New driver comments/questions - smooth driving
Discussion
Same advice as is given to people falling into deep water. Give yourself a second or two to think before doing anything.
Just slow it down and stay calm. Most new/nervous drivers make things worse by trying to react too fast. Chill, and enjoy the driving experience. Don't ever feel pressured into doing something faster than you're comfortable with.
Do it slowly and right at first till it becomes instinctive then you'll start to speed up and flow naturally. One day you'll just suddenly notice you're driving like a god and doing everything perfectly, it's one of the best feelings ever, but don't try to rush it.
Just slow it down and stay calm. Most new/nervous drivers make things worse by trying to react too fast. Chill, and enjoy the driving experience. Don't ever feel pressured into doing something faster than you're comfortable with.
Do it slowly and right at first till it becomes instinctive then you'll start to speed up and flow naturally. One day you'll just suddenly notice you're driving like a god and doing everything perfectly, it's one of the best feelings ever, but don't try to rush it.
Vanordinaire said:
One day you'll just suddenly notice you're driving like a god and doing everything perfectly, it's one of the best feelings ever, but don't try to rush it.
Without additional training this will never happen, though he might *think* it has. Years of doing something badly doesn't make you an expert. OP. Get booked on a RoSPA or IAM course of you want your driving to improve.
Pica-Pica said:
Be aware that the latest speedometers are actually quite accurate, perhaps displaying only one or two mph over the true road speed (they are not allowed to read under, of course)
I've had a car which clearly added a margin to the (digital) speed display - the number on the dash did not match the number reported on the OBD scanner!
TwigtheWonderkid said:
The fact that you realise your limitations probably makes you one of the safest drivers.
Being a safe driver has nothing to do with how good a driver you are, but it's about how good you are compared to how good you think you are.
Loads of people are a 6 or 7 but think they are a 9 or 10. They are the ones who will crash. You are probably a 2 and know you're a 2. On that basis, I'd rather be a passenger with you than with them.
I totally agree .. I already see drivers going for gaps and overtaking manoeuvres aggressively and then having to brake hard. Also, this reply made my day, so thanks for that!Being a safe driver has nothing to do with how good a driver you are, but it's about how good you are compared to how good you think you are.
Loads of people are a 6 or 7 but think they are a 9 or 10. They are the ones who will crash. You are probably a 2 and know you're a 2. On that basis, I'd rather be a passenger with you than with them.
foxbody-87 said:
roadsmash said:
Got to love PH.
OP “I’ve just passed my test.”
PH “don’t worry about the speedo it’s always wrong.”
OP “I’ve just passed my test.”
PH “don’t worry about the speedo it’s always wrong.”
Easy to say with 12 points to play with, OP only has 6 and an extended retest to contend with
carinaman said:
I'd second that, though I did IAM about 5 years after passing my test. I think the OP would gain quite a bit more from a two hour session of assessment and instruction than hours of online posts though I've learnt something useful from this thread.
I'm definitely considering some advanced lessons. I think the standard test needs to be improved. At the very very least, to include both motorway and night driving. I think they're adding the first of those soon though.Vanordinaire said:
Same advice as is given to people falling into deep water. Give yourself a second or two to think before doing anything.
Just slow it down and stay calm. Most new/nervous drivers make things worse by trying to react too fast. Chill, and enjoy the driving experience. Don't ever feel pressured into doing something faster than you're comfortable with.
Do it slowly and right at first till it becomes instinctive then you'll start to speed up and flow naturally. One day you'll just suddenly notice you're driving like a god and doing everything perfectly, it's one of the best feelings ever, but don't try to rush it.
Good advice this ... I've tried to mostly ignore (or get out of the way - safely) of aggressive drivers, tailgaters etc. Obviously you can't completely ignore someone that's 2 feet from your back bumper at 70mph, but what I mean is I'm not prepared to compromise my driving and safety of myself and others so one **** can get one car ahead and to work that tiny bit faster.Just slow it down and stay calm. Most new/nervous drivers make things worse by trying to react too fast. Chill, and enjoy the driving experience. Don't ever feel pressured into doing something faster than you're comfortable with.
Do it slowly and right at first till it becomes instinctive then you'll start to speed up and flow naturally. One day you'll just suddenly notice you're driving like a god and doing everything perfectly, it's one of the best feelings ever, but don't try to rush it.
Smooth driving, to me, is about maintaining momentum.
If the light ahead has gone green, ease of the throttle so that you slow down as the cars pulling away start speeding up. This will also help save fuel too.
Always be looking further down the road, so be looking at the lights 500yrds down the road. What's the traffic level, are there pedestrians, are they about to press the button etc etc.
The same can be said for motorway driving too. If you see a lorry close behind another, move from L1 to L2 early and be prepared to move into L3 (Monitor L3 during this time) Then move back into L1.
The single biggest thing is practice, and admitting your mistakes. Everyone will get something wrong from time to time, pull out on a car going faster than expected, be in the wrong lane etc.
If you're in the wrong lane, don't stop and indicate and cause absolute chaos, just follow the flow of the lane you're in, turn around at a better point, whether it's a side road, junction or other roundabout and go back to where you started.
If you pull out infront of a car, always try to accelerate up to speed so that the car behind doesn't have to slow or alter course.
These will make you a generally smoother, better driver, on the roads.
I still do this now, recently on the motorway home from S
horpe I took a wrong motorway junction and ended up going 20 miles out of my way. a royal pita, yeah, but safer and less time consuming than being in an accident.
If the light ahead has gone green, ease of the throttle so that you slow down as the cars pulling away start speeding up. This will also help save fuel too.
Always be looking further down the road, so be looking at the lights 500yrds down the road. What's the traffic level, are there pedestrians, are they about to press the button etc etc.
The same can be said for motorway driving too. If you see a lorry close behind another, move from L1 to L2 early and be prepared to move into L3 (Monitor L3 during this time) Then move back into L1.
The single biggest thing is practice, and admitting your mistakes. Everyone will get something wrong from time to time, pull out on a car going faster than expected, be in the wrong lane etc.
If you're in the wrong lane, don't stop and indicate and cause absolute chaos, just follow the flow of the lane you're in, turn around at a better point, whether it's a side road, junction or other roundabout and go back to where you started.
If you pull out infront of a car, always try to accelerate up to speed so that the car behind doesn't have to slow or alter course.
These will make you a generally smoother, better driver, on the roads.
I still do this now, recently on the motorway home from S
horpe I took a wrong motorway junction and ended up going 20 miles out of my way. a royal pita, yeah, but safer and less time consuming than being in an accident. Blanchimont said:
I still do this now, recently on the motorway home from Shorpe I took a wrong motorway junction and ended up going 20 miles out of my way. a royal pita, yeah, but safer and less time consuming than being in an accident.
Just reverse down the slip road, it's what all the kids are doing nowadays.horpe I took a wrong motorway junction and ended up going 20 miles out of my way. a royal pita, yeah, but safer and less time consuming than being in an accident. For Op, simply as a matter of interest, given your advanced years, have you gone with a regular, or a black box policy?
Haltamer said:
For Op, simply as a matter of interest, given your advanced years, have you gone with a regular, or a black box policy?
Insurance policy I guess you mean? I took a regular policy, its a 10month policy to gain 1yr NCB. Elephant are the provider. It was £830 but I was expecting a lot because a) new driver b) live in high crime area c) I have a dvla "notifiable" medical condition.TBH after 37 years of having to listen to people moan about how much their cars cost them (all the while just being jealous that they owned and could drive a car) ... I was pretty well conditioned for being "stung"!
EDIT: I'm actually really quite conscious of my "data" in todays information climate. I'd be quite uneasy with a block box recoding my journeys.
Edited by markyb_lcy on Tuesday 12th February 14:19
Blanchimont said:
Smooth driving, to me, is about maintaining momentum.
If the light ahead has gone green, ease of the throttle so that you slow down as the cars pulling away start speeding up. This will also help save fuel too.
Always be looking further down the road, so be looking at the lights 500yrds down the road. What's the traffic level, are there pedestrians, are they about to press the button etc etc.
The same can be said for motorway driving too. If you see a lorry close behind another, move from L1 to L2 early and be prepared to move into L3 (Monitor L3 during this time) Then move back into L1.
The single biggest thing is practice, and admitting your mistakes. Everyone will get something wrong from time to time, pull out on a car going faster than expected, be in the wrong lane etc.
If you're in the wrong lane, don't stop and indicate and cause absolute chaos, just follow the flow of the lane you're in, turn around at a better point, whether it's a side road, junction or other roundabout and go back to where you started.
If you pull out infront of a car, always try to accelerate up to speed so that the car behind doesn't have to slow or alter course.
These will make you a generally smoother, better driver, on the roads.
I still do this now, recently on the motorway home from Shorpe I took a wrong motorway junction and ended up going 20 miles out of my way. a royal pita, yeah, but safer and less time consuming than being in an accident.
These are great points ... I've already had a few wrong-lane situations where i've slowed down and tried to move over. And then regretted it ... especially after then realising both my "wrong" lane and the one I'm jumping in to can both be used for the exit I want! Seems these things get more 2nd-nature with experience, cos everyone knows where they need to be, and where I do, it seems If the light ahead has gone green, ease of the throttle so that you slow down as the cars pulling away start speeding up. This will also help save fuel too.
Always be looking further down the road, so be looking at the lights 500yrds down the road. What's the traffic level, are there pedestrians, are they about to press the button etc etc.
The same can be said for motorway driving too. If you see a lorry close behind another, move from L1 to L2 early and be prepared to move into L3 (Monitor L3 during this time) Then move back into L1.
The single biggest thing is practice, and admitting your mistakes. Everyone will get something wrong from time to time, pull out on a car going faster than expected, be in the wrong lane etc.
If you're in the wrong lane, don't stop and indicate and cause absolute chaos, just follow the flow of the lane you're in, turn around at a better point, whether it's a side road, junction or other roundabout and go back to where you started.
If you pull out infront of a car, always try to accelerate up to speed so that the car behind doesn't have to slow or alter course.
These will make you a generally smoother, better driver, on the roads.
I still do this now, recently on the motorway home from S
horpe I took a wrong motorway junction and ended up going 20 miles out of my way. a royal pita, yeah, but safer and less time consuming than being in an accident. 
BOBTEE said:
You've learned to pass your test, now you have to learn to actually drive!
Just keep getting the miles under your belt and it'll all click into place, before long you'll be eating snacks and fiddling with the radio, the driving will become second nature.
Yes exactly that line was told to me when I passed....Just keep getting the miles under your belt and it'll all click into place, before long you'll be eating snacks and fiddling with the radio, the driving will become second nature.
Just relax, remember you control the speed of your car not the people behind or around you.
Generally, even though people look like they eager to get passed or pull out, they're in their own little worlds.
Take your time, enjoy driving at your own pace and find the pace the car is comfortable at too.
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