Help for a friend

The first test you do - organised by the government.
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Mr Cholmondeley-Warner
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Re: Help for a friend

Postby Mr Cholmondeley-Warner » Tue Nov 24, 2015 8:13 pm

Black Cat wrote:I can add my favourite from a student who was great with the handbrake, then one day announced - "I want to learn to use the handbrake less". After my head had stopped banging on the dashboard we established that her dad didn't use the handbrake at all, so she didn't want to either. A long discussion ensued. I fear that if I saw her now (passed first time around) she will not ever be using the handbrake. I could probably have saved a lot of valuable time and breath.

... and clutch lining :roll:
Nick

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dvenman
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Re: Help for a friend

Postby dvenman » Wed Nov 25, 2015 7:01 am

My dad was my role model. He was routinely an 80 mph man. Guess what habit I inherited when I first learnt, and wasn't smart enough to realise I wasn't experienced enough to do it anywhere near safely (and, might I add, he wasn't anywhere near as safe as he should have been).

Quelle surprise my first bingle was 4 days after I passed my test...

sussex2
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Re: Help for a friend

Postby sussex2 » Fri Dec 04, 2015 1:25 pm

'Wider field of vision greater field of fire'
This give you time to think, time to react, and time to make up for your own (many) imperfections.

I could add:

Think about everything you do and do nothing automatically - why am I signalling, why am I changing gear, for what reason?

ps I do sympathise a bit with not using the handbrake; something I have always looked on as weak and ineffective cobbled together bunch of wires and springs.
I appreciate there are more sophisticated variants but for the most part they are IMO pretty crappy devices.

Keithrm
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Location: Northumberland

Re: Help for a friend

Postby Keithrm » Sat Dec 05, 2015 12:22 am

Open your eyes and move your head...a fighter pilot once wrote "if you don't move your head you are dead" sound advice.

TheInsanity1234
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Re: Help for a friend

Postby TheInsanity1234 » Sat Dec 05, 2015 12:29 pm

The irony here is I've got a fair few bad habits, but my parents have never done any of them.
However, my parents have a few bad habits which I haven't inherited.

For instance, I speed quite a lot, but my parents stick to speed limits religiously. My parents both very rarely use main beam at night, but I use it as much as possible without dazzling others. I'm a fairly aggressive driver, but whenever others make mistakes, I'm usually very chilled out, however, my parents are relaxed drivers until others make mistakes, then they'll huff away about what an idiot they are.

The only thing we have in common is signing quite a lot behind the wheel. :oops:

All of my parent's friends are pretty good at driving, so I've got no idea where I get my bad habits from.
However, I've also got no idea why I didn't just copy what my parents do.

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Horse
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Re: Help for a friend

Postby Horse » Sat Dec 05, 2015 2:07 pm

How do you sign while driving? Or is that something we're better off not knowing? ;)
Your 'standard' is how you drive alone, not how you drive during a test.

TheInsanity1234
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Re: Help for a friend

Postby TheInsanity1234 » Mon Dec 07, 2015 11:55 am

Horse wrote:How do you sign while driving? Or is that something we're better off not knowing? ;)

Most of the time, I can happily sign one handed, but at times where 2 hands is required, I've either resorted to knee-steering or wrist steering.
However, the only times I sign whilst driving has been on the motorway, where I can use cruise control and I'm going in a straight line.

Very rare for me to sign in any other scenario.

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superplum
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Re: Help for a friend

Postby superplum » Sun Dec 13, 2015 11:49 am

TheInsanity1234 wrote: but at times where 2 hands is required, I've either resorted to knee-steering or wrist steering.
However, the only times I sign whilst driving has been on the motorway, where I can use cruise control and I'm going in a straight line.


So you sometimes need the need to have both hands off the wheel whilst driving on a motorway - for which signs? Please remind us, how long have you been driving?

:?:

TheInsanity1234
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Re: Help for a friend

Postby TheInsanity1234 » Sun Dec 13, 2015 7:25 pm

superplum wrote:
TheInsanity1234 wrote: but at times where 2 hands is required, I've either resorted to knee-steering or wrist steering.
However, the only times I sign whilst driving has been on the motorway, where I can use cruise control and I'm going in a straight line.


So you sometimes need the need to have both hands off the wheel whilst driving on a motorway - for which signs?

The number of occasions that I've taken both hands off the wheel while driving since I turned 17 can easily be counted on one hand. It's an incredibly rare occurrence. The time spent with hands off the wheel probably is no more than half a second per occasion, and even then, I've got my wrists on top of the wheel, which means I can quickly put my hands back on the wheel. I'll more often than not just resort to finger-spelling the words rather than signing them if they require 2 hands.

sugarplum wrote:Please remind us, how long have you been driving?

:?:

More than a year now, going right back to my 17th birthday, and about 10 months of unsupervised driving on a full licence.

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Horse
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Re: Help for a friend

Postby Horse » Mon Dec 14, 2015 12:14 pm

superplum wrote:
TheInsanity1234 wrote: but at times where 2 hands is required, I've either resorted to knee-steering or wrist steering.


So you sometimes need the need to have both hands off the wheel whilst driving on a motorway - for which signs?



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Your 'standard' is how you drive alone, not how you drive during a test.


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