has anyone had or having problems learning to drive?

[sdrayton37]

i have been learning to drive for just over a year now and i am finding it hard to take in what i am being told and how to do certain things and some times things seam so stagnated and just dose not go in it really stresses me out then some one told me it could be to do with dyslexia.

[mathewlisett]

Wow did i ever. i trully believe if it wasnt for the fact my stepdad would pick em up after work (around 12am) every time and allow me to drive home, I have a strong feeling i wouldnt have passed first time with the practical.

the THOERY on the other hand took 4 tries, the first 3 were all due to the fact it was written and i had learn via the book, spending up to 3 hours a night after work learning. to find even the teaching enter states learnign by the book hardly anybody pases. so i tried the dvd. and becuase they had then changed the tests procedure where it was on the screen, i passed on that time .

In 2008, I took my theory for my bike test and passed first time, apparantly i had the score for hazard awarness the same as if i was taking a truck driving course which aparantly is quite had. the practial sde how due to the fact i wasnt able to go out at all except on the lessons, i failed 3 times and passed on the 4th

[digits]

Dear sdrayton37:

Yes, I had lots of trouble learning to drive, too. I was already an adult and working, so I paid for my own personal instruction. It was very important for me to get private lessons from a paid professional because no one in my family and none of my friends would have had the patience or understanding to deal with me. I insisted on receiving more hours of instruction than were required for the standard certificate, because I wanted to feel completely confident before I went out on my own. I made them let me practice each new skill separately before adding new skills, and only added one at a time. I also practiced everything first on deserted roads or empty parking lots where I did not have to worry about traffic and pedestrians.

It may be you that could benefit from a driving simulator The main thing is to take learning driving as slowly as you need to. Do not let anyone rush you. Once you "get" a skill, you will remember it forever. Just get it into your mind and your reflexes very firmly. Do as much repetition as you need to make yourself feel comfortable. Maybe you should also write things down and read over them during the day. Maybe you should imagine yourself driving and talk yourself through the moves you have been taught.

Although it seems slow and difficult now, I bet you will enjoy it and become a very good driver once you have mastered it to your own satisfaction. Give yourself all the time and practice you need. Cheers! digits

[ClareLou]

I tried twice to learn to drive. The first instructor did not understand that dylexics have left / right confusion and need small instructions. The next time I tried learning in an automatic car rather than with gears this was a whole lot easier for me.

[Kate_DA]

Absolutely. My driving instructor joked that he was going to have to write 'right' and 'left' on my hands. In the end I wore a hair band on my right wrist so that I could look down quickly and see which way was right. It helped but I was terrified of getting it wrong!! (In the end I failed my practical first time for waiting behind a lorry that had hazards on - I thought it had just stopped - doh!)

Holding on to information you have been taught can be a real struggle (with or without dyslexia but for some of us, even more so!). Try and think of little ways to remember the instructions.

Keep trying - you will get there (although I don't think I will ever be able to turn right or left without thinking about it first!)

[spellbound]

stick with it i had a hard time too! you will get there it was the best feeling ever when i pasted first time. you can and will do it i wish you the best of luck.

[ClareLou]

My instructor also told me that you can't fail the test if your turn left rather than right as long as you don't brake the Highway Code eg going down a one way street the wrong way. This took the pressure of me.

[mena]

I found learning to drive hard .

Remember being dyslexic our brains work very fast hence your get tired very soon . I had problems with left and right direction as well as spacial awareness problems , all dyslexic traits .

Just keep going , don't be too hard on your self, I did it but it took me four tests to past.

Good luck.

[WiZ2013]

I found learning to drive very hard, but suprising did really well on my thery. I passed my practical on 3rd attempt as on the other 2 had lost consentrations. I found once I learnt to drive I had "got it" but until this sudden moment I strguggled

[rrahman]

Hi...

Definitely I found the same. Although funnily enough I wasn't diagnosed until a good 5 years later!

So when I looked back it all made sense.

My attention span was so limited my instructor called it the half hour Time lapse. It took me 2-3 years in learning and I had found it extremely difficult to use my legs and hands on steering and gearbox and pedals all. At once.

I passed practical 4th time around but did well on theory first time...BUT I half memorized the questions to answers using the DVD they have out.

[shwasie]

I'm having the same problems....feeling really frustrated with myself and understanding what I need to do and being unable to do it I'm now struggling with my maneuvers which frustrates me no end.I know that my processing speed and working memory is severely affected by my dyslexia which is why I'm struggling.

[sdrayton37 in reply to shwasie]

its nice to know that im not alone im still struggling with mine its currently taken me over 2 years to learn i have recently changed my instructor he seems to be allot more patient and understating he gives me very basic instructions so i think half the battle is the instructor

[friendlylion]

i thought i wrote on this subject elsewhere - maybe you can see if you can find it? (I'm not sure how all this works)

BUT i will quickly say here that the instructor needs to be someone who is able to teach - i.e. communicate in YOUR preferred learning style, rather than someone who is either inpatient as to why you cant do it 'right' or happy to have you paying more and more without really helping you learn.

[friendlylion]

hey, i found it !

it is in the string 'struggling to pass my theory test' from '2 months ago'

i think there was a lot of others posts there too

good luck

[Violet-Fire91]

My lessons were very spotty as I had to juggle work and funds around it. Then I have untimely deaths in my family which made me just stop for a while. I think the car itself has something to do with it. It just didn't sit well with me. I really hated that car!! I'm still in the process of learning but I'm gonna find a different instructor with a different car. And I'm pretty sure I'll be fine. I just hated learning in that Clio.

[Lilworthy]

I'm now learning to drive again after 6 years I first started when I was 17 but then I gave up because I failed the theory test I'm now 25 and starting to learn again for my daughter's but when I'm out with the instrustor I'm struggling with the manoeuvres I'm mainly struggling with turning in the road and seemed yesterday my instructor got abit annoyed me with because I don't know my left from right I do struggle with it really bad my instrustor trys to do alot of independent driving with me because I can drive I know all the controls and everything my dad won't help me as his insurance will be to high with me on it so I'm stuck just need some advice how to get the left and right sorted and learning the turn in the road it's mainly when it comes to turned the wheel left and right that get me caught out