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The little red book is my first license issued 18/06/1964. Kept it to record what you could drive after your car test, pretty much most things. If we go back to 1967/68 there was even a period of a few years where you could drive HGVs with no further tests to take.

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Ipast my test just before my 19th birthday in 1964,and without sounding like an old groaner Cars were much harder to drive back then almost drive themselves nowadays............give the young un's a s

If you are going to test drive a car, don't do this!    

I have found Murphy's Law comes in when parallel parking. If you have to shunt several times, you are guaranteed to have an audience. Go in first time, and not a bogger around. 

  • 11 months later...

My interest in things mechanical started when I was about 5. I read and re-read an old highway code of me dad's (from the 30s I think). Inside were line drawings of vehicles with semaphore signals and arm waving etc. There were pictures and explanations of policemen with arms in various positions. There was a series of drawings showing a horse drawn cart from the rear depicting how the driver was to use his horse whip to signal, left right etc. One signal was; whip up in the air twirling round and round. 

I passed my test with Stocks in 1963. I still enjoy driving my car and I find a lot of drivers are give and take co-operative and some others are "unaware" and/or me-first. 

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I took my driving test in 1960 and had lessons with the British School of motoring. They were on Mansfield Rd. just a few doors up from the Victoria Station. They used to park their school cars in Trinity Square opposite the church. There were no parking problems in those days! I learnt in a Vauxhall Victor which had a front bench seat and a three speed column mounted gear change. I had a prepaid course of ten weekly lessons which were supplemented with driving in my father’s car which was also a Victor. All of my lessons were in the evening after school starting from January. I took a morning off school to attend the test centre on Valley Rd. which I think now belongs to the St. John Ambulance Brigade. The test route was predominantly around BulwelI. I passed but the examiner did remark that I drove rather slowly. Nobody says that now! 

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2 hours ago, philmayfield said:

I took my driving test in 1960 and had lessons with the British School of motoring. They were on Mansfield Rd. just a few doors up from the Victoria Station. 

I was taught by them too from the same place , only a bit later , probably 1966 .

Had dozens and dozens of lessons in a Mini with a bad tempered instructor and failed miserably .

Switched to a Viva with a more understanding teacher and scraped through the next test after only about 6 lessons .

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I took my test in 63 after some lessons with a friend who was a driving instructor, mates rates and all that. Trouble was I had driven dads motors on old airfields since I was 12/13 and pick up some unacceptable habits. One of which was to leave my left hand on the gear stick during acceleration, my mate soon cured me though, he bought a 12" wooden rule along and rapped my knuckles.

 

On test we went along Valley road, over Wilkinson street, where we did the 'emergency stop', through Forest Fields and back down Nottingham road to the test centre.

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Dad took me out for a few lessons when I was 17, soon got bored when I turned 18, really learned to drive down BG's Marblaegis Mine, drove the Land Rovers, had to drive the Wagner scoop trams for maintenance, soon got the hang of those, drill rigs, pain in the butt as they are so long, manrider, was authorized to carry men, and also drove the tractors. Was about ten years later I had to get a license, that was when I migrated down under. I had a two hour lesson with a licensed driving instructor. When she put me in the drivers seat and we set off, she said "you can drive then" I said " I told you I could, I just need you to teach me how to get through the driving test" After that lesson, she sharpened my skills on hill starting and parallel parking, she arranged another two hour lesson, this time to drive in traffic, Zeehan was a very sleepy little town, so went down to Queenstown, a medium sized country town and had some time driving in more congested roads. Test booked for the following Saturday, with a one hour lesson, passed the test. Then it was hone my skills and don't get into bad habits.

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I might add, my examiner was a police sergeant, my Instructor told me he'd just passed his sergeants exam and been promoted so make sure I use my mirrors and follow the driving code book to the letter, which made me more nervous!!  He was happy, he passed me.

I had to take a driving test in California, was about half an hour going around the streets near the DMV, (Department of Motor Vehicles) in Sacramento, no parallel parking, no emergency stops, no hill starts, I presumed it was just to make sure I could drive in traffic on the right side safely. Lost a couple of points on a right turn, but he said he'd have done the same thing, but he had to follow protocol. I stopped at a stop sign at a Tee intersection, pretty busy road, I couldn't see all the way up the inside lane, so had to creep forward a bit, line of trees and bushes were the problem, good job I did creep forward, I saw a car coming, after it I pulled out. Other than that he'd have given me 100%.

 

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Was on my Approved Driving Instructor advanced driving test, the chief examiner said "get on M1 at 26 & off at 24 then take A453 towards Clifton!" I hoofed it to 70 MPH in lane 3 then traffic jam, crawled for a bit, then while I was still in lane 3 he changed his mind & wanted me off at 25 just before we got to the slip road, I had to get across to lane 1 in crawling traffic. It threw him as he'd planned to take me round Clifton Estate & Bridgford but I had to do back street driving/emergency stop/turn in road/reverse to left & right/reverse park round Beeston & Lenton Abbey areas instead. Must have done OK as he passed me, phew...

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  • 3 years later...

My dad started to teach me when I was 17 , He took me out into the country lanes and stopped on a hill around Mapperley plains ( cant remember exactly where) Stop and start again try not to slip back. Ok , but I'd stopped short of the brow of the hill and couldnt see the oncoming traffic. " Now what are you going to do" Gear in 1st hand break off and all the rest... shot across the road and stopped right in the middle. That was enough for me, it frightened me to death.  Next licence came and dad sorted me out with one of his colleagues who had taught many police officers. He was a brilliant instructor and when I passed my test the first time he told me to get up on the M1 and drive to the next exit go round and back onto MW. I did afterwards but firstly I drove onto Bar Lane and was trembling for quite a few minutes. After years of driving in Uk we came to Italy and then had to rethink all my movements in reverse. It was easy after a few minutes but when I returned to visit Nottingham on my own and hired a car it became frustrating when changing gears. Even now when we go out in my husbands car I automatically go to the drivers side when I should be a passenger.

Driving in Italy is different, we drive along country roads but in the cities its chaotic. I was relieved a while ago that a cousin came to meet us in Palermo and took us where we wanted to go. Palermo must be the worst city for Chtraffico ( no not a spelling mistake thats how they pronounce it)

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