Things are on the up

[noodleplugerine]

I think I took about 20 lessons, didnt pass first time for scuffing a curb on parallel park (only got 4 minors as well :\ )

You killed 4 children?  And you wanted to get more?   :?  :P

Brilliant!! Made my day.

[dave_mc]

I was 17 and probably had around 20 lessons?  I also drove the family car everywhere over the 2 or 3 months before my test.

ditto. it's a while ago, i can't remember exactly how many, but it was quite a few.

[_tom_]

Speaking of things on the up, I just got moved in to my new room at uni. In halls again because my mates allready sorted out a house so I had to go for halls again. Still, its a really nice room, double bed and loads of space. I allready knew one of the people here (known him since I was at school and lived with him last year) so its not bad but all the other flatmates seem allright as well. Heres a pic:



jeremy kyle on tv :lol:

[noodleplugerine]

Looks bloody nice to be honest.

Which uni?

[_tom_]

DMU in Leicester, not amazing but apparently its gone up in the rankings in the past year or so cos they're upgrading loads of the stuff, they've just put in an expensive new studio for the recording tech guys and I expect I'll be using it being media production (not to be confused with those media studies layabouts! :P )

Off to my mates' houses soon for an epic pissup so will see what they're living like this year.

[Crazy_Joe]

I passed theory and driving test 1st time at 17. That obviously means nothing though when you ignore speed limits and crash into a telegraph pole less than a year since passing your test :lol:

But is all sorted now and i have a new car etc. and i am obeying the law. :D

[FELINEGUITARS]

Hmmm - living in London meant was used to public transport
Didn't take lessons till I was about 27 but made mistake of trying to book lessons with BSM while there was a soccer world cup on and was surprised why the instructors never turned up :shock:

Changed instructor - took about 20 lessons, took a test twice and failed and passed on the third time with a different test centre.
Apparently the first test centre was notorious for failing people on the slightest thing, whilst the second was more ok..

Learning to drive somewhere like Streatham is really a trial by fire and it has gotten worse I hear.

Living back in London I found that having a car was a stupid expense as I rarely used it but it cost a fortune to insure , tax and keep roadworthy, so even though I was given a beat up car from a friend I got rid of it as it just wasn't worth it.

However living in the sticks a car is essential to any kind of independent life, so I can appreciate the youngsters in those areas gagging for a license

[Will]

However living in the sticks a car is essential to any kind of independent life, so I can appreciate the youngsters in those areas gagging for a license

Thats explains my situation, bus stop is 2 miles away, hourly service that is rarely on time, and 50% of the time turns up.
Apparently, if I had actually hassled Arriva I would have got a few free journeys

[38thBeatle]

I passed my test at 17 first time. I seem to recall the instructer tellingme that roughly speaking, you would need one lesson for each year of your life and that was spot on for me.

[Philly Q]

Learning to drive somewhere like Streatham is really a trial by fire and it has gotten worse I hear.

Bugger, that's me stuffed then, as I live in that very same little corner of Paradise here on Earth.  I'd better not bother until I move to the sticks... should that ever happen.

I seem to recall the instructer telling me that roughly speaking, you would need one lesson for each year of your life and that was spot on for me.

Double bugger, I haven't got that kind of money.   :(

[FernandoDuarte]

Well I thought only in Brazil the driver's license examiners are butthead... :D
Mine was very fine I did the "parking" test so cool that I've used only 1 hand... then my mother didn't give me the car for more than 6 months, so I forgot how to parking... Now I've a car for almost 1 year and now "50%" how to park :lol: Hum I was a decent driver when I didn't have a car, used to drive cool and easy, now I don't have ANY patience to drive and run a little bit... Not that much because it's a Ford Ka 1.0l engine
I've to do some classes again, but you know............ I should buy a motorcycle...

[ToneMonkey]

I didn't take that many lessons, but I failed a few tests.  The first test I deserved to fail as I was speeding through some road works.  The rest however were complete BS.  At one time I was doing a 3 point turn and a van came round the corner towards me.  As the van mounted the path to get round me (obviously couldn't be bothered to wait the extra 10 seconds) I reversed to give him more room.  I failed as apparently I should have sat there with my handbrake on rather than making sure that he had enough room so he wasn't driving on the footpath.

Didn't take car lessons until I was about 22 or 23 as I had a motorbike before then (but only for a year or so).

Tom - That's a mightly clean room for a student.  Are you in the big newish blocks of flats?  I think I might have done the electric for them.

[_tom_]

Yeah I like to keep my room clean-ish because it just means theres more shite to get rid of when we have to move out again :P yeah I'm in the newish ones, Newarke Point which are about a 2 minute walk from the main campus :)

[Kilby]

I managed to pass 1st time, though I did have a shed load of lessons (35 or so) cos I had no access to a car apart from the lessons, plus I was an rather elderly 29 at the time.

Funny enough after the examiner told me that I had passed, he also sulked as I had (in his view) failed on of his questions regarding the highway code (I checked afterwards and otehr drivers flashing headlight wasn't mentioned) but that he couldn't fail me becasue of it.

Happily he had already signed me as a pass when I informed him that my 1st child was due to be born that day so I had been hald expecting the pager on my belt (yeah it was that long ago) to go off, calling me to the hospital, so I wasn't really that worried either way.

He sulked further and said that I should have canceled the test

By that time I had the paperwork in my hand and suggested that I must be a decent driver cos I was able to pass under stressful conditions.

Needless to say the examiner looked like a dog that had swallowed a wasp..

Rob...

As it was a cold day my daughter decided not to turn up for a further 6 days

[PhilKing]

I passed my motorbike test at 17 with no lessons (does anyone take lessons for a motorbike?).  I had been riding since 13, me and my dad had built a Bultaco 250 trails bike, and my friend's father had a garage where we had a BSA Bantam to mess around on.  I took about 6 lessons in a car at 21 and passed first time.  I got away without having to do an emergency stop because my test was around 4:00PM as the schools were getting out, and a kid ran out between parked cars in front of me so I had to stop for that!  However, I did have a Reliant van for about a year before that, so I had been driving a car around on my bike license (3 wheelers still count as bikes, though you aren't supposed to use reverse!!).  When I was 26 I moved to New York and had to take a test there.  The first time I drove in the States was in my first new car ever - a 1981 Pontiac Firebird (the old long nose model), and it was the first automatic I had ever driven and I had to drive from New Jersey into New York City.  It was interesting!!  Now I regularly swap between driving in the US and UK, and only have to think about what side of the road I am meant to be on occasionally!