Possibly the worst driving lesson ever!

You will get there, don't panic. I know it isn't easy to calm the nerves, but you have only just started and you are bound to make mistakes. You have to remember that they are probably used to worse drivers than you (my cousin wrote off a car during one of his first lessons and you can't be as bad as that)! Don't be so hard on yourself and give yourself time to learn.

I can remember being panicked when I first started to learn, but after a few lessons it started to come naturally and I started to find my legs and arms would do things automatically.

1. If you didn't score points for knocking over little old ladies, driving through bushes on roundabouts and hitting multiple animals, then your driving lesson could be worse. I promise.

2. I found that my driving lessons went in phases - I'd have really hideous ones and then follow up with a much better lesson next time, I'm sure you'll find something similar.

3. BIt personal, but do you have PMS? That wiped out driving lessons for me, my coordination is appalling when I'm due.

Thanks for the tips, I just need to coordinate my arms and legs to do what they are supposed to. I survived didn't knock anyone over or hit anything. I think I need to think of the positive stuff and not worry about stalling, everyone stalls at some point!! When your driving it does make your realise that some pedestrians are stupid walking out in front of you whilst your driving along no wonder people are always getting knocked over.

It could be PMS never thought of that!

I used to be a driving instructor. 6 lessons is quite early days, it would be very unusual for you to be completely at ease with handling the car yet. Are you able to get any practice outside of lessons to get more confident? People put too much emphasis on the car handling rather than driving safely IYSWIM. Even if you stalled the car in the test, you would not necessarily fail, it's more about being in the correct lane, obeying speed limits, not running anyone over, etc! In my experience, the two things do not necessarily go together. I'm sure you will get there with practice and then it will seem like second nature.

I remember that around 5 or 6 lessons in, I really thought I would never be able to get the hang of it as you're starting to put everything together and co-ordinate right and left hands and right and left feet - it's not easy until it starts to feel like second nature and you stop actively thinking about each action, and that only comes with practice

I passed first time and LOVE driving, so don't worry, it WILL get better

If I can pass anyone can! I have absolutely no coordination at all! I failed my test once - please be advised - when you see a stop sign, actually stop!

Mine used to go in phases too - just as I thought I was getting the hang of it, I'd have an awful lesson. It does get better, promise!

Don't worry I think everyone has had one of those lessons, it's all part of the learning curve! It does take a fair amount of coordination to drive a car when you stop to think about it. Getting your legs working with your arms with your eyes is a lot to take in and its bound to take some time and practice.

Stick with it, it does get better I promise! ?

You will get there I promise! My driving instructor said that if you just sat on a chair in the middle of a room and did all the things that you have to do at once when you're driving (eg accelerate, press clutch, change gear, steer, check what's in front of you as well as all mirrors) people would think that you were mad and no-one would ever drive because it would look far too complicated!

I used to stall and then completely panic and take my feet off everything whilst the car kangarooed its way along! The key is to learning what to do when it stalls and how to get out of it!

I seem to remember that the process of learning goes something like unconsciously unskilled (ie you've never really thought about the fact that you can't drive) to consciously unskilled (ie you know that you can't drive, probably where you are now!) to consciously skilled (you can get round a roundabout but wonder if you'll ever remember everything - sounds like where you heading to) to unconsciously skilled (ie you realise you've just gone round a roundabout whilst winding the window down and changing the radio station as well as steering and changing gear!) It's the same process whatever you're learning to do and is a natural one.

Clairol, that's really interesting.

I've got my license and drove daily for 3 years, before i wrote off my car in a slow speed impact about 10 years ago. Haven't really driven since as I've not had a car.

Have booked some lessons so i can get back into it and learn the parculiarities of UK roads- but I wonder where I'll be on the skill scale? Is driving something you 'never forget' like riding a bike?

?Aww thanks everyone, you've all put my mind at ease and everyone I have spoken has said similar stuff about having bad lessons. I'm going to try and get Mr Cee to take me out, I am just scared of crashing his car because of the lack of dual controls. I have been out with him once before but it was pretty basic. He was quite impressed and I managed not to give him heart failure?. Sometimes as I am driving i forget everything and my arms and legs go into uncontrollable mode and start not doing what they are supposed too and that's when the stalling occurs and then I panic and can't remember how to start the car!! I am mastering the gears, however I often go into 4th instead of 2nd and I can't the hand of taking the handbrake off its always beeping at me. However the instructor said that my hill starts were brillant!! I think i was just petrified of rolling back into the car behind and that made my legs do as they are told for once. I am hoping things get easier.?

I was going to say something along these lines. The first few lessons, you're just so chuffed that you've actually managed to move the car and not make it crash and explode in a big fireball that it all feels like a huge achievement. Then when you get the hang of the basics you become aware of how little you actually know ? and it can be a bit of a confidence knock. Stalling isn't bad, in fact because my first car used to stall all the time I got so good at getting out of it that other cars around me were barely aware it had happened. - it's good practice especially if you're going to own a banger. It would only be a minor fault in a test so long as you kept your cool and got out of it OK.

Driving is one of those things that a lucky few just 'get' really quickly, but for most of us it takes a while. I learnt more after I passed my test than before, because going out without an instructor is a whole new ball game! You are still learning for at least a year after your test I reckon, because that's when you can really hone your skills rather than trying to do it the right way to pass. You'll be fine!

I was terribley nervous. Took me 10 years and 12 instructors to get in to the swing of it. I had 6 months worth of lessons the final time and still felt awful before my lessons. But I took some Kalms which helped once I was under way - probably only helped because I thought it would but I don't care!

I found that me and my instructor could be chatty as well as student/teacher and that helped me hugely. I didn't feel really crap when I got something wrong, we just had a laugh about it and worked on what to do next time.

Very surprisingly, I passed first time. Everyone around me was as shocked as I was. It can be done and your life will never be the same again. I love driving now, really love it.

It does get easier. I used to stall the car regularly at the same roundabout. So much so that my instructor took me a different way to avoid it!

The more experience you get in a car, the better you'll get. And one thing you will learn is the confidence to rectify a mistake - like stalling the car - without getting into a complete panic.

I remember my first few lessons spending the whole time being astonished I was actually 'allowed' to drive the car and continually wanting to shout at other drivers 'get away, complete novice in car!' ?

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