[edunata]

Hi landmaster18, my experience is very much similar to you. I myself learned to drive at the age of 45. Got my driving license at the age of 45, and bought my first car at that age.

Some of my friends discouraged me saying that at this age my eyesight has became poor, my hand eye co-ordination has became slow. But in last 6 years I have more than 45000 KMs of driving experience in India and abroad (Yes, I have also driven a left hand drive car on right hand side road in Europe). My drive experience includes numerous hill drive trips.

Regarding the car brand, my preference would be a small Maruti. It is a 'fill it, shut it and forget it' experience for me with my Maruti hatchback.

So, don't be scared, go ahead and achieve your dream !

[Thyag]

First & Foremost - loads of appreciation goes for your truthfulness & willingness to learn a new thing.

Take driving classes till you get your own car, don't leave a gap between training sessions & driving your own car. No advises from me regarding driving - you will learn everything fast, when you are in a metro city.

Finally, get yourself an Automatic "Jimny ". I am not going to go into the details of "why". Many have mentioned Alto, Altroz, Fronx, Etc; drive these cars and then drive the Jimny - you will know the "why". Happy miles ahead for you & family

[Indraneel Bhat]

Originally Posted by landmaster18

Will therefore request you to please answer this, keeping these sensitivities in mind.

Hello. This is one of the safest and well moderated forums on the internet, especially in India. So when he is comfortable get him to become a member.

Disclaimer - I am only a BHPian and don't work for the forum.

My advice?
1. Practise makes man perfect. So he should be out driving everyday at normal speed. Mistakes will happen, but they should serve as a learning curve and should not instill fear of driving.
2. Let him take as many practise runs with a driving school, if possible
3. A smaller car like the Alto should be fine as a first car.
4. Safety features like ABS, EBD, airbags should definitely be there even if it is a smaller car.

[JojyKerala]

My dad learnt driving in the UAE in his early 40s. He struggled on Dubai roads and was bullied by faster cars. As kids, it was a struggle watching him be cautious and wary of other more experienced drivers.

He is now retired and driving an automatic in India. I would say he still hasn't mastered the art of driving completely, especially taking reverses.

My suggestions for your friend would be to:

- Buy a new/used no-fuss automatic Maruti
- Hire an experienced instructor to make him more confident of driving on Indian roads

[d3v15]

There is nothing to be ashamed of or being judged. You are learning a new set of skills. My father learned driving at the age of 48, and since last 15 years he has been driving all kind of different vehicles be it hatchbacks, sedans or SUVs very confidently.

As it will be your first car, i would highly recommend to get a a sub - 4 compact SUV, like a Venue or Sonet, you would be much comfortable driving due to their visibility ease (I feel that's very important for newbies confidence) and drivability.

Best of luck for your purchase.

[bijims]

There is absolutely nothing to worry about here, there are thousands who learn to drive late, my uncle learned to drive at 44 and my mom learned to drive at 42, it's just the initial few weeks after which he will surely get the hang of it, he may not be perfect but he will more than manage himself on the road, to add to the convenience, get a small car, preferably a compact SUV or a raised hatchback (for the ground clearance and commanding view of the road).

We had a Kwid AMT (not the best option, but considering the price it's a good car) and a Sonet Diesel AT (great car) to learn driving in and now they easily drive much bigger and better cars.

[Kar_Om]

Originally Posted by landmaster18

[*] Should I practice a bit more in driving schools before I bought my own car?

My suggestion would be as you finalize the car and the car delivery date is nearby, again enroll in driving school so that you won't be short of driving practice when you start driving your own car. Once you get your car, you can request the driving school instructor to accompany you for short drives, which will help you to overcome initial nervousness if any.

My suggestion is from my personal experience, where one month before car delivery i enrolled in driving school as a refresher course.

[Briarean]

I can understand the situation that your friend is facing. I went through it some time back. The below suggestions are from my personal experience and were provided here earlier as well.

1. Get a new automatic car.

• New – because he is new to this skill and maintaining a used car needs a little bit more understanding. Moreover, he does not have to worry about the car’s health and repairs.
• Automatic – as it reduces the driving burden to almost 50-60%. He can concentrate more on the road & traffic than on clutch & gearshifts. Automatic is always better for your health and your future driving experience.

2. Size of the car and ADAS safety features:
If your friend wishes to own a big car then he should specifically learn to drive a similar sized vehicle. This is because, during the learning phase, his trainer can assist him in deducing the dimensions of the vehicle and navigating it accordingly. Do not learn to drive in a small car and then transition into a big vehicle immediately. For a new driver, your mind needs time to adjust itself to assume the dimensions of the car.

ADAS is good but he should use it only when he is experienced enough in driving a car without ADAS. As it will interfere with the driving and unless he is aware of it, he will not be able to judge it properly, especially in the disorderly city traffic.

3. Safety Precautions: As others mentioned above, start with defensive driving and try to enhance that skill. The initial phase of driving will always be chaotic. In that phase, the first thing he should be mindful of is to have his gaze switch around the rearview mirror and both ORVMs. Next to learn is to avoid panic as soon as he hears a horn and face the situation calmly.

4. The initial driving training should be from a reputable driving school. There he should ask the trainer to take him into traffic jams, narrow roads, and highways where he could get real experience. The panic when cars and bikes overtake you (both from your left and right side!), or buses and trucks come from behind is something you will need to experience. You feel more confident when you have an expert with you during these situations. These trainers also help/ prepare you in case of any confrontation with other commuters.

I suggest taking 1-hour classes for at least 25-30 days. The cost will be on the higher side, but it will ensure that he gets comprehensive training. Tell him to take his time and make sure he has sufficient on-road driving experience. The 5-10 days classes are only to get the license.

5. Once he gets the new car, have the same trainer ride with him, for a couple of days (15-20 days). A car from driving school is totally different from the car you own. Once he understands the dimensions of his car and its driving dynamics, he will be confident in driving it. Driving his own car with complete control of it should be an experience that he should cherish rather than be anxious. Moreover, in case of emergencies, the trainer will have access to the handbrake. Having a trainer during the initial days will also negate the minor errors that can cause big repairs!!!

Peace of mind, ease of driving, memorable experiences, and the safety of the family… All are priceless. Never compromise on these.

[Neeru]

Originally Posted by landmaster18

What should be my first car? I live in New Delhi. Should it be a small car like the Hyundai i10 or a slightly bigger car like the Hyundai Venue or the Mahindra 3XO? I am looking to buy a car soon - preferably one with an automatic gear shifter.

I would recommend you to get a small old car for 6 months or a brand new small Maruti suzuki car and learn to drive perfectly on it rather than damaging a brand new expensive car with wrong driving techniques. I would recommend you to learn to drive on a manual car since it is very very easy to drive a manual car and I'm sure you will enjoy it more than automatic car.

Originally Posted by landmaster18

Should I also buy a car with ADAS? Will it help me since I have never driven in city traffic.

ADAS wont even work in our traffic condition

Originally Posted by landmaster18

What kind of special safety precautions should I exercise and be mindful of?

Don't drive alone till the time you are not confident about your driving skills. Tell your friend/family member who knows driving to accompany you while you are learning.

Originally Posted by landmaster18

Should I practice a bit more in driving schools before I bought my own car?

As per my experience, driving school instructors never want us to learn driving in our single attempt(Session). They only give control of steering without even teaching the basics of driving. Since they wont earn well if everybody learns to drive easily.

[MAMOTH]

You can learn at any age, My wife learnt driving at age of 36 and she manuvere’s our Altis nicely.

Size of the car never matters, even I use thought earlier that if you have learnt driving on swift then you should practice on swift. But the size of the car never matters.

My wife learnt driving at Toyota driving school it boosted her confidence. She had driving license from past 2 years but never had confidence. There driving lessons helped her if it’s available there you can try those also.

[landmaster18]

Friends and mods, want to revive this thread and I also wanted to provide a quick update so far! There was arguably a lot of radio silence - my friend had developed cold feet and was overwhelmed. It took me a lot of cajoling to help convince him that he was doing this for his family and not necessarily for himself. I used the holiday break to do that to him! And a part of it also involved me telling him about the communty support, so a big thanks to this forum too

So this is what had transpired after the talk - he now plans to enroll into a Maruti Driving School as a first step.

But he has the following following questions he would like to ask, to start wih.

1. How to be mentally prepared for learning to drive at 40+? he also asks if how to be more alert while driving? Especially in bumper to bumper traffic where there is a big chance of nicking somebody (from what I understand, he has this big fear of being confronted)

2. Should he start on a manual or an automatic? Also, should his 1st car be an EV? (from what I understand, he is also bothered about putting down a lot of money for his 1st car, and he has told me pretty clearly that he would like to only buy a 1st hand car).

These are some starting questions but I am pretty sure he will have more to ask as the thread progresses. Againm thank you so much on his behalf too!