The Student Room Group

Why am I so bad at driving now?

I passed my driving test in October 2011 after 3 and 1/2 months and at the time I was very confident and decent driver.

I didn't buy or drive a car for 1 and 1/2 years until my dad decided to last week.

So far I've driven it for 3 days about 3 hours in total, but I just can't get the hang of it. The clutch IMO is very high but my dad drives it fine and says it just because im a **** driver.

I can't move off very well in it as it doesn't move and gets to about 3000-4000 rpm.

I think the problem is the clutch and my lack of driving for the past 18 months yet my dad is insistent that im just a **** driver and shouts at me constantly.

How can I improve?

Edit: I learned to drive in an Audi A1/Suzuki swift, and my car in question is a Skoda Fabia 03.
(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by Tbx
I passed my driving test in October 2011 after 3 and 1/2 months and at the time I was very confident and decent driver.

I didn't buy or drive a car for 1 and 1/2 years until my dad decided to last week.

So far I've driven it for 3 days about 3 hours in total, but I just can't get the hang of it. The clutch IMO is very high but my dad drives it fine and says it just because im a **** driver.

I can't move off very well in it as it doesn't move and gets to about 3000-4000 rpm.

I think the problem is the clutch and my lack of driving for the past 18 months yet my dad is insistent that im just a **** driver and shouts at me constantly.

How can I improve?


practice, practice.....
Reply 2
Practice?
and more practice
Far more practice!
Reply 5
Original post by study beats
practice, practice.....


Original post by FXX
Practice?


Original post by Hustler-1337
and more practice


I tried telling him that, with the car being unfamilar, the fact I haven't driven in 18 months and that I think the clutch is far too high.

Should I just ignore him and practice and learn by myself?
Original post by Tbx
Should I just ignore him and practice and learn by myself?


Yup! :yep:
Reply 7
Practice. No normal car needs 3000 - 4000rpm to move off.

Keep at it, it will come! :smile:
Reply 8
Ignore him, keep at it and keep driving. Build experience and drive on your own. I found I learnt a lot more and picked things up easier when I was driving alone.

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Reply 9
Original post by Tbx
I passed my driving test in October 2011 after 3 and 1/2 months and at the time I was very confident and decent driver.

I didn't buy or drive a car for 1 and 1/2 years until my dad decided to last week.

So far I've driven it for 3 days about 3 hours in total, but I just can't get the hang of it. The clutch IMO is very high but my dad drives it fine and says it just because im a **** driver.

I can't move off very well in it as it doesn't move and gets to about 3000-4000 rpm.

I think the problem is the clutch and my lack of driving for the past 18 months yet my dad is insistent that im just a **** driver and shouts at me constantly.

How can I improve?

Edit: I learned to drive in an Audi A1/Suzuki swift, and my car in question is a Skoda Fabia 03.


Practice on your driveway trying to find the biting point, then dipping the clutch, then raising it etc. etc. Definitely shouldn't need that high RPM. At around 2000 RPM you should be changing gear anyway :/ Or maybe I imagined that. Quite possibly.
If you're saying that you need to rev to 3000 to get the car moving, then you need to raise the clutch even higher.
Was the same when I got my car- hadn't driven in about 6 months and went from a 1.6 diesel to my 1 litre petrol
Took me a while to get used to it, pure practise
Just got for a drive every now and then :smile:
Reply 12
Why would your dad shout at you? That's probably the worst thing to do with someone who isn't confident with their driving because of a huge break, what a dick lol

Just sounds like you need to get used to the new car & driving. I had a brake of 4 years then drove a Morris Minor 150 miles, I couldn't remember anything lol.
Reply 13
Could be worth paying a driving instructor for a refresher lesson. I passed in 2010, then didn't drive for a year, then drove an automatic for a year and half. When I was planning on buying a new (manual) car, I paid for a 2hr refresher lesson so I'd be less nervous about driving a manual. I've had it since Jan and finally kinda feel like I know what I'm doing.
pffft at least you've passed ur test, some of us still havent done that
Original post by elitemodella
pffft at least you've passed ur test, some of us still havent done that


Helpful.

Op - ask your dad to take you to a fairly empty carpark or somewhere so you can practice moving off. Although if your dad is acting like a bit of a douchebag, practice on your own on. Just keep practicing and you'll get the hang of it.
You just need to keep practising. Your dad sounds like he's being VERY harsh.
You could try practising... I don't think it's been mentioned yet...

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