[RijuC]

Originally Posted by lordtottuu

So I have a bit of an odd confession to make (for a car forum): while I’m 32 years old and have owned cars for well over a third of my life, ....Am I a lost cause at 32?[/list]

Nope, not at all. I am one of the example (or sample, as my close friends call me!!). I am just 11 years older than you.

Owned a Zen Estilo from 2009-2014. But never really driven the car. Got license in Kolkata from Alipore RTO without even occupying driver's seat (no, it was not through agent, I went to examination venue, the officer called my name, did a "present please". But my instructor didn't dare to allow me on the steering).

In 2016 I was forced to buy a car once again, this time in Gurgaon (Swift petrol). Registered for a driving lesson once again, along with my wife. The instructor fellow took all fees in advance and dumped us in the midway! He just ran away to his native place. Disgusted, I employed a driver for my wife's daily commute. And I was happy with a friend ferrying me to the office. Once the rapid metro started, it was very convenient for us. And the car was mostly sitting idle.

Cut to 2020, I shifted to a new place in GGN, and the COVID lockdown started. From the first unlock season, office asked us to join back. Then I thought, this is the only chance I can try learning driving again. Asked a nearby agency for another lesson. This was my 3rd time learning driving. By that time I read TBHP forum, watched YouTube videos, and the Gurgaon roads were almost empty in last week of May. Requested the instructor that I'll learn the things in my own car for last few days. He suggested, you are almost OK theoretically. Hence I would suggest you take 1 hour season for last 4 days. That really helped me. I drove through the empty roads of my usual commutes, and on the last day took the NH8 from Hero Honda to Iffco Chawk and return.

Next day, I was good to go. Morning I started for office, keeping all the windows open, sweating profusely- may be it was due to 1st week of June or the tension build up (taking the empty Highway NH8 on the very first day). Reached office on 3rd gear. Others thrown some good words for me! During coffee break, my colleagues asked me to keep all windows closed and drive peacefully. While returning, it was a narrow and congested road near my society. Couldn't judge the left side and the left ORVM touched a youngman. I was on 2nd gear and was honking. But that fellow didnt move an inch. Gave him 500 Rs note and returned home somehow escaping the scene. My confidence became zero that night. Asked wife- should I go back to learning school again? Then I thought, ok, let's see tomorrow. Next day, it was simple. It took about 10-15 days to tame the C, B, A pedals, changing gears without looking at it, finding the blind areas, gauging ground clearance etc.

First week of August, I went to Jaipur (just after 2 months). It was one of easiest long route from Gurgaon. That was a booster dose. In September, went to Jodhpur. December last week went to Ranikhet. This was my first hill drive. This June went to Keylong also.

So, just do it. Don't wait any more. Drive safe, care for others. Read forum posts and gather knowledge. I must say, going though various treads, articles helped me a lot.

[headbanger]

Having road sense is more important and difficult than learning to drive itself.

As for manual cars, it takes a bit of muscle memory to develop. However, an auto is easier to pick. The key is to just drive more and more for the first few days. The more kms under the belt, the better muscle memory develops and the easier it becomes. There is a natural learning curve since driving is a new skill but the difference of picking driving at 32 versus 20 isn't that big. May be a week or a fortnight at Max.

But having road sense is of utmost importance. Which lane to use at what speeds, understanding the traffic patterns and you are good to go.

Wishing OP happy driving!!! You have an envious car to learn driving on.

[emkay.india]

Well, I'm not far off - I learned driving when I was 29 in 2009. Went to driving school and learned driving in Maruti 800 for 15 days. Bought my first car - a Swift vxi (which I still have) and started driving it without thinking much. On day one of driving it, did a nice big scratch on the left door sill. Also went to a hill station within the first 3 months with an L sticker still on.

My only suggestion - keep driving the car. Take it out for each and every excuse and you'll master it very soon. Happy driving

[mmmjgm]

Despite having an Indian license since 1989 and started to learn before that.

At the age of 44 I had to be "taught" driving for an overseas license. Having paid nearly 80k INR for the license over the "learning phases" of 2-4 months it helped me to get a scientific view of the learning and automobile driving process.

Result was that all 4 tests (excluding computer tests, that the first step) , be it informal or formal got a UAE license all at first attempts.

First was a yard test (this is what our final test in India is). You have to display proficiency in parking - parallel, angular and perpendicular to the road. Then is the ramp, which is a 30 degree incline. The inspector passed me on the ramp test alone.

Second came the "Kaccha" or preliminary test, which tests you in the neighbourhood gullies of residential areas in a city in the Middle East. You pass that, then comes the eligibility for the final test. The final test is on an arterial road, with traffic.

If you pass, you pay and get the license on the spot.

There was no automatic option, all test were given on manual driven cars.

[Nari01]

I learnt driving when I was 31 years old, in 2013, when I bought my first car( a Swift). I attended a driving school where I learnt a little bit. But mostly, it was my wife, who had already known driving by then, that helped me learn on our car.

I have not driven a lot since then, may be 10k kms over the last 8 years.

Along with all the changes that Corona has brought, it forced me to drive a lot more. I am a bit better at driving than earlier, but still there is a lot to learn!

I try to compensate for my relative lack of driving skill by driving sedately, being extra attentive at the wheel, being aware of vehicles around me at all times.

Finally, it's just a motor skill and you get better at by doing it a lot, with an attitude to learn.

[smileline]

Hi,

It’s never too late, for reference I learnt driving at the age of 32, my dad learnt his driving at 60. I knew how to drive and had my license at 20, but didn’t have a car of my own or in the family to practice driving and never dared to improve my skills on someone else’s car.

My dad bought a Maruti 800, (5 speed), with his retirement income only to get his new born grand daughter home in our own four wheeler. He got the license at 60.

Started practicing and improved my driving skills only in our own car in 2003.

Bought my own first car the Santro in 2007, and have changed multiple cars since then.

My dad started driving at 60, from Maruti 800, he graduated to Alto and now he drives his own torque converter 2018, Grand i10.


So it’s never too late.

[Jude300]

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?

I am currently training my wife (37 yrs) to drive the car and she is due for her license test next Tuesday. It has taken a little more than 2 months and nearly 2 to 3 days of practice a week. She has very little understanding of the mechanicals but has come along quite well.

So, as many have already mentioned age is not a problem, it is the mindset. I will leave a couple of tips

1. Find out a peaceful place to take your initial steps. If you get hold of the fundamentals right then it becomes easy. I chose a large housing layout in my hometown which is just developing. It has many streets to go around in and out and thinly populated. You can concentrate on getting your fundamentals right and not worry too much about traffic.

2. Once you pass stage one then take wide roads early in the morning and as you progress get to narrower ones and during busier parts of the day. The key in stage 2 is keep trying what you are least comfortable with. The more you do the quicker you will master. I have trained my aunt earlier and have seen it in my wife as well, they tend to get in to the comfort zone in stage 2 and don't push themselves to try the difficult manoeuvres.

[srvm]

Originally Posted by lordtottuu

So I have a bit of an odd confession to make (for a car forum): while I’m 32 years old and have owned cars for well over a third of my life, I’ve never formally learnt how to drive or driven more than a few metres. My only actual driving experiences have been taking my beemer around, very tentatively, at 5kmph on a private road.
........
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?

Dear lordtottuu,
Its certainly not too late for you. Many BHPians have said the same from their own experiences. If it helps, here is my experience.

I learned to ride a 2-wheeler (self-learning), got 2-wheeler license and bought my first bike (Activa) at the age of 30 (when I belatedly realized that I will need atleast a bike since we were starting a family).

Learned to drive a car (through driving school), got LMV license and bought a car (first car in my family) at the age of 36 (realized the need to travel as a family of five). Since then clocked about 51,000kms in it.

If I can do it, so can you and anybody else. Good luck

[SulemanP]

Bro it’s never too late, i started driving at 34 on my first car Santro Zipdrive that too after i bought it, 2nd hand indeed. In all I may have driven just about 40-45K kms, so not much in terms of clocking kms but I am a sedate driver and I never try to be an enthusiast on the road. Take it easy on yourself and keep driving as much as possible.

[Lord-Lannister]

I actually feel what OP is feeling.

As someone who actually drove the family's first car, Verna, almost a decade back when I was freshly minted 18 year old in college. Somewhere down the line, I just stopped and as the family had a chauffeur service on the daily, the need for it became less and less. Afterwards, I was out in England for a while and once I came back. My driving experience is now down to almost zero with a few stints here and there in the parking lot.

I'm actually terrified of driving on the highway, with my only real experience in South Bombay roads. I'm ashamed to say, I have never gone past Mahim to Bandra area over fear of the rowdy autos and bikes. At 28 years old, and a newly married guy. I think it's about time to start learning again before I opt for a new car. Embarrassing? Yes! Am I gonna do it anyway with a L sticker in the back? Yes to that too!

It's the battle of the mind, the fear and anxiety that something will go wrong that kept me back all these years ago. I haven't won the war, but I'm winning a few battles here and there with a very supportive partner.

I honestly wish you good luck OP, slow and steady as she goes but one day we are bound to conquer.

P.s - With the newer cars having varied a range of tech inside, I believe now more than ever, it should get easier with automatic gearboxes and parking sensors all over.

[luvDriving]

Well I learnt at age 28 when I decided to buy a car and that too in my friend's premier padmini. We used to take the car out early morning or late night and bit by bit I gathered the courage to drive. So 32 is not at all a late age. You are in the prime age with good reflexes.( I assume)

I also remember pressing on the accelerator instead of the brake when I panicked once. Some things to remember while learning:

1. People will try to honk wildly to try and get you out of the way when they see the L board. Do no get flustered.
2. Keep calm and try to move at the traffic pace.
3. Keep calm and don't stop driving.

[KGS]

Such a great and honest post. Well articulated.

Around 8 years ago, I was in similar kind of situation where I was happy roaming on Pune roads on my Pulsar 180. By that time I was experienced biker and had already done some trips like Pune- Mumbai - Pune overnight.

But once I got married, Car became a necessity. I had no experience of owning or driving a car. I enrolled for a driving class, took 4-5 lessons and thought I was near perfect driver. Instructor was always controlling car, I was merely handling the steering that too with Instructor's input. This realisation came to me later.

So anyway, I bought my new car. Scratched the front bumper on day 1 while reversing car from my parking. Such a heart breaking moment, I couldn't eat or sleep properly that night. Luckily my friend who was actually a great driver, pushed me to drive more and learn. With his inputs and help I started driving slowly on congested Pune roads (Pune people can understand my plight of driving in Hinjewadi traffic).

For the first day when I was taking my car to Hinjewadi office , I was so much scared that I can't explain. But it helped me to learn the finer nuances of driving and certainly the more I drove, the better driver I became. Now I have driven in 2 separate continents and with my longest trip of over 2600 kms covered in 4 days with ample sight seeing included.

Welcome to the club at the young age of 32. Wish you million miles of happy driving. Take care , stay safe and keep driving.

[navinkamath4657]

Originally Posted by lordtottuu

So I have a bit of an odd confession to make (for a car forum): while I’m 32 years old and have owned cars for well over a third of my life, I’ve never formally learnt how to drive or driven more than a few metres. My only actual driving experiences have been taking my beemer around, very tentatively, at 5kmph on a private road.

I didn’t have a dad around to teach me early in my life and the older I got, the more anxious I became of learning to drive or driving itself. Overwhelmed is the word I would use to express how I’d felt.

I’ve always had a chauffeur as being insulated from having to deal with the general nuisance on our roads was something I was happy to pay for.

Enter an unprecedented pandemic. The world as I knew it had been upended — nothing really made sense anymore. All three cars sat in the garage while the wife and I would carpool with our neighbors on their weekly supermarket run. As things started settling down, it dawned on me just how reliant I had become on having someone to drive me around.

As my wife had been driving years prior, she took over driving duties with the implicit understanding that I would learn soon, even if just for emergencies. After months of hemming and hawing, here I am. I started classes to learn how to drive stick last week and am about six classes in. While I understand an internal combustion engine and all the theory and science behind it, actually operating one myself has been a very revealing experience.

Before you ask, yes, I stalled the engine more than once and did tap the gas pedal when I intended to brake. With the initial nervousness gone, I’m now merely doing my best at getting my muscle memory right. I realised I do much better when I’m chatting with the instructor and letting my nascent muscle memory do the work instead of gripping the wheel and allowing myself to over-analyse myself into a spiral.

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?

Hi Lordtottuu,

Some wise man has said, " Only Two things are constant in Life - Change and Learning, the day both these things end living your life to the fullest ends.
So dont give a damn for the years behind u, think of the years ahead and how you can spend each day driving those beautiful machines on some beautiful roads to some beautiful destinations with beautiful people making your life much more beautiful.

Happy Motoring

[pradeepkc]

I guess driving wasn't something you were passionate about growing up, which is okay.

I would pester every one of my Dad's employee and relative to give me their 2 wheeler. Started off with the mopeds, from Suvega, Luna, Hero Puch, TVS 50 and even a Mofa! Geared 2 wheelers wasn't too bad after I got a hang of the clutch (I managed to dump a brand new Bajaj scooter in a gutter the first time I drove a geared vehicle. I walked out without a scratch on me, can't say that about the scooter. Lol!). I thought I could pull off learning a car on my own just like the 2 wheelers, but boy was I so wrong. I learnt the clutch release in our driveway with mom's car when mom dad would be out. I even convinced dad to let me drive on a deserted Highway, which went well. But as soon as I hit traffic and an uphill, that's when reality set in. Took another 3 months of driving to get a hang of it. It just comes down to actual time behind the wheel that trains you. And the best way for me was to practice alone, I couldn't focus with constant verbal input. Just pick playgrounds and isolated roads to practice on, although both might be hard to find now given the population density in the cities compared to mid 90s.

[Raghav_Agarwal]

I was always passionate about cars while growing up. Finally after my class 10 board exams I enrolled myself in a driving school. Ofcourse the teacher was reluctant at first but seeing my enthusiasm and my constant pestering he agreed. So I used to learn driving from the training school in the morning and used to practice in our own car in the evening with our driver by my side.
It took me a month to muster the confidence to drive alone and I have never looked back after that.
My advice: Don't get demotivated or nervous because of initial scratches or dents. Every newbie has to face these. Just spend more time with your sweet ride and you will be fine.