This past Sunday, (April 25th) I had my first proper driving lesson with an instructor. The lesson was done along the beach front, on Marine Drive, as this area has relatively large roads, with a good amount of space for a learner. At first, the experience was very daunting and I spent most of the first lesson trying to control my nerves. Due to the hectic Sri Lankan roads, marine drive was not particularly quiet, with lots of hustle and bustle surrounding my fragile little learners vehicle. I also experienced nerves due to the type of car I was driving (a manual). Manual cars are usually harder to get the hang of due to the need to be in control of many elements of the car as you drive. For example, the pedals such as; clutch, break, accelerator and how those must work in synchronisation to the gear box. With my reservations in mind, I still continued with the lesson willingly as driving has been a strong goal I have hoped to achieve since childhood (LO4).

As the lesson progressed I became more comfortable in my knowledge of the functions of a manual car, mainly because the beginning portion of the lesson covered the essential parts of the car that should be understood. My instructor went over how to manoeuvre the gear box (explaining that as the speed of the vehicle increases, so do the gears) – I was most familiar and comfortable with the control of the gears as my dad had continuously taught me how to change them during my childhood. However, what made the gears now foreign to me was the ways in which they must change i.e. how the use of the clutch is essential in changing gears and generally getting the car to function. It was difficult for me to understand the clutch at first ( and I stalled the car) but I eventually picked up the general movement of having the release of the clutch and the pressure on the accelerator/break happen gradually, in a smooth transition. This was the biggest challenge in my learning as I initially wasn’t familiar with how important clutch control is, but as we began driving the function of the clutch became clearer to me and I started understanding the almost rhythmic process of it. I was also less on edge by having an experienced instructor speaking me through the steps and being accessible for questions or sudden nerves throughout the process. It was useful having my instructor to take control of certain elements of the vehicle so that I could focus my learning on the clutch/brake/accelerator functions i.e. whilst I focused on the pedals she was able to control the gear box so that I didn’t get too overwhelmed (LO5).

Driving manual for the first time

Upon experiencing this first lesson, I have some things I would like to do in preparation for my next lesson to ensure that I am ready and reasonably educated on manual driving before I continue – essentially to review the basics learnt in the first lesson to make sure I have a solid foundation to my learning. Firstly, I would like to practice my control of the gears and clutch control in my family’s car (as it is also manual) – to do this I would practice with the car off, simply using it to familiarise myself with the movements and pedal control of the car. I also think I will prep for my next lesson by watching some videos on youtube which should help explain the different steps to driving a manual car in a slower more accessible way (as during the lesson my nerves made it harder for me to completely focus on the specifics of the steps). These videos will just help explain the steps at a controllable pace so that I can watch them as I need for clarifications – this way I can have a more theoretical understanding so that I can practically apply them during the lesson. (LO3/LO1)

Potential videos to look at:

Overall this first driving lesson was an amazing experience and I am definitely eager to achieve this goal and gain a new skill in driving. I look forward to applying this skill in my future i.e. for commutes to university when I am back home in the UK, and for general more freedom within everyday life and a sense of maturity in myself.