Driving lessons - where and when?


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In took my first driving lessons in a Viva. with Trent Driving school on Arkwright street in 1970.

6 lessons cost me £7.10/0d, a weeks wages for me in those days.

(I think Trent later moved to Highbury Road Bulwell.)

My instructor left, and I got someone who had just passed his test, who was more interested in talking about my DJing activities than teaching me. so I moved to 'Stocks' who were on, I think, the city end of Goldsmith Street at that time. In the window they had a large model of a car chassis with working parts. The Old instructor (Ellis Wiser) I got was brilliant, (with the triumph toledo like car)

I had 6 lessons with Trent, + one with their new instructor, When I moved to Stocks I had one lesson with Ellis, who told me I needed no more lessons before my test day. I had one lesson before the test, and then went out on my test to pass first time (West Bridgeford, Central Ave, I think)

Not Bad 7 lessons and pass first time?

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Bridges School of Motoring...my next door neighbour, in Watnall. I was 18, 1975. Had 6 lessons, then off to Chalfont Drive for the test, and passed first time despite going through a red light. The ex

A few more lessons needed

I had driving lessons with a Driving Instructor who smoked like a chimney. Before I sat at the steering wheel I always gave the car mat beneath the driver's seat a real good shake - if I'd have thoug

Good result that Mick

I thought I did well on just 16 lessons. The first ten in a Datsun Cherry and the next six in a Toyota Starlet (Which, as part of my lesson I had to drive to Long Eaton to collect (in his old motor)and drove it back to Carlton before the instructor,(forget his name Dave something ) got his hands on it)

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Now,this is perfectly true. I was really poor as a student,so my lessons were in an A40 which belonged to a girlfriend`s dad. I had a final `tune up 'with BSM and failed miserably. 3 further tune-ups with BSM followed by the obligatory failures.On the 5th attempt we were going through Basford and the examiner told me to take the next left,which I did. As a result we ended up having a tour of a Brewery! The examiner was so embarassed he passed me,otherwise I would still be taking the test.

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1979. Tasmania, Australia, I decided that I needed a drivers license URGENT!! No public transport, so booked lessons with a lady in Queenstown, about 15 miles south of Zeehan where I was living after I'd arrived.

She told me due to the distance I'd have to have a minimum of two hours to make her time worthwhile. She arrived on the Saturday morning as arranged and she took me out of town, pulled over and we changed over. After a couple of minutes, she said "Oh you can drive" Yep, just need lessons to pass test!

Two hours up and she said I was ready! She went into the local police station with me, they take you for a test in country areas, and we booked for the following Saturday at mid day. I arranged one more two hour lesson just to knock any "rough edges off". So went from a lesson to the test, passed 100% and was issued my first full license.

That was in a Ford Escort.

I had to take another test in California, past the written 100% and practical 98% That was in our new Suburu Station Waggon.

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I already had a motorcycle license, and had been driving my sister's A30 around the block for about a year, so mum & dad let me have lessons (cheaper) in dad's Austin Cambridge. After the first lesson the instructor told me to apply for the test. I had four more lessons and passed first time!

Taken one more since then - in Colorado. It was only a driving test - in an automatic. It took all of 10 minutes, and really was a joke!

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At least i don't have to worry 'bout me no claims bonus as I don't bovver wi insurance either !cheers!

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Those were the days. More important to keep the boiler stoked with coal than worrying about emergency stops and such!

Passed all my tests first time too - motorcycle, car and airplane!

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I got my PPL first attempt too Eric Courtesy of the Air Training Corps

16 hours solo for my licence and not one since,1977 to be precise, so go on let me have a go in your plane before you flog it ,eh!

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I got my PPL first attempt too Eric Courtesy of the Air Training Corps

16 hours solo for my licence and not one since,1977 to be precise, so go on let me have a go in your plane before you flog it ,eh!

Sure - come on over! Our AVGas is cheaper than your petrol!

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  • 1 month later...

I also had my first 'proper' driving lessons with Stocks, 1972 and it could possibly have been with the same instructor as it was in a Triumph Toledo ( red I think) he was a smashing bloke and just let me drive where I wanted to whilst he tried to pick winning osses in the paper !

I had a part time job which paid 30p an hour, made me £4 a week, £2 for a driving lesson and £2 savings towards a car, I passed first time and bought a second hand Austin 1100 !cheers!

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  • 8 months later...

The driving school in Arnold that was recommended to me was full up so suggested this other chap to call, also from Arnold.

He could fit me in and so I started my driving lessons on the Friday teatime. He turned up in a MK1 Escort. Weren’t 1970’s car basic now I look back?

He was great. So laid back and unflustered. Smoked like a kipper mind you!

Loads of good driving tips from a master as we drove along. During this time the miners’ strike and the power cut were taking place so inevitably there was lots of driving on unlit roads and the fun of working with the other motorists where the traffic lights were out.

I failed my first driving test though a combination of nerves, this very big bloke doing the test that was sat next to me and the rain which contributed to the windows steaming up all round.

Not a great day’s work. Did better on the second attempt and passed.

My instructor thought I was good enough to drive on the motorway so I booked a session without the L plates and fittings.

It’s a different world on the M1 when you’re that new to driving but I know I learnt the then motorway procedures that many other drivers could do with today.

.

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Started in 1962 at a driving school at bottom of Woodborough road. Think it was city and district or something like that. (Senior moment) Instructors name was Yardley. Great guy. Started out in a Morris Minor then changed to Austin A40 can't remember why. Took my first test in Basford after about ten lessons. No driving in between lessons, no car in the family. Examiner was a miserable old so & so. As I turned a corner onto one of the side streets in Basford he asked me, "What did you see in the mirror before you made your turn." He'd got me! I said something like, "Errr, cars and houses." FAIL. Took one more lesson and made it the second time. Fun days.

Dave

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My introduction to driving was in about 1963 when I bought a BSA (can’t quite recall whether it was 350 or 500cc) motorbike for £3 from a bloke in Netherfield. Having never driven anything other than my trusty old steed (Bluestreak push-bike) I had no idea.

The seller showed me how to accelerate & stop,,,, & that was it. I took it to a farm where we use to spend time & rode it around the local park (end of Foxhill Road) till enough neighbours got us thrown off !

Learnt to drive proper on Triumph Thunderbird & side-car. Swapped this for an Itom racing bike - then decided to go in for my test. As the Itom was a racing bike, it wasn’t equipped for the roads so a mate let me borrow his Lambretta. This was the time I’d driven a scooter.

I took my test somewhere just off the ring-road near the ‘ospital. I drove the scooter up a hill, turned left then left again,,,, then everything went t*ts up.

I didn’t know fully what was wrong, but free-wheeled it back to the instructor, who was smoking & reading a paper. I had a quick look at it & saw that one of the gear-change cables had come adrift. “That’s that then” thought I - disappointedly.

The tester & I walked back to the centre, with me pushing the scooter. When we got there he handed me a Pass !

Of course from this 125 scooter I went out & bought a 650 Tiger 110 then a BSA 650 Golden Arrow (I think) which I put rear-sets & clip-ons on.

Oh yeah – I passed my car test at West Bridgeford in my dads ‘pimped’ Morris Thousand van. He put flashing indicators on it (you know the type, like a teddy bears ear – ONE each side of the roof ) & I put silver ‘Go Faster’ stripes over it. Those stripes really do work !

I s'pose between us, we've done a few miles eh ?

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The first time I attempted to drive a car was in my dads Triumph Dolomite around an old airfield, possibly Langar, in the mid 70's, I was a bit of a late starter. He then later let me drive back from the Stanhope Arms in Stanton, along the road past the Erewash Golf Club, complete with provisional licence and L plates, he must have had too many pints of Home Bitter to risk it himself.

I started official lessons in a mini on Glaisdale Drive and promptly kangaroo hopped down to Wigman road, the instructor was not impressed.

I gave up until I moved Daan Saaf and took lessons around Chelmsford, it was a nightmare. That instructor also chain smoked, had a serious twitch and frantically used to chat up a Brazilian woman who we used to pick up for the next lesson, I never worked out how he didn't get his face slapped.

The test itself went all wrong from the beginning, my instructor went white when he saw the examiner and promptly told me that he was a miserable git who never passed anyone first time, nice one. Thank you as well to the two scatty women who tried to drive into me when I was reversing around a bend and the nice person who flashed me to turn right opposite the hospital on a bad junction just in time for me to nearly have a collision with something coming the other way, needless to say I failed, but took the test again a few weeks later, got the same examiner, but he was in a good mood and passed me.

Incidentally Bazzer, I still have a Bluestreak push bike, it's in bits in my bike shed at the moment awaiting restoration but it's all there, I found it in a skip in Hertfordshire and what was missing was sourced from the remains of my brothers Bluestreak which I wrote off after an argument with a Lamberetta in Bilborough in 1967.

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I wrote off after an argument with a Lamberetta in Bilborough in 1967.

oh,,,, '67,,,, a bit late for me & my lambretta - phew

Don't know why I ended up with a Bluestreak, as I actually wanted a Dawes Chic Alores. A parrotly - just before my birthday I must have been naughtier than usual - so didn't get the promised Dawes.

I virtually lived on pushbikes from my first ten bob bike (10/-) aged about 8, till I bought a motorbike.

Talking of Bilborough, I went to Glaisdale school for a couple of months whilst mum was in hospital. I lived with granny on Staverton Road. My uncle had a mobile shop on there as well.

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I'll never forget my first driving test. I took it in West London and I'm sure the examiner was a fully certified motoring sadist.

The hill start procedure was immediately followed by a right turn across a very, very busy four lane road at Greenford, Middlesex. Imagine coming up Gedling Lane and turning right at onto Mapperley Plains only without the benefit of traffic lights. Tough for an inexperienced driver taking a test.

Funny enough it wasn't that failed me. No, too fast and too close to parked vehicles :tongue:

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Not sure I qualify for this, I learned to drive in 1969! I booked a block of 12 lessons because it was cheaper by the dozen! They were 25 bob each, so 15 quid for the 12. I couldn't practice inbetween lessons as my husband's car was a company vehicle. But my lady instructor put me in for my test, part way through the 12 and I passed first time. I am not very good at tests and exams, as my teachers would tell you, so I was quite chuffed with myself. I remember on my test, driving around the back streets of Radford/Hyson Green. We came down a side street, cars parked on both sides and a delivery lorry blocking the street at the bottom. The examiner told me to back up the street to the top again, which I did. I think that helped me pass, as I didn't have a wobbler thinking about it. I didn't tell anyone I was taking the test, so when I went into work and told them, my boss gave me his car keys and said ' move my car for me' I sat in that car and couldn't remember a thing, had to go back inside and tell him I couldn't do it! That bought me back to earth with a bump.

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