At 32, Irish Examiner journalist Conall Ó Fátharta decided to grab life by the steering wheel and learn to drive. Eight weeks on, just how far down the road is he?
If I’ve learned one thing about driving lessons, it’s that they are all about your pre-lesson and post-lesson emotions.
Slowly, but surely, I am working my range back from the extremes of fear and euphoria to a more normal adult range.
My first lesson had gone surprisingly smoothly. I had managed to start the car and even drive it — albeit slowly. But, hey, I was driving and I felt pretty damn good about it.
Since then, the dread has been replaced by emotions that are more manageable. I wouldn’t say I’ve been exactly jumping up and down with excitement, but I’ve a little more confidence running through me as I sit in the car with Des O’Neill of Top Gear School of Motoring.
If I had learned anything between lessons, it is that I now know I can do this. Essentially, at my age, you just have to suck it up and do it.
My latest lesson began with a little pop quiz from the previous week. Des asked me before starting up what I needed to know and check before starting the car.
After looking at him blankly for a moment, I had to go into my Sherlock ‘mind palace’ for the answer, but I found it — handbrake up, gear in neutral and ensure no warning lights on display.
After a few minutes going over what I learned the previous week about getting the car moving off, we were indicating and pulling out onto a real road again.
Where I had been sweating at this moment previously, this week it felt a little more comfortable, a little more at ease. Not quite that I belonged, but certainly not an imposter.
Of course, Des made me feel entirely relaxed and talked me through what I was doing right and doing wrong and what I needed to watch for.
Today was the day for third gear. We had practiced moving gears from second to third and back to second. It’s really quite simple when the car is stationary and the engine switched off, but I was doing it for real now.
Like with everything when you are learning to drive, nothing beats being thrown in at the deep end and just cracking on with it.
I managed to successfully go up to third, drop down to second and back to first before going round a small bend before bringing it back up through the gears again.
While for first lessons, I focused exclusively on getting the car to move, this time I found I was able to pay attention more to my mirrors and the drivers around me. I’m becoming more relaxed and comfortable at the wheel. No bad thing for someone who had dreaded learning to drive so much.
I even managed a successful overtaking procedure, when a ‘sulkie’ pulled out in front of me on the road. Although, I doubt this was planned as something for my second lesson, Des quipped: “I always get this guy down here at this time”.
Although he was joking, I still had to pass him and managed it without a hitch.
So far, so good — no stalls, drive on.
To learn more: info@drivingschoolcork.com tel: 086-8182826
© Irish Examiner Ltd. All rights reserved
If I’ve learned one thing about driving lessons, it’s that they are all about your pre-lesson and post-lesson emotions.
Slowly, but surely, I am working my range back from the extremes of fear and euphoria to a more normal adult range.
My first lesson had gone surprisingly smoothly. I had managed to start the car and even drive it — albeit slowly. But, hey, I was driving and I felt pretty damn good about it.
Since then, the dread has been replaced by emotions that are more manageable. I wouldn’t say I’ve been exactly jumping up and down with excitement, but I’ve a little more confidence running through me as I sit in the car with Des O’Neill of Top Gear School of Motoring.
If I had learned anything between lessons, it is that I now know I can do this. Essentially, at my age, you just have to suck it up and do it.
My latest lesson began with a little pop quiz from the previous week. Des asked me before starting up what I needed to know and check before starting the car.
After looking at him blankly for a moment, I had to go into my Sherlock ‘mind palace’ for the answer, but I found it — handbrake up, gear in neutral and ensure no warning lights on display.
After a few minutes going over what I learned the previous week about getting the car moving off, we were indicating and pulling out onto a real road again.
Where I had been sweating at this moment previously, this week it felt a little more comfortable, a little more at ease. Not quite that I belonged, but certainly not an imposter.
Of course, Des made me feel entirely relaxed and talked me through what I was doing right and doing wrong and what I needed to watch for.
Today was the day for third gear. We had practiced moving gears from second to third and back to second. It’s really quite simple when the car is stationary and the engine switched off, but I was doing it for real now.
Like with everything when you are learning to drive, nothing beats being thrown in at the deep end and just cracking on with it.
I managed to successfully go up to third, drop down to second and back to first before going round a small bend before bringing it back up through the gears again.
While for first lessons, I focused exclusively on getting the car to move, this time I found I was able to pay attention more to my mirrors and the drivers around me. I’m becoming more relaxed and comfortable at the wheel. No bad thing for someone who had dreaded learning to drive so much.
I even managed a successful overtaking procedure, when a ‘sulkie’ pulled out in front of me on the road. Although, I doubt this was planned as something for my second lesson, Des quipped: “I always get this guy down here at this time”.
Although he was joking, I still had to pass him and managed it without a hitch.
So far, so good — no stalls, drive on.
To learn more: info@drivingschoolcork.com tel: 086-8182826
© Irish Examiner Ltd. All rights reserved
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