Learner Drivers - Treated Like Crap?

Nightwish

At the moment I'm learning to drive and I'm starting from scratch by taking lessons every week without fail with an excellent instructor. Last week I took the plunge and began driving on my own to and from work which is about 1.5 miles from my house. Now I know I make mistakes like putting the car into the wrong gear, cutting out at the roundabout or a bit slow taking off, but why is it that other motorists treat me like crap? I am practising every day and I'm making less and less mistakes but when I get other motorists beeping at me for cutting out the car at a junction, it really rattles my confidence, which is where my problem lies - I'm petrified of driving. Do any other learner drivers experience beeping, hand gestures and angry looks from other motorists?

kaimera

Yes, yes they are.

Fact of life really, people forget that they were learners themselves at one stage.

cazzy

People arent supposed to use a horn at L drivers. Its cases them to become more anxious and could cause an accident.
Someone did it at me during a driving lesson in an offical school car and the instructor said he has got out of the car in the past an given those beepers an earfull as what they did was illegal!
Its cause drvers in Ireland are ignorent and forget what it was like to learn to drive even though everyone had to learn.
Dont let them casue you to come out at a junction quicker. Take your time and ignore them. Its them that has the poblem not you.

Gauge

My mother has a friend who drives a Punto. Her son is now learning to drive in it so she put L Plates up. She can't believe how other drivers act around her on the road now, dangerous overtaking and blaring their horns at her all the time!

I can't wait til my L Plates are gone. I'm sick of having horns blasted at me if I linger at a green light for more than .0005 of a second.

cson

Throw a baseball bat in the back seat (preferably covered with barbed wire). Next time someone beeps the horn at you unneccessarily, neutral + handbrake + hazards, get out of the car, get the bat, go over to the offender and ask them wtf their problem is.

IrishPhoenix

OP - I totally feel for you. Just started from scratch myself and am in the same boat as you. I'm also getting lessons every week but as you know, need to practice as well. I have a licensed driver in the passenger seat beside me and I don't drive dangerously. I'm slower starting off from roundabouts and junctions because I don't want to stall or cause an accident.

And yet the other drivers act like jerks.:mad:

You have my utmost sympathies.

Wishbone Ash

Nightwish wrote: »

Last week I took the plunge and began driving on my own

Are you legally required to be accompanied?

Wertz

Ah good old L plate hate. I just give them the fingers.

Hagar

There used to be a respect and an amount of tolerance to L-plated cars. That was in the good old days when only learners used them. Nowadays they are just a camouflage for un-qualified drivers as distinct from learner drivers and the motoring public can't tell them apart so it treats all L-plated cars as non-learners.

Wertz

It's funny because I treat all BMW and SUV drivers with a similar disdain.

parliament

cazzy wrote: »

People arent supposed to use a horn at L drivers. Its cases them to become more anxious and could cause an accident.
Someone did it at me during a driving lesson in an offical school car and the instructor said he has got out of the car in the past an given those beepers an earfull as what they did was illegal!
Its cause drvers in Ireland are ignorent and forget what it was like to learn to drive even though everyone had to learn.
Dont let them casue you to come out at a junction quicker. Take your time and ignore them. Its them that has the poblem not you.

I'm sure most people have a bit of patience for learner drivers in school cars because it is quite evident that they are learning to drive. You can't expect everybody to give way and not get annoyed at a car just because they have L plates attached. Whos to say the driver isn't on their 2nd or 3rd provisional license, at that stage they are expected to know how to drive so its seems a bit crazy that you cant beep at them. If I see a learner plate and a single occupant car and they do something stupid I will beep them, sure if they get rattled they shouldn't be driving alone.

cazzy

Well it used to be against the ROTR - dont know if it still is
A driver is not supposed to use a horn between certain hours, near animals and at a L driver. Animals and L drivers can panic and act unpredictable.
Obviously if they were about to cause an accident you'd have to beep at them but beeping cause they are just slow or stalling is ignorent.

Nightwish

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Are you legally required to be accompanied?

I'm on my second privisional at the moment. In a previous thread I explained how I got my first provisional at 18 and got a few lessons but my instructor died about an hour after one of my lessons and I was freaked. I was always nervous so I foolishly put off learning to drive until now.

mikemac

Ah bad memories.
I have my full licence but my younger brothers and sisters don't so anytime I'm in the family car the L plates are up.

I think it's far worse in Dublin, people are more agressive.
If I was a top of a queue and the lights changed I'd be getting beeped if I didn't move with the reaction speed of Fernando Alonso.
And I've have people undertaking me at lights :eek:

In short, having L plates means a lot of disrespect coming your way.

Now I drive a motorcycle and I treat all car drivers equally......with contempt:cool:

Wishbone Ash

parliament wrote: »

at that stage they are expected to know how to drive so its seems a bit crazy that you cant beep at them

What does sounding your horn achieve?

I can understand someone doing it if a vehicle suddenly changes lane although personally I think if a driver has time to lean on the horn then it can't have been that close.

I don't think I've used the horn in anger this year yet and I do a fair bit of driving in different vehicles but maybe I'm more patient than the average motorist.

I'm always puzzled at those morons who blow when the driver in front has allowed the engine to stall! Do they think that their horn will assist with the restart? :rolleyes:

parliament wrote:

If I see a learner plate and a single occupant car and they do something stupid I will beep them

And again, what does that achieve? Are you some sort of Dirty Harry who is out there to clean up the streets?

Wishbone Ash

Nightwish wrote: »

I'm on my second privisional at the moment. In a previous thread I explained how I got my first provisional at 18 and got a few lessons but my instructor died about an hour after one of my lessons and I was freaked. I was always nervous so I foolishly put off learning to drive until now.

Fair enough. Good luck with it.

(At least I asked rather than make the accusations first like many do ! )

Tails142

No - I'm sorry, I have NO sympathy for L-drivers out on public roads.

When I was learning to drive my father took me to an industrial estate at night where there was no traffic and that was where I learned to 'master' :rolleyes: the clutch.

I am sick to death of idiots who cant drive causing me untold delay - particularily in my housing estate; where all the local roads are clogged with morons pootling along at 15 miles an hour, reversing around corners and generally being a complete nuisance while the residents just have to accept being inconvenienced.

I remember one time I was stuck behind a Churchtown School of Motoring car that sat in the middle of a T-junction for 3 minutes - WITH NO TRAFFIC IN ANY DIRECTION EXCEPT FOR ME BEHIND, I eventually resorted to blowing the horn, and then after still no more movement, I had to resort to driving on the wrong side of the road to get around to go the extra 15 metres to my driveway. I felt like punching the instructor in the face. Sure maybe its just me being impatient, but when this **** happens on a daily basis it wears you down.

There are regularly huge tailbacks on the T juntions out of my estate which lead onto a semi-busy main road, maybe 7 or 8 cars, all because there is some idiot who shouldnt be out on the roads at the front, who wont pull out until there is a 2 minute gap in the traffic. It makes me want to scream sometimes.

Hopefully they will put ramps in my estate soon which will deter these driving schools. If you dont yet have the driving skill to travel at the correct speed or drive without stalling at every junction piss off to an industrial esate at night or large carpark somewhere. Stop inconveniencing all of us drivers that are just trying to commute with as little delay as possible!!! :mad:

Nightwish

Wishbone Ash wrote:

Fair enough. Good luck with it.
(At least I asked rather than make the accusations first like many do ! )

Thanks! I'm kinda feeling a bit better that its not only me who gets beeped, and the fingers, but its really pathetic that people would do that. It happened me once in the driving school car but now I'm taking lessons in my own car, so it happens a lot more.

@Tails142 I'm glad you were able to learn in an industrial estate, but there is no such place in my town to do that. You're also blessed with being able to drive relatively quickly, but some of us aren't. I dont go around housing estates either when I'm doing lessons. I am simply driving to and from work, which is mainly across a ring road where there are 4 very busy roundabouts.

Tails142

I dont go around housing estates either when I'm doing lessons. I am simply driving to and from work, which is mainly across a ring road where there are 4 very busy roundabouts.

Yeah that sounds like the perfect place to learn to drive :rolleyes: The industrial estate I learned to drive in was 20 minutes drive away - hardly nearby but suited the purpose. I dont know where you live but I'm sure you could find somewhere more suitable to get in your practice - at the end of the day you're only stressing yourself and everyone else around you out.

Wishbone Ash

Tails142 wrote: »

If you dont yet have the driving skill to travel at the correct speed or drive without stalling at every junction piss off to an industrial esate at night or large carpark somewhere

If you don't have the proper mentality for driving on a public road you should seek alternative methods of transport.

Tails142 wrote:

Stop inconveniencing all of us drivers that are just trying to commute with as little delay as possible!!! :mad:

Oh the irony! Does it not occur to you that it is "all of us drivers trying to commute" that is the main cause of your delay. :rolleyes:

Nightwish

Well last week a person who beeped me for being slow taking off at a roundabout, made me panic and I cut out the car. If he hadn't beeped he wouldnt have spent an extra 10 seconds behind me.

@Tails142 as I said there is NOWHERE in my town do drive around. The industrial estate is locked from 7pm and the only other carpark is full of boy racers doing doughnuts. I think in order to learn to use the ring road, the only way is by form of practise - which I do 5 days a week. Its not as if I cut out/stall the car every day, just 3 times on 10 journeys. If anyone wants to get past me, there is plenty of room for overtaking too.

chris85

If you are cutting out regularly you obviously should not be on the road, you aint good enough to be out on your own and this is why the new rules bout learners came in.

You may say as well that you are cutting out due to panicing when other motorists get angry. The reason why people panic is that they dont feel in control of the car so when something goes wrong they dont know what to do. This will stop when you get experience (with an experienced driver)

You need to just relax with the driving and just get practice with experienced driver, this will solve your problem of cutting out and just general progression.

Honestly if you cant find the gear you are meant to be in then get more lessons and wait to you are ready.

I will get slack for this but the reason for the new rules is that people have an experienced person with them who can point out what they are doing wrong. How can a learner driver improve if they dont know what they are doing wrong.

Nightwish

The panicking only sets in when people are beeping at me. In the evenings when there is significantly less traffic, I am perfectly fine. No-one gives me any hassle and I dont make any of those silly mistakes.

chris85

Nightwish wrote: »

The panicking only sets in when people are beeping at me. In the evenings when there is significantly less traffic, I am perfectly fine. No-one gives me any hassle and I dont make any of those silly mistakes.

I know were you are coming from but you gotta be able to drive without panicing in any situation.

Driving is all about reacting so if you are panicing and not doing things correctly when people beep, then what happens when a car swerves in front of you or someone jumps out in front of you??

Im just saying that you may need bit more time practising so you will be good enough to deal with any situation.

DonJose

Nightwish wrote: »

At the moment I'm learning to drive and I'm starting from scratch by taking lessons every week without fail with an excellent instructor. Last week I took the plunge and began driving on my own to and from work which is about 1.5 miles from my house. Now I know I make mistakes like putting the car into the wrong gear, cutting out at the roundabout or a bit slow taking off, but why is it that other motorists treat me like crap? I am practising every day and I'm making less and less mistakes but when I get other motorists beeping at me for cutting out the car at a junction, it really rattles my confidence, which is where my problem lies - I'm petrified of driving. Do any other learner drivers experience beeping, hand gestures and angry looks from other motorists?

Surely the accompanying driver is giving you tips and correcting your mistakes.

Wishbone Ash

DonJose wrote: »

Surely the accompanying driver is giving you tips and correcting your mistakes.

It may be an idea to read through the thread first! :rolleyes:

Gauge

This thread parallels the real life experiences of a learner driver in a strange way!

DonJose

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

It may be an idea to read through the thread first! :rolleyes:

Well from the first post it sounded like the driver was driving a few weeks, not on his 2nd provisional. Just shows how fecked the system is that the OP is allowed drive on his own after his own admissions.

I've been behind some muppet L drivers at the Newland Cross and the idiots car cuts out then the lights turn red, great another 5 minute wait for the lights to turn green.

Nightwish

"Him" is in fact a "her".

I can drive - I just make minor mistakes and can be slow to take off. I've seen people with full licences stall cars, or put the car into the wrong gear. I just feel that other motorists are extremely rude. My housemate has noticed since she took down her L-plates that she doesnt get the same level of aggression from other motorists.

Wishbone Ash

Nightwish wrote: »

My housemate has noticed since she took down her L-plates that she doesnt get the same level of aggression from other motorists.

The funny thing about those people who sound the horn at learners is that they are usually people who have passed a category B test only yet they think that they are God's gift on the roads.

When I was doing lessons in a motorcycle, rigid truck, articulated truck and the bus no one ever blew their horn at me even though I made the odd mistake.

The next time a male beeps at you (it's usually males) just think that they must have a tiny penis and are trying to make up for it by displaying their prowess in the car.

TwoShedsJackson

It's not illegal to sound your horn at a learner, but it's usually pointless. What a lot of drivers don't seem to understand is that the horn is supposed to be used to alert other drivers to a dangerous or potentially dangerous situtation - ''it's not a videogame buzzer'' as I read somewhere.

However, most drivers just use their horn as a means to express their frustration at what they perceive to be slowness to react, take off etc. or to 'vocalise' the aggression that increases in most people when they get behind the wheel of a car.

If someone in front of you is taking the piss e.g. doing their makeup, on the phone etc. and is being slow because of that, by all means use the horn, but if you can see they've stalled etc. don't.