[the_iceman]

Unfortunately, this involved my mom and me watching from the sidelines!! My mom wanted to learn to drive for a long time and eventually started attending driving classes. About 5-6 days of coaching later, she decided she 'knew' how to drive and took our trusty Fiat out for a spin. Unsure, I sent the mech (lives 3-4 houses away) along with her and I settled watching from the balcony!! Saw the car go left, right, straight, backup and all that perfectly, and this went on for a good 10-15 minutes. Then the car turned away into a street, dissapearing, which i knew will eventually take 2 more right turns and return back into the long straight of my street. As expected, 5 minutes later, the Fiat slowly came into my street. I could see mom driving and waved, she enthusiastically waved back, and pressed pedal to metal!! All i could hear was the scream of tyres, the higher scream of the mech sitting on the next seat and the car made a bee line for the tree at the end of the road!! Managed to smash an ice cream hand cart en route and it was like a scene from the movies!! Ice cream flying all over!! I ran down to see mom sobbing, the mech wailing and the car still wheel spinning against the tree!! She's never touched the car ever since!!

[eyesice]

Well, I got my driving license the other day. During my road test, the inspector who sat next to me was asking me about all the hand signals while I was driving. At one point he asked me "How should we overspeed?". I was confused. I replied .. above 70 - 80 km/hr you can overspeed . He gave a nudge on my head and said, "Idiot, You should never overspeed!". Anyway like I said, I passed with flying colors.

[carwatcher]

Very Nice Thread but surprisingly too few posts!!!
Slightly OT but surely belongs to this Forum.
While going through my Driving Test last year (after I lost my DL that was 17 years old and 3 years of validity remaining), the inspector asked me to drive the car on a stretch of 150-200 meters on an empty by lane.
While I was driving he suddenly told me to stop which I did.
Then he instructed me to put all the four gears one by one on such a small stretch without stalling the car.
I asked him "Are you sure ?" to which the inspector replied "Yes".
To his surprise I comfortably put the car in all the four gears sequentially and was driving normally. The car was going at around 40-45 and still some part of the stretch was remaining.
Now comes the best part.
He stopped the car by using his set of brakes and clutch and after the car stopped he asked why were you driving so fast on such a small stretch, for which I replied that "you only told me to do that". To which he replies that "If I tell you to jump in the well, would you do that"?
I was speechless and the other applicants on the back seat were laughing.
Not to mention I got my DL.

[palash987]

I learned driving from a driving school.
The guy who taught me driving gave [surrender] in 3 days.

The car used was maruti 800,
with missing speedometer needle and non functioning odometer.

He strictly told me NOT to apply brakes or change gear the second day.
I applied brakes and he too and the car stopped right in the middle and a tata ace,
coming from behind [fully loaded] changed the lane just at the right moment.

The teacher skipped an heartbeat.

Next day,
He told me not to shift gears beyond 2nd.

As soon as i got the opportunity i shifted,
[I knew how to engage all four of them]
He was vary of the fact that we are still in second gear and sensed car is going at speed.
He looked puzzled at me.
I said what [with my eyebrows lifted]
He said slow down.

Till the time we slowed down,
the cops were behind us chasing.
Soon the teacher realised what has happened.
Rest is history.

Next day,
he came and asked me if i were to drive this way,
he would not be teaching me anymore.
I apologized and we continued.

This continued for 12 long days.
As soon as the course completed.
He told me,
He has never seen a student who drove like me in 12 days of learning the car.
[Complement]

I chanced upon and met him somedays ago on a refueling station,
he recognized me instantly and remembered my name too.

An experience.!

Note:
I was not doing it intentionally.
But the sheer excitement of learning and experiencing road with four wheels blew me away.

[bharat4ever]

I remember the time I did a driving "refresher" the day before I had to go get a DL. I went to the driving school and said I just need one class to get used to driving again. The thing is that I learnt driving in a humble Maruti 800, pre pre facelift, and then practiced in an Omni. After that didn't touch a 4 wheeler for more than ten years. So I was not aware of how the modern day brakes function, and how sensitive they are.

So were were driving along in the school's i10, and a cycle guy crossed in front of my path. I was not freaked, and calmly applied the brakes, but applied it 1990's style. I kid you not, the car stopped instantly. I had pushed the brakes that far in assuming that they were 800's brakes. The instructor almost jumped out of his seat, and looked at me as if I'd killed the cyclist. The cyclist was even more shocked thinking what the hell he had done to command so much respect on the road that an i10 brakes so suddenly.

[PranavDesai]

This happened on the very first day of my driving class. The instructor guided me for about 2 km where we reached an inclined road. As I reached halfway of the incline, he told me to brake which I did. Then he said "slowly release the clutch and as you feel the push coming, release the brake." Being a total novice, I did release the brake promptly while the clutch was still depressed, and the car started to roll backwards. I panicked and floored the accelerator releasing the clutch partially, for fear of stalling the engine. The car roared as if it was trying to imitate a Ferrari and a burning smell came into the cabin. The instructor yelled out to brake and after some unsuccessful attempts I managed somehow to get the car move forward and cleared the incline which was about 50 meters long. After that session was over he opened the bonnet and explained to me various parts like timing belt, the oil, wiper washer, etc. For next 10 days he took me through many flyovers, but never asked me to stop in between! Only on the second last day of my learning, we stopped on a bridge, where after stalling for about 5-6 times I managed to drive the car with just brake-clutch manipulation, no accelerator input.

Apart from this episode my instructor was really a knowledgeable fellow with an experience of nearly 2 decades. He would teach me using innovative methods. For example in the earlier days he explained the whole process of starting a car: unlock the door, get into the seat, check gear/hand brake, adjust ORVMs if closed, wear seatbelt, and start the car. The next day he didn't say a word. I did everything except checking the handbrake and put the car in 1st gear. The car jerked and stopped. I looked around and found the handbrake engaged. I asked him "was this engaged?" He said "always use this along with either 1st or reverse gear before you get out anywhere." Till today, it has been etched in my mind: get into the car, put the seatbelt, check handbrake, gear lever, the ORVMs, look around everywhere and then start the car.

[JoeMichael]

For me learning to drive was an adventure in itself - My dad , being the strict military officer he was, had made it clear that, I will not be allowed to learn driving till I was 18. I didn't have the patience to wait for 4 more years and learned driving without my Dads knowledge , with help of my uncle.(This was some 16 years back)

So once I was confident to drive solos - I used to take quick drive arounds when my parents were not around. It was a rainy day, and with puddles all around. There was this scooter fellow , who while trying to avoid a puddle , came right into my path and I had to slam hard on the brakes . With all exuberance of youth , I gave the person an ear full.

It so happened , that , he knew my Dad , and rest you can guess - It was almost 6 months later, with lot of recommendations , that my Dad consented , to let me drive again , provided accompanied by a mature (No cousins) adult.