8 Driving Lessons enough?
 

Sup everyone.

I did my 1st driving lesson last week, and it was pretty fun, but I am concerned that 8 lessons won't be enough.

Now note, I have never driven before or ever sat in the drivers seat...but I still feel that I fumbled too much in my 1st lesson?

I hardly checked my rearview mirror, side mirros...as I was mostly driving around the empty house streets. After the lesson I hated it when I realized this, I hope I start looking at all these things more for my 2nd lesson instead of just staring down the road all the time.

I was struggling in turning when you turn the steering wheel all the way to the left or the right and then turning it back to where it is straight. I was not remembering how far I turned the steering wheel, so I would end up sometimes guessing how much I had to turn the steering wheel in the opposite direction to straight the wheels again.

Throughout the lesson, accelerating made me nervous and I struggled to get a feel of the speed.

The braking started out rough, but then I started to let the car roll and braking way before I got to an intersection instead of breaking when I was closer to it, which I am guessing is the proper way to do it (starting to brake farther away from the intersection?)

Anyway, I don't know if 8 lessons will be enough...luckily the driving school evaluates your performance and extends the amount of lessons if necessary...but I hope by my 4th lesson I am comfortable with this driving stuff...

I also do not have anyone who I can practice with so my fate lies with the driving lessons alone.

How long did it take for you guys to get comfortable?

I am also hoping I don't lose the driving feeling, since my lessons are separated by a minimum of 7 days between sessions.

Re: 8 Driving Lessons enough?
 

I did 3, but by the end of the first one I knew that was too much. It would've been enough with 2 consecutive days before the test.

Re: 8 Driving Lessons enough?
 

I just did one, I took a training for the driving part of the test.


bought a truck 2 1/2 months later and have been driving for 6 months now. Looking forward to October my insurance will go down by $100 dollars lol the steering wheel will naturally reset itself. I guess how many times you have turned it is relevant to when you're parking :\


oh and I took the test while it was raining and the first time I went on the highway was at night.

Re: 8 Driving Lessons enough?
 

Wow you guys are natural. I took 10 lessons, and drove my dad's car 3 days a week for a month before taking the test just to make sure I'll pass.

Re: 8 Driving Lessons enough?
 

Stop lying that three lessons were enough guys. Maybe if you had good previous experience. Haha....

I would say it is hours of experience in different situations instead of lessons-per-number. What I mean is that 2 hours in a residential area with a 25mph speed limit is enough for that part of the test because it is one of the easies sections , while you may require 5 hours to transition between lanes and different roads .

I say 8 lessons @ 1 hour should give you a 'rough draft' and you should be comfortable enough to drive by yourself. This would not guarantee passing the test, even 8 lessons @ 2 hours. But you will be in a good position to 'perfect' the blemishes in your driving like braking smoothly and destroying other bad habits, that are minor. At about 30 to 40 hours you should be fine and ready for the test without failing. The DMV recommends 50 hours.

There are also areas you will find easy while other people struggle with them. Focus on what you consider difficult and practice to fix that. Parallel parking came natural to me while other people spend hours on that, so there is no point in me wasting my time with that. So know yourself... It is excellent you pointed out your mistakes because u will become a better driver like that.

Honestly, the biggest help to me was driving around town impromptu with my instructor. I mean long rides wherever the road took us... Ask for that. And as always your first couple of lessons will be the hardest, if you pass them ok, you will be driving in no time. Give it a month or two.

Btw... I drove without a license because nobody could teach me sometimes. I didn't get in trouble but don't do it. I learned but the risk is too much. Hell I drove myself to the DMV for the permit test without a license... Haha.

7 days without lessons is ok... You will loose skills in a couple of minor lessons learnt but the 'rusty' feeling can certainly be shaken off. Good luck.

Re: 8 Driving Lessons enough?
 

One lesson is enough to learn the basics. The other part is just practicing by yourself in empty lot. Things like looking at your mirrors or checking your blind spots will come natural after more practice.

Re: 8 Driving Lessons enough?
 

I started driving on a Tuesday afternoon and had my license by Friday before 9 since the DMV opened at 8:30a.m. I had never driven a vehicle before that week. By my second hour of driving I was on the highway overtaking cars. The bad part is I still don't have my own car since I have all these costs that come up.

I think your issue is your fear and lack of confidence in your ability and not that driving is hard. Grand Turismo the video game is really a lot harder than the actual car on the road in all seriousness so just be more confident.

Re: 8 Driving Lessons enough?
 

Never drove a car before the driving lessons. I took 3 2hour lessons. For my behind the wheel test I made no mistakes and passed easily. It is not that hard... Sometimes it depends on the person that grades you. Some grade harsh and some dont. Make sure you avoid critical errors (Hitting the curb, Not stopping at stop sign, etc) and you will pass

Re: 8 Driving Lessons enough?
 

Enough to pass the test is much different than enough to be a good driver.

My first day when I got in the car the guy told me to drive without asking me how much I knew. I was going to say something but he was the instructor lol. I did the obvious things people always tell you to do(seatbelt,mirrors,etc) and put it in drive. The first hour I was a bit rough with the gas and break. By the second hour it was decent enough. I asked the guy how many hours of practice he would recommend and he said it depends on the person, but I would be fine with 3 days. The second day I started rough with the gas and break again for the first 10 minutes, which I thought I had down already. The rest was smooth. 3rd day I tried the highway. As long as you relax and remember the things you weren't great at the first time around you'll be fine. I recommend you try pressing the gas while in park gently to see the right pressure, that helped me a lot.

Re: 8 Driving Lessons enough?
 

8 lessons would probably be enough to pass the test, but it will not give you a lot of real life driving experience. It also comes down to individual person, and their confidence. I had 3 months to practice because by law that's how long I had to wait in NJ. If I hadn't had to wait I probably would have been fully comfortable after 20 lessons.

And OP, all that remembering to look in your mirrors, turning, braking, etc all does become second nature! It seems like a lot to think about at first.