to cut back on the lessons when mock exam and exam season started, so half terms did screw up the routine but once we were back in the sixth form routine again, it worked!
4. How many lessons did you have before you passed your test?
I never kept track as my lessons were so unpredictable... I would say at least 30 hours! I wanted more learning hours compared to average so I would feel more comfortable and confident on the roads after passing. I started learning how to drive around November 2014 and passed my practical November 2015. It did take me a year, however I am very proud of that considering driving wasn't my number one priority at the time and my lessons weren't exactly regular.
5. What were your lessons like?
The lessons were great. If I could still have lessons with Paul now, I would! I was so nervous for my first lesson, as realistically I was a complete beginner. I only knew how the foot pedals worked and changing gears as my dad taught me. But that was a great start as it put me in a better position to know the basics straight off. After the first lesson, we didn't really waste much time in going on main roads! I went on so many different roads to gain more experience and confidence (which I think is very important when learning to drive - you have to get as much practice in as possible to get used to things). We chatted a lot about many random things which was so important for me as I didn't want to be sitting in awkward silence just to be told directions!
6. What did you do well with / what did you struggle with when learning?
The thing I did best at were the manoeuvres. As soon as we did them, I pretty much got the hang of them straight away. I practiced them every lesson in a while, however my brain just knew what it was doing in respect to reversing. Although I refuse to parallel park now... I can do it but I hate it! To this day, I still see many drivers struggle with manoeuvres however I've always managed to do mine!
However there is always something that everyone struggles with and the thing I most struggled with were roundabouts. I was terrified of them! Because they were round, cars were going round and they just looked like accidents waiting to happen. I was scared of pulling out in front of fast cars turning round and round. Paul used to tailor the lessons and routes to every driver's weaknesses and he knew very well that was mine... so he made sure to take routes with the most amount of roundabouts in one lesson... which I hated at the time but I am glad it happened now. Luckily, that fear has long gone and I can do roundabouts without feeling scared!
7. What were your theory / practical tests like?
I actually blogged about them, which is great for the memories. And it may sound weird but I enjoyed them! There is no point in expanding more than that... I'll put links to both underneath this question (if I remember)
8. Did you pass or fail first time?
I failed my theory test first time, and passed two weeks later. I booked my practical in November straight after passing my theory (that was the only available date closest to the time). I passed the practical first time which I was genuinely shocked about!
9. Driving is expensive - How did you manage to afford it?
I completely agree with myself, driving is expensive. I started working part time when I was 16 whilst doing my A levels and I earned a bit of money. I didn't have any spare time back then, therefore I managed to save up quite a bit. When I started learning, I used part of the money I was earning for my lessons, which were around £20 for a one hour and a half lesson. The rest, I saved. I also did quite a few extra hours at half terms and holidays, and I didn't spend any of the money I earnt in that time apart from on driving lessons. I've always been a good saver of money throughout my entire life, I am very lucky to say I've never massively struggled with money.
I'm going to be completely transparent and realistic about the costs, as some people might want to know the ins and outs of the expenses for learning how to drive. I want to quickly say that the only reason I could realistically afford this at such a young age was because I was working at 16 and I didn't actually spend any of the money I earnt. Therefore I had already saved up over a years wages, and I was still working at the time. So my lessons were around £20 each. The theory test costs around £30. The practical test costs around £90. After you've passed, you would then ideally want a car just so then you wouldn't have wasted the time learning how to drive. My car was around £550, my parents paid for part of it as an "congratulations for completing your A levels" / Christmas present, I paid for the rest. I then forked out for the insurance which was just over £1,000 in the first year. First year insurances are the big one. My face dropped by how much insurance is for your first year. It is insane, but after that first year.. the price goes down a lot! Now after driving for five years, comparing the projected insurance cost for this years renewal... It is no where near that much... it decreases a lot by year two, plus adding the fact I've been driving for over five years with no accidents... it looks good! I got a black box fitted in the first year which really helps with insurance costs for future years! Then there is tax (value dependent on what type of car you have which can vary... older cars tend to be more to tax) and the MOT. Just by adding all the figures above together, you can get a vague idea how much it costed.. Driving is not cheap, you have to be fully committed to the cause!
Now, all I pay is petrol costs (to actually get to places), maintenance costs (my dad usually does this as he loves cars, so it will be a bottle of red wine plus the cost of any spare parts he sources. Flo has only had to go to the garage once in the past five years and that was literally last week, but I have a relative who works there meaning more decent prices) the cost of a insurance, tax and MOT (for me now, the total of around £500 in total every year).
10. How would you describe your driving now?
No comment! No, I'll be honest. I never expected it when I was learning but I am not the slowest of drivers (I expected to be slow) but I am also definitely not a boy racer. I didn't even realise until Jordan pointed it out one day, then my brother passed his test and I was in the passenger seat with him, and I was telling him to go faster! I am fast yes, but I am not the fastest of drivers by any means. My eyes are always on the roads, if the sat nav is on then it sits near the cigarette lighter chanting directions at me. I've always loved going on the dual carriageways during my lessons, and never had a problem with them... I think I am only fast on the dual carriageways and motorways!
10. How would you describe your driving now?
No comment! No, I'll be honest. I never expected it when I was learning but I am not the slowest of drivers (I expected to be slow) but I am also definitely not a boy racer. I didn't even realise until Jordan pointed it out one day, then my brother passed his test and I was in the passenger seat with him, and I was telling him to go faster! I am fast yes, but I am not the fastest of drivers by any means. My eyes are always on the roads, if the sat nav is on then it sits near the cigarette lighter chanting directions at me. I've always loved going on the dual carriageways during my lessons, and never had a problem with them... I think I am only fast on the dual carriageways and motorways!
11. What type of car do you own?
A 2003 Vauxhall Corsa. My little Flo. She is my favourite purchase ever, we definitely have an emotional attachment! I keep debating about whether to get a new car as it's been almost five years (I got Flo on the 9th December 2015 - exactly a month after I passed and sorted all the paperwork out the same day so I could drive straight away), however Flo is a sturdy little car (despite being quite old now) and not a lot has gone wrong with her since I got her (touch wood)... so it's all good!
12. What is your dream car?
I've always wanted a classic Volkswagen beetle when I was younger... whether or not that will happen we shall see! I'm very happy with Flo right now.
13. What do you keep in your car?
My car is actually reasonably tidy in respect of physical things, I hardly ever have rubbish cluttering up the car. It just gets dirty extremely quickly on the inside, however that is because she does get driven in almost every day. The most expensive thing I have in there is the sat nav. I have physical maps as well, tissues and various wires in the glove compartment. In the door compartments, I keep cloths for wiping down any condensation and ice scrapers. This is essential as a common problem with Vauxhall Corsas is that leaks can come through from the bottom of the car meaning that condensation / ice is more common on the inside of the car.
13. What do you keep in your car?
My car is actually reasonably tidy in respect of physical things, I hardly ever have rubbish cluttering up the car. It just gets dirty extremely quickly on the inside, however that is because she does get driven in almost every day. The most expensive thing I have in there is the sat nav. I have physical maps as well, tissues and various wires in the glove compartment. In the door compartments, I keep cloths for wiping down any condensation and ice scrapers. This is essential as a common problem with Vauxhall Corsas is that leaks can come through from the bottom of the car meaning that condensation / ice is more common on the inside of the car.
14. Have you ever broke down / had any accidents?
Touch wood, no. I've driven into our hedge before when trying to straighten up after reversing out of the driveway (this was the first time I had ever done this!) and I've also hit the back of the car against a metal bar of a car park, which didn't cause any damage luckily. There was also a time where I hit a massive patch of ice, lost control of the car and scraped the metal tyre rim.. which was very scary as that was the first time I had never been in control of the car. I have had a couple of near misses like every driver, however that was mainly down to other driver's. As a driver you just have to be extremely aware of what's going on around you with other drivers, they can be unpredictable at times!
The first time my mum came in the car with me was when I decided to drive five minutes up the road to our local community centre. I got to the centre successfully, however as we were exiting, a mad man decided to whizz around the corner on the wrong side of the road and almost caused a head-on crash. From then, my mum has been scarred for life and will not willingly go in a car with me... despite this being almost 5 years ago now!
Breaking down is also a no. I got a flat tyre once on my first big drive and my dad had to drive there as well to change the tyre for me as I had nothing with me to change it (apart from the spare tyre in the boot, which I had no idea how to change!). After that, I now have a mini tyre air compressor which I keep in the back of the car! Only last week, I had the terrifying experience of various parts of the middle and back box dropping off from underneath the car when driving back from the city which meant Flo had to go to the garage to get fixed for the very first time. That was a very stressful day in itself for a number of reasons, including that!
In the course of five years, I would say that Flo has actually fared very well, despite being an older car. Everyone has incidents where maintenance and work needs to be done, or near misses mainly due to other drivers. Which is why I am reluctant to change car, she is very sturdy and hasn't broke down once!
15. Who do you go to when you need the car fixed?
My dad! My dad absolutely loves cars, he loves fixing them and doing them up. He loves being in his garage with an old car of some sort, and is always on the hunt for parts. One of his hobbies is fixing up classic cars, doing all of the mechanics himself and selling them at some point. His knowledge is extensive, so whenever there is something wrong with my car, I will always take it to my dad in the first instance and pay him for the parts to fix it. In the five years which I have had her, Flo has only been to the garage once to be fixed and that was literally only a week ago (not including her yearly MOT!)
I hope you enjoyed if you made it this far. Two blog posts within two days is extremely ambitious of me (to be fair, I did draft these out over the past week) so expect the next one to be in around a couple of months time!
So yeah, it's all good...
Amy
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