I wasn't even in the truck yet and my 2nd lesson didn't start the way that I had hoped. It started with some foot stomping and groaning after Adam told me I was to start driving on the road. Hmmm, the place where there are parked vehicles, moving vehicles and spectators...gahhh.
We set off with Adam at the helm to get us to our destination and the aim of this lesson was to come down in the gears and to use my mirrors.Standing at the deep end, I held my breath and off I jumped. For the first half hour I can honestly say I wasn't terrible. I must have come to a complete stop maybe 2 or 3 times and ended up getting myself worked up because it SEEMED too confusing for me...clutch in, gear out, clutch out, hit the accelerator, clutch in, down a gear, clutch out all of this whilst scanning, scanning and more scanning. It seemed like a lot to remember surprisingly though, it only took about 30 mins for me to get the hang of it and then it was all about being consistent and smooth with the gear changes.
Driving for 90 mins and I could feel my concentration was starting to fade away and it was time to head home :0. Alas, this was my last hurdle of the lesson...driving amongst a lot more traffic and getting us home safely. I am proud to say I drove us home from Drewe Street over to Red Rover Road through to Kirkwood Road and over to Meteors Sports Club.So, after quite a few gear crunches, missed gears and Adam's ears needing a rest, Adam said I actually drove really well.
I nailed the reverse park and going up in gears and the switch on the gear stick to go from low to high doesn't phase me one IOTA. With the biggest hurdle out of the way (driving amongst traffic) I'm looking forward to my 3rd lesson next week. My aim for lesson 3 is to have CONFIDENCE and stay calm when there is oncoming traffic.
Jean Van Vegchel