Today marked 10 hours of driving lessons, and while it is not a milestone by any means, having read my blog, I don't think I'm doing too bad with learning to drive a car here in the UK, and if all goes well, I should be taking my driving test pretty soon hopefully.
Today my driving instructor just made me practice what we've been learning so far, so a lot of moving off and stopping, with particular attention taken to make sure I was using POM properly.
I also dealt with all sorts of junctions, turning left and right, emerged at T-Junctions and had to work hard on LADA, as it is not easy following the rules when other cars behind you want to get past you. I don't like having to deal with traffic, as it seems most of London's drivers are always in a hurry, never patient with Learner drivers' and having 'L' plates displayed seems to have the wrong effect as they try to squeeze through the narrow NW2 streets in Cricklewood even though I have the right of way, and they should be yeilding!
I also had more practising of my 3 point turn manouver, this time on more narrow and sometimes busy roads, learning what to do when cars turn up during the exercise, the importance of using the handbrake (parking brake to the Americans), and looking out for pedestrians.
I sometimes forget to look behind me when reversing instead using the interior mirror when my driving instructor says is wrong and will be marked down on during the test by the DSA examiner. I don't know where I got that bad driving habit from, but my ADI seems to be on top of it, so I won't be getting away with it. Roll on the next driving lesson, and you'll be the first to read of my adventures in this blog.
Showing posts with label LADA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LADA. Show all posts
T Junctions Emerging
Having survived last week's driving lesson where my driving instructor sprung a surprised on me unexpectedly and made me deal with traffic, today I learnt a new procedure, dealing with T Junctions also called emerging.
The first thing we did as always on our driving lessons was to recap on last week's skills by practising junctions turning left and right, dealing with some busy roads, including those controlled by traffic lights, making sure I could move off under pressure of cars behind me without stalling the vehicle. I wasn't perfect, but my ADI said I was making steading progress learning to drive and that it was time to introduce a new topic.
As usual out came the lesson briefing manual, and I was told how to identify a T Junction by either seeing houses at the end of the road, the upside down triangle road marking, the give way sign or the double short lines painted at the end of the road.
I would still need to use the MSPSL routine on this junction, and initially will be stopping, then using LADA to judge if it is safe to proceed.
Look to the right, left and then right again.
Asses the situation, noting if there is a safe gap in the traffic and other conditions around. My instructor stressed the importantance of giving way to traffic on the main road, including those coming from the left if neccessary (buses, lorries or HGVs that might need the extra space).
Decide on what you are going to do.
Act on your decision, emerging into the T junction only when you can see it is safe.
We then started to practise, beginning with open junctions where we had some visibility into the road before we got to the give way line, even though we still stopped for the first 3 or 4 attempts.
With almost half of the driving lesson gone, my driving instructor pulled me over on the left, and said we would now drive to a place where we would be able to deal with closed T junctions, having to emerge where there is very limited visibility, using peep and creep routine and later on if there was time, also go to a junction with a stop line.
My instructor told me that it is very easy to fail the DSA practical test at closed T junctions if I approached too fast, did not use LADA properly, or got pressurised by other road users.
Open Junctions
The first thing we did as always on our driving lessons was to recap on last week's skills by practising junctions turning left and right, dealing with some busy roads, including those controlled by traffic lights, making sure I could move off under pressure of cars behind me without stalling the vehicle. I wasn't perfect, but my ADI said I was making steading progress learning to drive and that it was time to introduce a new topic.
As usual out came the lesson briefing manual, and I was told how to identify a T Junction by either seeing houses at the end of the road, the upside down triangle road marking, the give way sign or the double short lines painted at the end of the road.
I would still need to use the MSPSL routine on this junction, and initially will be stopping, then using LADA to judge if it is safe to proceed.
Look to the right, left and then right again.
Asses the situation, noting if there is a safe gap in the traffic and other conditions around. My instructor stressed the importantance of giving way to traffic on the main road, including those coming from the left if neccessary (buses, lorries or HGVs that might need the extra space).
Decide on what you are going to do.
Act on your decision, emerging into the T junction only when you can see it is safe.
We then started to practise, beginning with open junctions where we had some visibility into the road before we got to the give way line, even though we still stopped for the first 3 or 4 attempts.
Closed Junctions
With almost half of the driving lesson gone, my driving instructor pulled me over on the left, and said we would now drive to a place where we would be able to deal with closed T junctions, having to emerge where there is very limited visibility, using peep and creep routine and later on if there was time, also go to a junction with a stop line.
My instructor told me that it is very easy to fail the DSA practical test at closed T junctions if I approached too fast, did not use LADA properly, or got pressurised by other road users.
