Comments on: Learning to drive in Dublin http://www.dublinblog.ie/2008/02/12/learning-to-drive-in-dublin/ An award winning group blog, written by some of Dublin's best, most prolific, witty and engaging bloggers about the life and goings on in and around Dublin City Tue, 13 Sep 2011 16:56:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Tom Dunne http://www.dublinblog.ie/2008/02/12/learning-to-drive-in-dublin/comment-page-1/#comment-458316 Tom Dunne Thu, 22 Apr 2010 19:21:30 +0000 http://www.dublinblog.ie/2008/02/12/learning-to-drive-in-dublin/#comment-458316 Tania Go to Joe in Award school of Motoring i guess Tania Go to Joe in Award school of Motoring i guess

]]> By: Tania Santos http://www.dublinblog.ie/2008/02/12/learning-to-drive-in-dublin/comment-page-1/#comment-394474 Tania Santos Sun, 15 Mar 2009 13:32:56 +0000 http://www.dublinblog.ie/2008/02/12/learning-to-drive-in-dublin/#comment-394474 Hi guys, Iam a very positive person but when it comes to driving lessons I've started to despair :-) When I decided to learn how to drive years ago I was confident but couldn't practice so all the lessons was a kind of waste. Now Iam back to learning and although I have found a good instructor it seems that I don't get better. After 10 lessons he just said it was like I was on my third lesson I didn't take personally but is really so frustrating. I want so much to learn how to drive for all the good reasons but after quite a few lessons I have started feeling like I can't. What can I do please help :-) Hi guys,

Iam a very positive person but when it comes to driving lessons I’ve started to despair :-)
When I decided to learn how to drive years ago I was confident but couldn’t practice
so all the lessons was a kind of waste.
Now Iam back to learning and although I have found a good instructor it seems that I don’t get better. After 10 lessons he just said it was like I was on my third lesson I didn’t take personally but is really so frustrating.
I want so much to learn how to drive for all the good reasons but after quite a few lessons I have started feeling like I can’t.
What can I do please help :-)

]]> By: Award School Of Motoring http://www.dublinblog.ie/2008/02/12/learning-to-drive-in-dublin/comment-page-1/#comment-387595 Award School Of Motoring Tue, 03 Feb 2009 12:34:19 +0000 http://www.dublinblog.ie/2008/02/12/learning-to-drive-in-dublin/#comment-387595 Hi Catherine just read your blog and had a good laugh. Not all driving schools take you down O Connell Street. Just to let you know that from the end of April09 all instructors will have to be ADI certified by the RSA. So keep a eye out for that. I was a ex Driver Tester in SGS and could start my own blog about the NUTTERS that came in do to thier driving Test. ANy way SLAN and Good Luck to all yoru L drivers out thier. Hi Catherine just read your blog and had a good laugh. Not all driving schools take you down O Connell Street. Just to let you know that from the end of April09 all instructors will have to be ADI certified by the RSA. So keep a eye out for that. I was a ex Driver Tester in SGS and could start my own blog about the NUTTERS that came in do to thier driving Test. ANy way SLAN and Good Luck to all yoru L drivers out thier.

]]> By: Dominykas http://www.dublinblog.ie/2008/02/12/learning-to-drive-in-dublin/comment-page-1/#comment-202361 Dominykas Wed, 13 Feb 2008 17:31:08 +0000 http://www.dublinblog.ie/2008/02/12/learning-to-drive-in-dublin/#comment-202361 Ooops. Looks I misread Dervla's 2 hour thing :) So it goes. In any case, the point is, I see a plenty and know quite some guys who are on L permit and have gone to 0 lessons and are driving around. Saw one of them on Sunday, alone in the car, making a mess and scaring the $**t out of me around O'Connel street :) Ooops. Looks I misread Dervla’s 2 hour thing :) So it goes.

In any case, the point is, I see a plenty and know quite some guys who are on L permit and have gone to 0 lessons and are driving around. Saw one of them on Sunday, alone in the car, making a mess and scaring the $**t out of me around O’Connel street :)

]]> By: Catherine http://www.dublinblog.ie/2008/02/12/learning-to-drive-in-dublin/comment-page-1/#comment-202317 Catherine Wed, 13 Feb 2008 16:09:43 +0000 http://www.dublinblog.ie/2008/02/12/learning-to-drive-in-dublin/#comment-202317 Don - apparently the new SGS test centre in Finglas is taking on a lot of the waiting list there, but you're probably not wrong about the figures being at least a little exaggerated :) Dervla - two hour lessons sound like a good plan! Dominykas - people here have a lot more than two hours' practice under their belts before taking the driving test, the long waiting times pretty much guarantee that ;) Don – apparently the new SGS test centre in Finglas is taking on a lot of the waiting list there, but you’re probably not wrong about the figures being at least a little exaggerated :)

Dervla – two hour lessons sound like a good plan!

Dominykas – people here have a lot more than two hours’ practice under their belts before taking the driving test, the long waiting times pretty much guarantee that ;)

]]> By: Dominykas http://www.dublinblog.ie/2008/02/12/learning-to-drive-in-dublin/comment-page-1/#comment-202248 Dominykas Wed, 13 Feb 2008 14:16:40 +0000 http://www.dublinblog.ie/2008/02/12/learning-to-drive-in-dublin/#comment-202248 Crazy people... Don't get me wrong, but 2 hours of practice is by far not enough to think that you can get on the road. I took my exam in Lithuania, I went through approx. 20 hours of practice driving in the car park and in the city - and I still wasn't confident that I am worth driving - not that I'm a bad driver, but hell - there's lots of dangers and situations on the road - you need to learn to handle them. I very much admire the Irish driving culture, but it is the only reason why inexperienced drivers are able to survive (and I mean survive literally). I can believe, that some people can pick up "driving" faster than others, but driving, reactions and response on the road need to be at the instinct level - and on top of that - a propper instinct (which is sometimes against the natural ones). One must be able to drive just like he's able to eat - without thinking "now I take this spoon and lift it up to my mouth and put it inside and swallow" - two hours of driving lessons with a professional will not get you up to that point. There's lots of habits you need to train before you can say that you're a reasonable driver - and the best is to have another person making sure to do things that you miss to do yourself - e.g. looking at the mirrors (constantly), at the same time following your speed, at the same time checking ahead if there's any obstruction on the road, at the same time checking the sidewalks if there's a potential suicide-pedestrian, at the same time lookin far ahead if there are any road signs, at the same time double checking the mirrors again, at the same time being constantly aware of what your car is behaving like, at the same time making sure that you will be allowed and able to make a maneouvre that you're planning to make without affecting other participants on the road. And all of this has to happen without you taking a half a second to think that you need to do it. And check the mirrors. I don't mean to flame here though and don't take it personally ;) Cristi Roman, it's not that hard to switch over once you come here - it took me 2 days to get pretty much used to driving "on the other side" and a total of couple of weeks to start feeling confident on it. The tough part is going back to the mainland Europe ;) Crazy people… Don’t get me wrong, but 2 hours of practice is by far not enough to think that you can get on the road. I took my exam in Lithuania, I went through approx. 20 hours of practice driving in the car park and in the city – and I still wasn’t confident that I am worth driving – not that I’m a bad driver, but hell – there’s lots of dangers and situations on the road – you need to learn to handle them. I very much admire the Irish driving culture, but it is the only reason why inexperienced drivers are able to survive (and I mean survive literally).

I can believe, that some people can pick up “driving” faster than others, but driving, reactions and response on the road need to be at the instinct level – and on top of that – a propper instinct (which is sometimes against the natural ones). One must be able to drive just like he’s able to eat – without thinking “now I take this spoon and lift it up to my mouth and put it inside and swallow” – two hours of driving lessons with a professional will not get you up to that point.

There’s lots of habits you need to train before you can say that you’re a reasonable driver – and the best is to have another person making sure to do things that you miss to do yourself – e.g. looking at the mirrors (constantly), at the same time following your speed, at the same time checking ahead if there’s any obstruction on the road, at the same time checking the sidewalks if there’s a potential suicide-pedestrian, at the same time lookin far ahead if there are any road signs, at the same time double checking the mirrors again, at the same time being constantly aware of what your car is behaving like, at the same time making sure that you will be allowed and able to make a maneouvre that you’re planning to make without affecting other participants on the road. And all of this has to happen without you taking a half a second to think that you need to do it. And check the mirrors.

I don’t mean to flame here though and don’t take it personally ;)

Cristi Roman, it’s not that hard to switch over once you come here – it took me 2 days to get pretty much used to driving “on the other side” and a total of couple of weeks to start feeling confident on it. The tough part is going back to the mainland Europe ;)

]]> By: Dervla http://www.dublinblog.ie/2008/02/12/learning-to-drive-in-dublin/comment-page-1/#comment-202193 Dervla Wed, 13 Feb 2008 13:08:37 +0000 http://www.dublinblog.ie/2008/02/12/learning-to-drive-in-dublin/#comment-202193 When I started taking lessons, a couple of years ago in Dublin, I didn't have access to a car to practice in so I found having 2 hour lessons very beneficial. I always found that towards the end of the first hour I was getting into the swing of things and the second hour just gave me more confidence and cemented things I'd picked up in the first. When I started taking lessons, a couple of years ago in Dublin, I didn’t have access to a car to practice in so I found having 2 hour lessons very beneficial. I always found that towards the end of the first hour I was getting into the swing of things and the second hour just gave me more confidence and cemented things I’d picked up in the first.

]]> By: Don Speekingleesh http://www.dublinblog.ie/2008/02/12/learning-to-drive-in-dublin/comment-page-1/#comment-201512 Don Speekingleesh Wed, 13 Feb 2008 00:21:46 +0000 http://www.dublinblog.ie/2008/02/12/learning-to-drive-in-dublin/#comment-201512 Those waiting times for the tests a probably a bit optimistic (or completely made up more like)- I applied for my test in June last year, and didn't get to sit the test until December (in Finglas), and my brother was waiting over 40 weeks for a test in Raheny around the same time. I doubt the times have halved in the past two months. I was paying €35 a lesson, €40 for the pretest ones. Those waiting times for the tests a probably a bit optimistic (or completely made up more like)- I applied for my test in June last year, and didn’t get to sit the test until December (in Finglas), and my brother was waiting over 40 weeks for a test in Raheny around the same time. I doubt the times have halved in the past two months.

I was paying €35 a lesson, €40 for the pretest ones.

]]> By: Cristi Roman http://www.dublinblog.ie/2008/02/12/learning-to-drive-in-dublin/comment-page-1/#comment-201393 Cristi Roman Tue, 12 Feb 2008 22:26:56 +0000 http://www.dublinblog.ie/2008/02/12/learning-to-drive-in-dublin/#comment-201393 I intend to learn to drive in Dublin, when i'll be there, in march. Right now, in Bucharest/Romania, i don't have a drive licence, because, trust me guys, it's quite a hell to drive in Bucharest, due to so many cars, bad infrastructure and lack of drivers each-other respect. More, as you may know, as in most of the europeans countries, in Romania there is a right-side driving in function so i want to learn how to drive in Ireland directly on the left-side. I intend to learn to drive in Dublin, when i’ll be there, in march. Right now, in Bucharest/Romania, i don’t have a drive licence, because, trust me guys, it’s quite a hell to drive in Bucharest, due to so many cars, bad infrastructure and lack of drivers each-other respect.
More, as you may know, as in most of the europeans countries, in Romania there is a right-side driving in function so i want to learn how to drive in Ireland directly on the left-side.

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