First Time Driving

[CDoherty95]

Hey y'all.

I just got in from driving around my local parking lot,which is where I've been practicing driving for the past couple of weeks (In Ireland we're not allowed drive until we're 17). Every time I get behind the wheel, I'm fighting the urge to floor the gas and do a few skids and handbrake turns. My first driving experience was just that. I was driving my dads 2 liter turbo volvo on a beach over the summer,and when I tapped the gas the wheels spun and the car started fish tailing,and turning the wheel resulted in sliding.

So my question to y'all is "What was your first time driving like?" and did watching the Dukes have an effect on how you drive?

Hopefully there'll be some interesting posts

[HossC]

My first time driving was when I was about 13 or 14. It was in my uncle's old Land Rover in a field behind his house. It was old enough that you had to engage four-wheel-drive by twisting a nut on the front hubs with a spanner!. I can't say there was anything very Dukes about it.

I have driven a beach a few times, back when I had a 2 liter rear-wheel-drive car. That was far more Duke-like. I had great fun drifting around with big rooster tails of sand flying out the back. The few onlookers were looking at me wondering what I was doing, but I figured that there aren't many places you can do that without hitting something or someone, or damaging your tires. Due to the safe environment I also gave someone their first driving experience on a beach.

[RogerDuke]

Every time I get behind the wheel, I'm fighting the urge to floor the gas and do a few skids and handbrake turns. did watching the Dukes have an effect on how you drive?

I have to admit you're scaring me a little bit here. I'm sure you know this but I feel compelled to say it anyways since my cousin (who was also my best friend) was killed when he was 16 going too fast on a curve in a Chevy Nova. The Dukes of Hazzard had trained professional drivers. The stunts they did were on closed coarses and not public roads. Do not....I repeat DO NOT try to do things you have seen on the Dukes of Hazzard no matter how many urges you get.

Millions and millions of people have watched the Dukes of Hazzard through the decades and were not effected by the show when they hit the road. Please join the ranks of all those responsible drivers and seperate fantasy from reality. We want you on the HazzardNet for the next 80 years and I'm sure your family and friends want you around that long too. My cousin's death was before the Dukes came out in 1979. That's a long time ago but it's still being felt today by a lot of people who loved him. In fact his birthday's coming up, Dec 22.

Please be careful. I'm only saying all this because I care about you. (Not only that but I do like to yell at folks around here like Uncle Jesse yelled at Bo and Duke)...that's only because I care.

Keep us updated on your progress.

[HossC]

Roger, I'm sorry about your cousin. Let me be clear, I'm not advocating any risk-taking or breaking any laws. Both of the events that I described took place off of the public highway. Beach driving can be great fun as long as stay clear of other people and act responsibly. I doubt if I went any faster than 20 mph. That's the point - you can slide on sand at a very low speed and pretend you're driving much faster. With sand you can never be sure how solid it is, so if you drive fast you run a risk of your wheels digging in and your vehicle rolling over.

To sum up: have fun, but stay sensible and legal.

[RogerDuke]

LOL I wasn't even thinking about you when I posted my Uncle Jesse rant Hoss. You're an old-timer like me compared to CDoherty and I'm not worried about you getting carried away on the road. I also wasn't insinuating that you were promoting crazy driving. What you did was in a relatively safe environment with little or no chance of SERIOUS injury. I'm fine with that. Kids (and old kids like us) need to have fun. I still own a dirt bike (Yahama TW-200) and, even at 50+ I still like to get crazy on occasion. But "crazy" is a relative term. I'm always concerned about kids just learning how to drive because of fast speeds on public highways. Speed can be addicting. When a curve is no longer a thrill to take at 50 mph, kids will drive 60 and then 70 until they're dead like my cousin Bobby.

But, back to the question.

When I was a teenager, my grandmother surprised me on an isolated country road and pulled her copper colored Chevy Malibu (I think it was a Malibu) over and said I could drive. It happened so fast I didn't even have time to be nervous. I drove about a half mile with no curves and I'll never forget it. I still think about that experience occasionally when I go down that stretch of road which isn't too far from my house. Grandma mourned Bobby up until the day she died and so will I. Be careful CDougherty and please don't give in to those urges you mentioned.

[MaryAnne]

When I was learning to drive, I first started learning a little by driving in empty parking lots with my mom. Unfortunately, she was too nervous about letting me drive on the road, so when I took driver ed and it came to my first time driving a car on a public road...

...it was in a snow storm. Heh! I gotta say tho', it is the BEST way to learn to drive a car. Because you really learn to pay attention to the car itself, the way the vehicle's weight shifts when you turn, when you're going through snow, how to keep it from sliding, the effect speed has on whether the vehicle slides, how to steer to counter a slide (and not over steer), work the brake, ect...

The other thing my instructor did that was beneficial was have me drive in an empty parking lot (in good weather, dry pavement) and go around in a tight circle, (not a sliding turn but the car would lean pretty good) and do figure 8s. Again, it taught me to pay attention to the car, the steering, how far to turn the wheel, when to let go of the wheel and let it straighten on it's own, the weight shift, ect.

As for any Dukes influence...well this was in between the original run and the return to TNN (there I go showin' my age again LOL). I dunno if all those car shows I watched as a kid in the 80s mighta had an effect, but I will say I would love to take my car to a big empty parking lot and do some tight turns and make the back side fish tail - just for the hell of it. LOL. I have yet to do that tho'.

Anyway, like Roger said be careful. But also have fun. If you get the chance, I also recommend learning to drive a stick shift (if you're not already learning that). Knowing both is handy.

[TRPColtrane95]

well I learn from my dad when I did little drive with my dad in his green ford ranger truck first time to high school before graduation. I was 18 or 16 year old senior year then drive class first time myself to use from few days I did. then later I get first car 1991 honda civic buy from my parent. now I had 2005 blue ford focus so long time drive but first time little nervous when snow coming las time when I had first car oh boy in winter. I never had trouble with police or ticket for long time wow oh well.. seem I am good driver myself lol.. that why be carefully follow law for drive on speed and etc.

[CNH-320]

I can't say that watching Dukes has influenced me wanting to drive like that. But doing an advanced driving course can help people to understand & drive according to the road conditions. In over 10 years of driving legally & being in the motor industry for a similar amount of time. I can admit have only had one accident, my car, dirt road slowing for a corner & rear tyre just nudged the edge embankment (less than 1ft high) loaded four wheel drive, doing less than 35klm (22 miles) resulted in a twice roll over back onto it's wheels no injuries to any passengers & I wasn't driving recklessly, but later found out the stretch of road was notorious for 4wd fatalities.

The point I'm trying to make is only driving 'dangerously' or 'recklessly' in controlled environments.

Sorry to hear about your cousin Roger.

Brad

[HossC]

As CDoherty said, the driving age here (and in Britain) is 17. I passed my test long enough ago that I didn't need to take a theory test. There was no requirement to have official lessons, and the Highway Code was covered in a few questions at the end of the practical test. Ireland has recently brought in a law saying you have to have a certain number of hours of driving instruction before you can take a test.

Back when I passed my test you were automatically allowed to drive vehicles up to 7.5 tons (reasonably big box van). Now you have to pass an extra test for these.

Since my last post I have remembered another of my early driving experiences. With limited driving time behind me, my father thought it would be a good idea to let me drive from north-west to south London during Friday night rush-hour. I can't say that I enjoyed the drive, but it was an invaluable experience.

I don't know what restrictions are placed on learner drivers in the US, but over here you are not allowed on a motorway until you've passed your test. Luckily I had plenty of experience driving on three lane dual carriageways, which are vitually identical to motorways, before I took my test. A school friend of mine passed his test before me, but didn't have nearly as much experience as me, so I found myself giving him advice when he first went out driving.

I would agree with MaryAnne with regard to learning to drive stick (or manual as it's known here). When you can drive stick, you can drive anything. Added to that, cars with auto transmissions use 10-15% more gas, so you'll save money as well. Auto cars are in a very definite minority over here, so it's even more important. I actually got the hang of clutch control on my grandparents' gently sloping driveway. I would drive up the slope, then let the car roll back down before finding the biting point to pull me back up again.

[CDoherty95]

As Hoss said,Ireland has recently introduced a load of new laws for learner drivers.

Now I've got to have 10 1 hour driving lessons with a proper instructor. And I've also got to have my learners license for 6 months before I can have my full license. And while I have my learner license I need to have someone with a full license in the car with me.

[HossC]

That reminds me; when I first came to Ireland there were huge waiting times to get a driving test - I think up to a year in some places. The Irish government's solution was to let learner drivers take to the road without a qualified driver. Because there was no urgency to pass a test, some drivers drove around for years without feeling the need to get their full driving license. Over the last few years the government has increased the number of driving examiners, and brought this situation to an end.

[lost_sheep3]

I don't remember my first time driving, exactly. However, I did start driving up and down our country dirt road (it wasn't officially a town road at that point) starting at about 14. My parents would let me drive to the county highway at the top of the road, then take over - not very far at a crack (maybe the equivalent of 2 city blocks) but still memorable.

While I don't go out and try to mimic the moves seen on DOH, there have been a few times I've been grateful for watching DOH, because it meant that when something happened, I handled it and didn't freak out.

The one time that comes to mind was when I was coming up to a T-intersection and hit a patch of black ice right before the stop sign, my car was going right through the intersection and heading for a ditch and phone pole, but I was able to steer out of it and get traction under my wheels again. Luckily it was early morning on a country road and there was no other traffic.