Learn to Drive Properly

Learn to Drive Properly

Anybody who has been out on the road as a pedestrian, a cyclist, or in a car, will have seen examples of bad driving. Nobody wants to be a bad driver, so how do we learn properly and make sure that we don’t become poor drivers?

Most importantly, choose a really good instructor. A good Driving Instructor will teach you how to drive well. At times you may think they are slightly obsessive about tiny little things like hand position and mirror checking; what they are doing is making sure that the little details that make you a better driver become ingrained as habit. If you are learning to drive from a friend or family member, and want to learn to drive properly, then it’s important that they are picky too. If they allow you to learn sloppy habits then you will always have those sloppy habits and you will be a worse driver as a result.

Learn to drive in the right order and take your time. No driving instructor would take a brand new learner to a large roundabout on a dual-carriageway without first spending several hours learning car control. Car control is about setting off, getting the car moving, slowing down and stopping, steering and manoeuvring. It’s harder than it looks to combine different pedals, steering wheel and looking in mirrors. Learning to do so takes time and practice, but eventually becomes second nature. Without spending adequate time teaching these foundation driving skills and allowing time for your brain to embed and assimilate them, you will never be confident on the road. We’ve all seen the car that bunny-hops as it moves away, or stalls at every junction – this is the driver who has not yet spent enough time developing control of the car.

Once you have good car control, then you move on to road-craft and driving theory. In your theory you’ll be learning the rules of the road, road signs and markings and what to do at roundabouts, junctions and other situations. During your driving lessons you will encounter all of these in real-life driving, and be able to put your new theory into practice in every lesson. You’ll be developing the ability to spot and react appropriately to potential hazards, and getting broad experience of lots of different traffic conditions, road types and weather. The more practice you get with a competent and experienced instructor beside you at this stage (still being picky about little details) the better driver you will become.

Learning to drive properly is not about being able to drive fast and it’s not about being able to carry out all those tricky manoeuvres they ask you to do for your test. Learning to drive properly means being able to drive safely, not just during your test, but whatever the road conditions, whatever your emotions on any given day, and whatever those other lunatic drivers might throw at you. Learning to drive properly means that five or six years down the line you’ll still be thinking about your own driving skills, you’ll be noting any bad habits that have crept in, and you’ll be correcting yourself and constantly looking to improve your driving, making it safer and more efficient. That’s what learning to drive properly is all about.

If you would like to learn to drive in Glasgow contact TX Driver Training now on 0141 764 1213.