[M A D over CARS]

Originally Posted by lordtottuu

[*]How did you learn how to drive? And from whom?[*]What tips and advice do you have for folks learning to drive much later in their lives? Am I a lost cause at 32?

1) In a Maruti 800. Always start with vehicles with less power. I was taught to drive when i was in 5th grade by my Uncles and Father (Only on private roads and properties with no one else around me). It started with my father explaining the C B A configuration and then about the seatbelts, handbrake, gear lever, Steering wheel and I practised under their supervision for about 2 months during the summer vacation. I am currently 16, and now have graduated to SUVs ( Still not on public roads)

2) Not really, My dad was 35 when he learnt driving in 2011 . My grandma who is currently in her late 60s learnt driving very recently. So no you are not a lost cause

[AKSarkar1]

Just because you are 32 doesn't mean you are 'late' by any standards. I know people who have started to drive in their early 60s post-retirement because they couldn't afford a car all their lives. While 18 is the minimum age, there is no age limit after which you become a 'late learner'. I vehemently believe that there are no age limits to learn crucial life skills such as driving.

I learned to drive in my society compound since I was around 14 but made it a point to never ever go on Public roads where such practices are restricted. However, when I turned 18 I found out that knowing how to drive was just the tip of the ice-berg. 'Actually' driving on Indian roads are a completely different deal which just knowing the theory/practical will not help with. So it took me a year and a half after I turned 18 to actually 'learn' how to drive on Indian roads keeping my safety and best interests in mind!


It is great to see that you had the courage to come out and speak about this on the forum. I'm sure you will find all the support and motivation from TeamBHP to help you on this exciting new journey. Best of luck and let us know how it goes!

[1.2TSI7DSG]

Originally Posted by lordtottuu

1. How did you learn how to drive? And from whom?
2. What tips and advice do you have for folks learning to drive much later in their lives? Am I a lost cause at 32?

1. I learned to drive from a driving school. almost 12 years ago there were only the local ones. I made it a point to learn on a Manual Steering Manual gear vehicle (think the car was very old Santro then). Today you can try out Maruti Driving schools if you think that they are better. You can also try out personal trainers if you already have the license etc (which the driving school's help is a boon if you don't want to spend much time with the RTO)

2. Please note you are not a lost cause. In the era where cars were luxury, my own dad learned to drive at the age of 35 and then mom at the age of 40. So there is no bad age to learn. My only tip would be to learn to control the car. Don't compete with the other fellows, and have tremendous patience with people who think that they were born with a driving code inbuilt.

[gollabhat]

Originally Posted by lordtottuu

So as we end this, I have two questions:

1. How did you learn how to drive? And from whom?
2. What tips and advice do you have for folks learning to drive much later in their lives? Am I a lost cause at 32?

1. I learnt driving at a driving class with a very patient instructor.

2. Absolutely not. I for one, was not allowed to learn to drive untill i was able to afford a car on my own (we had a car at home ever since i was born). It's been about 9 years that i learnt to drive, & have driven approx. 2Lac kms amongst the 3 cars i have owned till date. Everyone has their own journey & so do you. Run your own race.

[petrogeek]

Hi Lordtottuu,

Its never to late for anything and i say again, anything!. Like everything else when we learn a new skill, all it takes is patience and keep practicing. It may seem daunting at first but as many other members in the forum will attest you will get the hang of it eventually.

As for me personally, i remember starting to learn the ropes around 13 -14 years of age, albeit not on public roads but on off beaten roads on a rickety ambassador the one where the gear shift was on the steering column!. I also got to learn on the good old Mahindras of the 1970's and 1980's vintage!. Since the terrain back in my place is hilly, learning on these machines which were basic but rugged honed my skills i suppose. Hill start stop was a breeze after i got the hang of it.

Wishing you many enjoyable drives once you get confident and ready to roll!

[aneesh2M]

I started driving at the age of 18 (would have loved to before that but parents were strict and sensible enough not allow me to)
@lordtottuu, honestly there is no age to learn driving. as long as one can physically and mentally is fit and willing to do it one can start at any stage in life. I wonder how much will you enjoy it though as you have decided to drive as a need then a desire or a liking. wish your need turns in to love and you get many happy Kms with your cars.

[ObsessedByFIAT]

To begin with, age is just a number and it's never too late to put your foot down and stand up to do the right thing!
You are on the right track and may I caution you, once you get a hang of driving and start enjoying it, you would spend way more time on road than you anticipate today!

As for me, where and when did I start to drive?
I was mostly on my own. Whenever I got an opportunity to try hands in one of my friends car, I won't let it go.
I could only gain confidence of driving alone once I got my own car. I was around 24 years old at that time. Though I could drive fairly well independently, but not without an experienced driver sitting next to me.

I only have one small piece of advice, always be a defensive driver. When in doubt, slow down / stop, making sure you are not blocking someone else's path.

[asbshyam]

I learnt driving when I was 29, my dad learnt driving when he was 60. I wanted to drive as it considered it to be an essential skill and hated to be dependent on drivers/apps. I also gather immense pleasure from riding a motorbike, and was/is hoping to derive some of that pleasure from driving as well. Find what motivates you, that may help drive your learning.

Also, for me to learn driving, I did this - I drove my car from my apartment through my neighborhood, back to my apartment. It was a 5KM circuit that I drove religiously for over 6 months till I got a grip over the car and roads. I tried emergency braking, downshifting, accelerating, coasting and all that I could think of in this period. Practice helped me learn. It also helped my case that I rid my bike in all possible conditions, so I knew what to expect in the road, of the weather and the traffic. All the best. It is possible, just keep at it.

[crazy42]

Sharing my learning experience at age of 30-31.

Tldr: learnt because I was not able help my family and biking experience helped me. Taught my wife too later. Have some suggestions at the end.

To start off, right out the college, I did not like the idea of a car, motorbike was more my taste and passion. 5 years in lot of cousins and friends had started purchasing cars and driving them, while I used to go on bike trips solo or with friends. Most of them got married over time and group rides reduced. There was a time when most of cousins took a car and I used to bring my bike for tours or dine outs. For any trips for me or my parents to airports or railway stations, it was either a cab or a cousin coming to help.

This was like a late wake-up call, at age of 30. I asked my cousin and friends to teach me, and as usual they were very helpful and started my driving. That is when I realised bike driving helped with car as well. Many face problems with gear shifting but I got comfortable with it soon, changing gears without looking. My cousin have his car to ride on an empty road giving me position suggestions and helping me judging the width. And the most helpful training was in an empty ground doing 8, or going like a snake, to get used to steering, rotating it fast and being able to judge when vehicle is level with the road.

Since then I had been booking zoom cars and driving around the city, in slow traffic, at weird turnings, slopes, on fast roads etc..These helped me build my confidence. That is not not say I did not have any incidents, infact had 2. The very first, when reversing, I scraped the bumper of my brother in law's car to a pillar in basement, and 2 I hit a lady on an narrow road (not justifying ) with the right mirror. But I think these helped me grow and learn. I am more confident with the cars now. Acquired permanent licence after all these heroics, though the driving test was very underwhelming, more like a test to judge if I know ingress, egress and seat belt.

Anyway since then have driven more zoom cars, different sizes, did test drives, drove a 15 year old Alto with 5 in the car slowly negating big speed bumps. Did a medium long drive (~150km) with my wife on a gearless Ertiga, once even with severe headache, successfully. I'm totally at wrong here, and opened my eyes second time. I had suggested my wife to learn to drive. This time I donned the role of a motivator. She had taken driving lessons long before me and acquired a permanent license, but was very afraid and lacked confidence to drive in traffic. So booked a gearless zoom swift(she is used to scooty, though she does ride my geared bike now and then), forced her into driving seat and just gave her basic suggestions on lane discipline and judging the width. She did a 4-5 km lap and by then she was grinning ear to ear and made calls to all in the immediate family to share the achievement She was 28 at this time.

Some points from my driving experiences:

• Starting with obvious, maintain distance between you and vehicle before you, even when stopped. This helps controlling collateral when someone does hit you from behind.

• Working with gear lever: Do not be confused with operating with gear. For disabling a gear just nudge it out, take time and decide a gear and slowly take it to that.

• Do not rev the engine too much initially, ~2.5k rpm, for a gear change should be good.

• Always keep buffer distance from sides.

• Don't worry about the others honking on the road and do something in a hurry.

• While changing lanes, always give indicator and check your mirrors.

• Put practice into steering and levelling your vehicle - always helps.

• Generally don't worry about bikers overtaking from sides, I generally leave it to their judgement that they don't hit my car.

Sorry for the long post.

[amitayu]

32 is not late at all for learning to drive!
Any thing beyond 40 would perhaps be a bit of a concern.

What really matters is how well your reflexes are and how you react under pressure. Driving is around 80% easy cruising and 20% avoiding "Oh Shit!" moments. Again, how much of "Oh Shit" moments you have depends on your local traffic, but in India it is always on the higher side. The real trick is being wary even when things are going easy and lazy, because you never know when a bike might swerve in, or a guy decides to spring across the road, or the likes!

A good way to learn driving is to enjoy it. Don't see it as a chore and it will be easier to adopt. Engage with the car, the engine, how the car behaves. Get acquainted with the machine and its quirks and very soon you will develop a bond with it.

For the records, I learned driving in an old Amby just after my Class 10 boards, from a local taxi driver who doubled up as our part-time chauffer. I learned all the wrong tricks, all the hacks of beating traffic, with barely any information about the numerous traffic signals one needs to memorize for the driving test. Needless to say, passing the driving test was based on our age-old Indian formula of "ratta maarna" or plain memorizing stuff just the night before the exam.

[Nature&Me]

I can definitely suggest:
1) you will need to observe a lot and pay attention to each detail.
Observe your friends, driver and no YouTube videos. Try to learn those things where you feel you are not good or feel difficulty.
With practice, you will come to know good and bad practices on your own and will start to follow them.
2) Try with manual transmission, try to understand the vehicle, power, feel to the pedals. Observe your actions. Make mistakes
3) PPP (Practice, Patience and Perseverance).

Age is just a number if you have a passion for driving.

[Gabbar010487]

Originally Posted by lordtottuu

1. How did you learn how to drive? And from whom?
2. What tips and advice do you have for folks learning to drive much later in their lives? Am I a lost cause at 32?

1. My father once casually asked me while on a drive "Chalayega ???" and I said yes. So that was the first time I drove a car or should I say tried driving a car, it was our Maruti 800 and I was way before I attained legal driving age.

2. You can easily learn to drive at any age, I know many people who started very late(in their late 20s, 30s) and are good at it. Just be confident.

[ChandraSekarMN]

As many have already mentioned, it's never late. Learning to drive too-early has its own advantages and disadvantages, similar to late Learning.

If this may help, last year a close friend of mine, started Learning a 4 wheeler after buyng his new Hector Plus when he was 34 already. Even the fear of denting / scratching the new car in Chennai traffic didn't defer him. So it's mainly about interest.

Also for majority of Indians in my generation (I am 36 now), car affordability by parents was remote and most of us are 1st Gen car owners, naturally Learning driving around late twenties is the most common phenomenon.

[jithin23]

Age doesn't matter if you are passionate or interested in learning to drive. It's a step in the right direction.

I observed people older than me drive a car and I always used to sit next to the bus driver while on a bus journey before I could get my license. Then I used to do mock driving in a parked car and I used to play driving games too for more confidence. Then I started driving an XUV500 extensively before I could get the EcoSport home. As you pile up kilometres and cover different geographies, you will certainly gain confidence.

One tip is to gauge the lines on the road through the ORVM and to overtake, if you can see the headlight of the vehicle in the mirror, then you can overtake with ease. This judgment will come over time though.

The only weak spot for me was starting the car on an incline without rolling back and it took me quite sometime to get a hold of it. Nowadays if on a road trip, I'm the one who drives the maximum distance.and it's been 7 years since I received my Driver's license.

[JoshMachine]

32 is not late at all to start driving, mate.

I was 17 when I first held a steering wheel to start driving.
No one around in the family to coach or teach me. Got myself enrolled in a Maruti training school. And the rest is history, as they say!

So much so, that my parents then derived the much needed confidence and got behind the wheel themselves