I had my first driving lesson today, and I was actually surprised at how I handled the car. I’m paying Rs.90 ($7.50) per lesson. It’s unbelievable how much I’ve already spent and I barely just started (in terms of cost of living in the country).
Theory: Rs 50 ($4.16)
Medical Test: Rs 350 ($29.10)
Learner’s Permit: Rs 250 ($20.79)
Road Tax: Rs 300 ($24.94)
5 Lessons (45 minutes each) in Advance : Rs 450 ($37.41)
Total = Rs 1400 ($116.40)
With the cost of fuel rising, the cost of driving is becoming more and more expensive. Almost outrageous in a way. My instructor asked me if I would like to pay for a package i.e. Rs 5000 ($415.72) for all my lessons until I get my driver’s license. But my friends have warned me against taking it because according to them it’s not necessary. So let’s just hope this instructor doesn’t cheat me.
Although I think it will be pretty obvious if I feel I already know how to drive and he’s still trying to teach me stuff that I already know.
I told him to teach me the very basics and to start from scratch. So that’s what he did today. He told me that as soon as I enter the car, I have to move the seat until I can comfortably reach all three pedals (clutch, brake and accelerator). I then have to fix the mirror at an angle where I can see the back of the car, and finally I have to put on my seat belt, and make sure that the front seat passenger (in this case, him) also wears their seat belt.
I drove barefooted, because he told me so. He told me that for the first day and/or second day, I will be driving barefooted.
If I remember correctly:
- step on the clutch all the way down
- move the stick shift on first gear
- put down the handbrake
- press down gently on accelerator and keep it on a steady rev
- gently release clutch
As you gently release clutch, the car will start moving. If you gently release accelerator (but not all the way) the car will move slower, and if you press harder on the pedal, the car will move faster.
Today I also started using the indicator. After turning in the direction of the indicator, while you’re re-aligning the steering wheel the indicator will reset. Now that’s something I didn’t know about.
The most interesting thing so far is how incredibly sensitive the accelerator is. It’s almost like just 1 millimeter of movement makes a difference in speed.
Might actually drive on the road tomorrow. Today I was ‘off road’ near the stadium where extreme beginners go and where learners do their of-road test.
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WYSIWYG! I'm a simple person trying to live the simplest life possible - it seems to be the most difficult thing to achieve! I'm an internet enthusiast and I've been a webmaster since early 2007. I like: blogging, developing sites using open source software, social media, computer games, '80s music, comedy & horror, animals, crunching on M&Ms peanut and Smarties!
