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Driving without insurance?
I'm 18 and currently want to start learning to drive but want to get abit of practise in before I start paying an absolute fortune for lessons.
My dad has an automatic ford focus and to insure me it would mean changing his insurance company as the post office don't take on learners.
We know someone with private land and wondered would I be able to drive on it without any problems, my dad would be with me but I just want to learn the basics like mirrors and actually how a car works before I go to a teacher.
Thanks
My dad has an automatic ford focus and to insure me it would mean changing his insurance company as the post office don't take on learners.
We know someone with private land and wondered would I be able to drive on it without any problems, my dad would be with me but I just want to learn the basics like mirrors and actually how a car works before I go to a teacher.
Thanks
0
Comments
Don't forget if you pass on an auto you only get a license for autos.
I ready knew that but I just don't want to turn up to my first lesson and have a melt down as I haven't got the foggiest about how a car works
I think you are right. Some basic car control experience off road pays dividends. I learn't to drive off road when i was 15. When it came to driving on the road I could concentrate on the road and not on the car.
Still would be good to get some time on a manual off road* if your on road lessons are going to be on a manual. Driving an auto is very different.
*If you can and if you want a full license.
Edit - you can still do that can't you?
If the op is added to the insurance yes. But as the op says the post office don't insure learner drivers so the dad would have to move insurance companies to one that do.
As others have said, if it's a field, car park or estate which only you have access to then not a problem, absolutely legal to drive on there without licence or insurance.
The main advantage with having a few private lessons before hitting your proper lessons would be learning about biting point - you won't get that in an automatic and it's a fairly big thing.
My OH and I went there a couple of times when he was learning; he said it was invaluable.
The only proviso is that you must have a qualified driver with you.
Cardrome
Re-training your brain is very difficult to do!
I really wouldn't worry about turning up for a lesson and not knowing how a car works, I have been driving for years, passed the test first time and still don't know how a car works
I'm sure there must be books that you could get which explains what happens under the bonnet
The only good thing with an automatic that you can practice on private land is things like, reverse parking, turning in the road (was called a 3 point turn in my day) and things like that. Hill starts, roundabouts, emergency breaking etc an automatic won't really be a help and may even give you a false sense of security.
As mentioned by several people, the land has to closed off meaning access has to be controlled. You can't use supermarket/industrial estate car parks just because they are empty in the evenings / weekends.
That cardrome place looks interesting, specifically setup for people like OP,
http://drivecardrome.com/index.html
I was just about to chip in with this! I know Aviva definitely do learner's insurance for £25 a day (my husband is learning to drive) which is pretty good considering my lessons were £25 for an HOUR.
He's 18. I'm sure he can pick it up.
At least with the auto, he will get the feel of steering, mirrors etc, the very basic building blocks.
Quite correct. I know someone done for drink driving while moving their car on what they thought was private land.
To be fair the whole point of your first lesson is to find out how the car works. ;-)
However some practice beforehand doesn't hurt, but don't think that driving a manual is anywhere near as easy to learn as driving an auto. With a manual there is always a lot going on at one time which is why they're harder to drive when you first start learning.
As long as that piece of land isn't classed as a public place. Tesco's car park is private land, but it's a public place and driving on it without a licence or insurance is an offence.
Did not realist that was still going. Taught a couple of friends the basics on there years back. The hill is especially useful to learn clutch control.
i think most people would say learning clutch and gear controls in a manual is the most tricky part of learning to drive.
http://www.collingwoodlearners.co.uk/WD110AWP/WD110Awp.exe/CONNECT/LearnerDrivers