First ever driving lesson ....

Frankieb

...what does it involve? Right now I don't even know what pedels there are, how to turn on an indicator etc. Really I know nothing!!! How do they start you off?

**Timbuk2**

An instructor will usually call to your house, pick you up, and drive you somewhere that has low traffic.

You will then swap seats, and he will guide you on driving. As it's your first lesson, expect to cut out a few times. This is normal, so don't get flustered!

Most people enjoy their first driving lesson. I did! You will make a lot of mistakes, but just make sure to keep calm. The instructor is very used to seeing people cut out, etc.

Alanstrainor

Frankieb wrote: »

...what does it involve? Right now I don't even know what pedels there are, how to turn on an indicator etc. Really I know nothing!!! How do they start you off?

Well, the first thing i'd say is that there's nothing to be worried about. The instructor will show you all the basics. From seat position, where the pedals are, how to hold a steering wheel, the gears of the car to starting the car and how to use the clutch etc.
Whether or not you'll make it out onto the open roads is up to the instructor, and how confidant you are. The car is dual controlled so there's nothing to be worried about either way.

Frankieb

Are they all dual controlled? Or only specific schools?

highlydebased

Frankieb wrote: »

Are they all dual controlled? Or only specific schools?

Depends on the school/instructor- but many indeed do have a clutch and brake at the passenger side

DriveSkill

Frankieb wrote: »

Are they all dual controlled? Or only specific schools?

It is virtually mandatory for all Approved Driving Instructors to have Dual Controls (Brake and Clutch) fitted. Remember it is now illegal for anyone to be offering driving lessons (and charging) unless they are an Approved Driving Instructor, the full list is published on the RSA website.

The first lesson will typically cover :

• Cockpit Drill - some safety checks, how to adjust the seat, mirrors etc
• Overview of all the main controls
• Moving off and driving in 1st, 2nd and possibly 3rd gear
• Pulling in and stopping safely and correctly.

You will also generally end up doing some left turns (unless you happen to live by a deserted air field and you can drive for miles in a straight line )

Ush1

They generally drive you onto the M50 and then swap seats while driving!:D

You'll be grand, everyone started sometime!

wayne0308

My first lesson wasn't that long ago. What he did with me was to take me onto a wide stretch of a main road with a hard shoulder. It was a nice flat patch.

He showed me all the controls and then asked me to point them all out myself.

He then gave me some practice with the gears while standing still, by asking basically asking me to change into a gear while looking straight ahead. He called another gear out and I'd change to it.

Next he got me to start the car and went through the procedure for taking off and talked me through doing it and then we got into traffic, this patch of main road was slow moving with a low speed limit as you weren't outside the town fully. We then turned into some quiet rural roads which were bendy in order that you get steering practice feeding the steering wheel through your hands. We stopped a few times and took off again.

He took care of most of the observation on the first lesson, mainly you concentrate on your driving.

Your first lesson will be different depending on you location.

Overall I found my first lesson quite fun and relaxed, it was a bit stressful at the beginning but after a few minutes you start to settle in to what your doing.

Deadeyes

For my first lesson I knew absolutely nothing about driving or cars.The instructor brought me to a quiet estate and along the way asked me a few questions. What speed did I think he was going, at what point could I read a particular sign. When we arrived at the estate he parked the car and stayed in the drivers seat. He told me how a car worked what made it go, whats happening when the clutch is pressed etc.
He then went through the different controls, how to adjust mirrors and about blind spots and where they are. After showing me moving off and stopping we finally changed seats. Where he had me play with the controls a bit to get used to them. Then at long last I got to start the car and move off, well not quite, I promptly cut out and swore. The first of many, it became a Pavlovian response: cutout,curse,cutout,curse.
Still at the end of the lesson I got the car from Shankill to the south part of Bray through the main street on a Saturday. It was scary,exciting and luckily I had plenty of deodrant cause I was sweating buckets but once the lesson was over there was a sense of achievement plus the belief that hey this driving lark aint that bad.