learner driving

[metalfossil]

I've been teaching my sixteen year old daughter to drive for nearly a month and I'm shocked by some of the antics of some of the other road users.

Don't get me wrong. I know that there are impatient morons who think that they own the road out there, but we were all learners once.

We have had the horn sounded at us because during the first week I was making her come to a complete stop at a roundabout; bloody 4x4 drivers. Also during her first week we were sitting in the middle of the road with the indicators flashing making a right hand turn and, would you believe, overtaken on the right hand side.

Of course I've lost count of the tailgaters and people that just will not check their mirrors.

Today was one right out of the box, though. We were driving back from Werribee in the left lane just before the Pt Cook turn off. Because of the construction of the new off ramp the speed limit is 80kph. Nobody adheres to this speed limit, though and everyone was zooming past us. A battered old 4x4 with a trailer sped past us followed closely by a white Commodore which turned out to be an unmarked police car with its lights and siren going. What happened next beggars belief. The 4x4 shot straight across in front of us (follwed closely by the police car) and just and pulled up in the energency lane.

I'm going to be a nervous wreck long before she gets her licence

[minux]

That overpass roadwork area is bloody dangerous. I cannot even begin to think at how many times I have almost been ass ended or cut off or had **** thrown at me because I am obeying the speed limit. That whole highway is a joke. The quick time lapse cameras come in, the safer I will feel. It is getting downright scary that sitting on 100 seems to slow and dangerous compared to the speed of so many other road users.

[matty88]

It does get VERY annoying (I'm a L plater myself, but that's going to change in a few weeks ), I stick VERY closely on thr speed limit, yet every day I get alot of drivers overtaking me, flashing high beams, beeping horns etc.

[Burniehoon]

See this is the exact reason i love Tassie so much life is just so much easier and less stressful i got off my LS a few months back and didn't have a single problem with other people worked out great.

[robby88]

alot of wankers will overtake honk and beep you just because you have L plates up all about stereo types like all P platers being hoons ridiculous if you ask me

[Dayvo]

I know the feeing . When i was teaching my son to drive we got abused by this guy and he kept hitting the brakes and we nearly ran up his ass a few times . The thing that really ****ed me off was that he was from the State Emergency Service .

[bema]

yeah im also an l plater also soon to change and the amount of people who think that just cos there is an l plate in the window means they can do whatever they like! the amount of times people come up behind even when i am doing the speed limit and just sit there like an inch away really annoys me!

[CSP]

Comming to a complete stop at a round about when it's un-necessary is pointless and can be dangerous. I have seen it happen. There is CLEARLY no traffic coming. Car in front stops for no reason, truck cleaned it up. Killed the elderly driver and his wife...


I had someone beep at me once in a slip lane when I stalled and stopped. Mum got out and went and gave em a lip full. Was funy as! I just flipped the bird as I drove off.

My Dad was cool - telling me at a slip lane to give it a bit because he saw the through traffic had just got a green light. He had a VN Berlina V8 at the time and I nailed it. He said something like "that's it son - dont sit stopped at slip lanes, get up to speed and merge"

Only to things I remember from my learner days. Never a formal lesson, just Dad (and sometimes Mum). Got my Ps on my 17th birthday, first go

[minux]

Comming to a complete stop at a round about when it's un-necessary is pointless and can be dangerous. I have seen it happen. There is CLEARLY no traffic coming. Car in front stops for no reason, truck cleaned it up. Killed the elderly driver and his wife...

So the truck driver was not concentrating and killed someone for his lack of concentration?

You can never assume every driver will do things the same.
If a car had entered the roundabout on the opposite side as per the road laws regardless of if the roundabout is 800 metres in diameter, every other car has to stop and give way. Roundabouts by law are the worst set-up things ever.

[CSP]

I know...

"all traffic must give way to traffic already in the round about"

pfffft!

[scrabet]

im also on my ls only for a couple more months yay but yeh most the time iv been hinked at or flashed at i havent been doing anything wrong and its or having ppl sit rite up your ass when you are rite on the speen limit

[Bravotwozero]

So the truck driver was not concentrating and killed someone for his lack of concentration?

You can never assume every driver will do things the same.
If a car had entered the roundabout on the opposite side as per the road laws regardless of if the roundabout is 800 metres in diameter, every other car has to stop and give way. Roundabouts by law are the worst set-up things ever.

They only suck because most people seem to believe that it is as simple as giving way to your right. As for learner drivers, I give them as much room as they need and show some patience.

[minux]

I know...

"all traffic must give way to traffic already in the round about"

pfffft!

I know its pffftt, my mate failed 3 times at the same roundabout in the city. His instructor told him to go during the test he got failed. Next time he sat there for 10 minutes, failed again after instructor said go or get the fsck out.

New instructor told him the rule had changed he drove straight through, failed again. Final time 23 minutes he sat at this roundabout...caused chaos with traffic. Passed. Its a fscking joke really.

[metalfossil]

So the truck driver was not concentrating and killed someone for his lack of concentration?

You can never assume every driver will do things the same.
If a car had entered the roundabout on the opposite side as per the road laws regardless of if the roundabout is 800 metres in diameter, every other car has to stop and give way. Roundabouts by law are the worst set-up things ever.

I agree totally about your roundabout comment. If I hadn't got her to stop today at Highpoint, she would have driven straight into the side of the old fogeys that weren't indicating and decided to come around in front of her.

[Emackulation]

All I can add to this is that im glad I learnt to drive in a town littered with roundabouts, well WAS littered, now they are changing to traffic lights.

[Philthy]

I'm just glad I lived in the country while I was on my L's.
I'm in melbourne now and I see L platers getting gived **** on the roads almost every day.
We all know what its like being an L plater with so little experience. They just need other drivers to be patient and give them space

[azzfox]

Im also a Learner driver for another 7 months or so. Its true that there are some morons on the road that give you crap by overtaking when your on the speed limit, but you just deal with it. Or in a lot of cases when mum falls asleep in the passenger seat I play games back (I dont mean race them). As illegal as it is, it isnt as bad as it sounds. I think I am a much more confident driver when there isnt someone watching your every move. Not that she says anything anyway. I probably help her more when shes driving, especially in the city So she just gets me to drive

[bema]

haha im with u on that one azzfox, i do exactly the same thing

[Haydz]

haha im surprised by the number of l platers on this site.
i also am an l plater but if you just don't use the plates you cop a lot less ****..
or when you put them on make sure they will fall off. well thats what i do. but i was a confident driver at the age of 13 i had a barina and i used to just drive wherever but now im over the half way point to getting my l's i dont want to have to start again. so i just sit there and cop looks from everyone in my step mums senator... yay go me

[LUMPY 8]

my first drive som1 wiped off the front bumper on my car, they didnt giv way 2 me on the roundabout nd he blamed me 4 it, i scored a hole new front even tho the bumper was the only thing damaged ( and that bar thing behind it)

[Cursed CX8]

when i was on my L's i was road raged. Seriously. It was at a road work zone and merge into one lane area. I was merging into the left lane, but a ute from a local construction company kept blocking my path and abusing me. I ended up hitting the brakes and pulling in behind him rather swiftly so i didnt run out of room. He got out of the ute and went off at me. WTF!!! Police called, witnesses were in my favor and he lost his job.

Being on my P's now i give a lot of respect to L platers and know the **** they get given.

As for coming to a complete stop at a round about... Id sure as hell prefer a person was a little more patient and stopped that took a gap and paid the price. Especially someone with little experience

[scrabet]

wow their is a few people with their ls here

[Kikki]

Cant say I had any problems, first time I did my L's I was driving a WB & VS Statesman, cant remember anything bad, and second time I think having 2 car seats and "Babies on Board" sign helped lol, Think I missed out on all the **** because I always had the boys in the car.

When I have a L plater behind or in front of me, I seem to really concentrate on my driving, in case they pay attention, but not just that it seems to remind me of everything my instructors taught me.

[sircruisealotVS]

i agree with the roundabouts comments, they're freaking dangerous because 99% of people think its just a schichane in the road they're on. ive got to turn right at a roundabout to get into my street every day, the road its on is a dual lane with 70k's speed limit (not that anyone does 70k's on it...more like 90).

the amount of times ive almost been t-boned turning there is a joke. i always go extremely slow, making sure i had my indicator on well before entering it and still i get people running through it mere inches in front of me as im passing infront of their lanes.
i even had this one moron one night lock it up with wheels smoking to pull up just in time before hitting my passenger door.
THEN he decided it was all my fault and started the big hold your hand on the horn and scream abuse and obscenities treatment.
i was ****ed off to say the least - i had done nothing wrong, i had the right of way with my blinker on and was on the roundabout well before him.
after he'd had his yell i moved forward and as he went past me when i caught him calling me a "****ing bogan" (this is coming from a middle age indian lookin bloke). which kinda made me click and do something i regreted - but ive got a short fuse for morons.
so i chucked a u-turn and went after him.
we got down the road a bit - i was following him, not chasing him or up his ass...my plan was to wait till he stopped and have a chat about what he said - when he turned into a servo.
he pulled up at the bowsers and i pulled up right next to him and jumped out...he obviously hadnt realised i was following behind him because he was pretty dumbstruck to see me jumping out of the car he had almost hit minutes before, with all 6ft3" and 100kg of me looking pretty ****ing ****ed off at him.
i asked him what the hell his problem was and what he had called me before, telling him to say it to my face without the protection of being in his car.
he just kept saying he was sorry and that he didnt mean it. he was pretty shaken up, obviously thinking he was about to get his head kicked in - which i wasnt going to do, ill intimidate people but i wont throw a punch without reason and provocation (ie, if i get hit first).
i told him he better be bloody sorry and that he should learn how to use a roundabout before he goes abusing someone when he was in the wrong. we left it at that and i went on my way - with a bit of a chuckle at how much his tune had changed when confronted outside his car.
i dont condone what i did - i did regret it a bit, but i dont think he'll run his mouth so quick next time he's behind the wheel.

[metalfossil]

Cant say I had any problems, first time I did my L's I was driving a WB & VS Statesman, cant remember anything bad, and second time I think having 2 car seats and "Babies on Board" sign helped lol, Think I missed out on all the **** because I always had the boys in the car.

When I have a L plater behind or in front of me, I seem to really concentrate on my driving, in case they pay attention, but not just that it seems to remind me of everything my instructors taught me.

*sheepish grin* and I thought I was the only one that did this