First Driving Lessons

I had my first day of driving class today. Told my teacher that I've never went driving beyond 15mph in an empty school parking lot. He had me backing up from a drive way, changing lanes, and driving on the highway as a torrential rain (I felt like smashing my head against the window repeatedly) was picking up within the first 20-30 minutes of getting in the driver's seat. Somehow I managed to make it back home without crashing.

So how did your first time driving go?

First time I drove anything was my brothers big blue truck. I was so nervous but he taught me the basics of it in a field behind my grandparents house. It went great until I almost backed the truck into a giant ditch on the side of the road... that ended my driving lesson for about a year xD either the first or second time I drove for my behind the wheel drivers ed the car I was driving broke down on the side of a super busy street in my city, and I managed to make a fool out of myself by banging my forehead against the door window when I tried to pull off the road.

Then right after I got my licence I was taking my grandma to the grocery store and I thought I could handle her giant van and whipped it into a parking space and scraped it along the car parked beside us. It barley scraped the other cars paint but the van was scratched pretty badly by the headlight. She made me pull out and park on the other side of the parking lot.

I'm obviously not a very good driver... that's why I walk to work

Pretty good, didnt really screw up much lol besides this one time I almost accidentally drove into the wrong side of the road on a two way road. You know more like, I'd be driving against oncoming traffic if that makes sense. But yeah, basically my only screw up, I drive pretty damn fine otherwise.

I remember my father and I drove to Walmart, it was only a mile or two away, with little traffic except for one intersection, but we made it there and back safely. It was awesome.

First time driving anything was one of the tractors around the field (I would guess the David Brown) with its broken gauges and ridiculously heavy clutch. First time driving a car I was just let loose on a country road in the van. It went pretty well, nice gears no craunching, not too fast, some gentle bends.

Oh man, driving will feel like second nature to you soon! Get in as much practice as you can. For my first lesson, I used the roads of a neighborhood under construction in my area. They had just built all the stop signs, mph signs and everything so it was like an actual driving course like the ones they make you go on when you take your driving test! It's a good thing you started practicing on the freeway sooner than later, as I waited too long and didn't start using the freeway until a couple months after I obtained my license (I took the local route for everything).

I hated it. I took about 5 lessons in March - none of them went completely well. I stalled pretty much every lesson. I took a right when he told me to go left. I drove OVER a roundabout without realizing and almost totaled the car by taking a corner at 30mph.

I'm really not cut out for driving.

The summer I got my driving license was actually not because I wanted to drive, but because I had to renew my passport and I didn't have 2 forms of valid id, and driving ids process faster than alien registration cards. I remember I passed my written exam (in full korean, very impressed with myself with that one) but when I did the first circuit test, I completely failed when I very slowly backed myself into some cones and went off the track lol. You have to wait a couple months to retake the exam, so I did something I'm quite ashamed of but it was necessary at the time so I could go back to college lol... I bribed the guy to let me pass. So I passed and eventually started my driving hours to get the license. The first few hours were fine, they were just around a parking lot where they school was at, but the next day the driving instructor got me driving allll around town, on the high way, TO PICK UP HIS LAUNDRY AND ANOTHER DRIVING STUDENT, and basically make me his errand boy. Like OP, this was also in POURING rain I really thought I was going to die. The school I took the test at was kinda sketchy honestly, even the instructor was questionable. He really enjoyed speeding past red lights for fun (he'd wait until the cars started going and then he'd step on the accelerator and laugh the whole time). I would have reported him but I needed this license. like really badly lol. I eventually got the license, didn't have to bribe for that one because I passed. It's been 6 years since then and I haven't driven at all and I probably need to relearn how to drive all over again but honestly I'm traumatised lol.

I could never be a driving instructor. Placing my life in the hands of some 15 year old kid I've never met before? No thanks.

My first time driving wasn't bad at all. I was careful with alot of stuff and kept calm. My dad is actually a really talented driver, and he knows how to read people like street signs, eventually I picked up on that. Because people in our area NEVER. USE. THEIR. SIGNAL. So whenever some idiot who can't see tries to cross over with us in their blind spot, we know what they do before they do it to prevent them from creating an accident.

Be wary about other reckless/aggressive drivers. They're crazy.

My first time driving was in a beat-up old truck around a field. Then I graduated to doing rounds in a parking lot, then a quiet straightforward road, and finally the highway/more regular driving.

I guess you could say I was eased into it. I love to drive. Sometimes I drive even when I have nowhere to go. It relaxes me.

I started with the instructor, in the city jams. It was a shock for me, but then I got used and after 2-3 lessons even exceed the speed limit several times.

I still need to get my license despite being 18. Whoops.

My first time driving had my dad teach me for about a hour at an empty parking lot. And then he told me I was going to drive us home (30 min drive) which had me panic ahahahaha. I drove pretty slow and had loads of people mad at me; it was so nerve-wrecking. It wasn't very fun.

Later on, I had to drive through a snowstorm to college which was fantastic for my sanity at the time despite having family that could drive me that day but I kinda get it. They wanted me to be self-sufficient which is all fine and dandy. It was my first time driving alone so I was praying I wouldn't die. I was late to my class that day lmao (0/10; would not recommend)

My recommendation is to learn to drive when the weather is good. Do not drive in weather conditions until you have prior experience driving in general. Have a neutral party teach you to drive if you can afford it. Trust me, your sanity will thank you because driving instructors specialize in helping people and maintain calm. So if you have a relative that will easily yell or freak out, skip lessons from them tbh. It's not worth it.


Nowadays, I love to drive because I can put on my music to whatever I want to listen to. It did take a few months after first learning to get to that level, though. Driving relaxes me nowadays.

I should be able to start lessons in a couple months. Not sure what the process is but hopefully all will go smoothly. I'll probably be most worried about misjudging the sides of the car and smashing into the side of the road or oncoming traffic.

First time I drove was in my Dad's Dodge Avenger (which belongs to me now). He had me practice driving in an empty parking lot without pumping the gas pedal for a while before having me drive on the street. I wasn't very good, in fact I sucked. I jerked the wheel every time I made a turn, I turned too wide, I kept forgetting to signal, and I drifted out of my lane a lot. It's a miracle I didn't hit anything/anyone.

When I got the hang of it more and my mom would let me drive her Lexus home whenever she came to picked me up from school. Some months after that I took my driving test (after taking the class, exam, and practice lessons), and didn't do as good as I normally did due to bad nerves (ya know, anxiety). But, the instructor passed me anyway under the condition that I practice more on my own, which I did.

My driving skills are pretty average. I'm not the best, but I'm certainly not bad either.

I am 24 and I've only bee behind the wheel twice. Once was in a very broke down uncomfortable large truck that belonged to my mom's ex, the seat was totaled because he was a really big guy and had broken the seat so it fit only him, so I was sitting up against nothing which scared me, and couldn't move my seat up, he took me to old pothole filled road and I drove like 5mph and he kept yelling at me and I was having a horrible panic attack the whole time.

Second time my mom took me before a party and took me to a block of closed buildings where she worked, I went I think 20mph when I was going 'fast.' I was doing ok, panicking but I was ok going super duper slow, until I saw a car and I started hyperventilating and my mom had me pull over and that was the end of that. That was probably 5 years ago?

I have horrible anxiety especially in cars, even when I'm not driving. But it's worse when I am driving.