A story of a childhood dream & a nightmare!

ulhas.ahirrao · 7th January 2010, 16:16

I loved cars since my kid days. My dad had an old Mahindra Jeep and I always dreamed of owning a car someday. This dream was fulfilled one month back when I got my new i-10 delivered.
I will not go in to the details of how did I select my car etc. etc. everybody knows it’s a great car and a great company. Its smooth, spacious, has good leg-room, fantastic interior so-on & so-forth. So I got my oyster grey i-10 Sportz and the nightmare started! No it’s not about car, it’s just brilliant! It’s about me.
I didn’t really know driving, so I joined the driving class one week before the delivery; only to realize that it’s not me but the instructor is driving. I am just holding the steering & pretending! So the 6 days of driving class didn’t help much to boost my confidence on driving my car on the day of delivery. So I went to the Dealership took the car & went to a Ganesha temple near my house. Everything was fine till I entered in to a very narrow lane which was full of people walking on the road! I got tensed, really tensed and suddenly a lady holding a baby in her hand came right in front of my car. I go confused didn’t press the break (but didn’t press the accelerator too! Thank god!!) & let loose the clutch. Car just zoomed brushed the lady & stopped. With-in no time a lot of people stopped & started yelling at me (though nothing happened to the lady as well as the kid, except it started crying!) I got down, said sorry many times, paid some money & went-off.
This incident created a tremendous fear in me regarding driving. I used to sweat, my heart used to pound & chest became heavy, as soon as I approached the car for driving! I checked by BP it was high, got the ECG & Cholesterol checked it was ok. So the car driving anxiety made my BP go up (I am not a lame person to get paranoid so easily, but somehow it happened with car driving)
It’s been a month now I am driving, the fear is getting subdued and confidence is going up. I had long trip of 300 KM to Bhimashankar in Pune (many Ghats) without any trouble & the car has already clocked 1350 KM (due for the 1st service). The car is performing really well no complaints whatsoever. FE is 17-18 Km (auto-cut to auto-cut, 50-50 city & highway, 10% AC) even before the 1st service
Just wanted to share this experience & get some pearls of wisdoms from BHPians to come out of this fast!

akas_chauhan · 7th January 2010, 21:38

Welcome Ulhas. I can understand what you went through, but as you are now gaining confidence, it should be OK after sometime.

I would say enjoy your drive and thanks for sharing your story.

Cartman · 7th January 2010, 21:48

Remember the first time when a kid rides a bicycle and never wants his dad to let go of the seat? The dad just lets go without knowing and viola! the kid can ride a bicycle. It is something similar, a little complex rather. People fear things done wrongly by them in the past and hesitate to do them in the future. Just take your car or the training school car to an empty place and drive your heart out. Only stop when that feeling of being scared and having a nightmare is gone.

Wishing you luck and many miles of happy motoring.

Drive safe!

Nitin · 7th January 2010, 22:50

Its good to see that you've slowly begun to get over the fear of driving. A bit of advice here.
Try to take your car out late at night, or probably early in the morning (around 4.00-4.30am if possible). When the streets are less crowded, try driving slowly and pick an empty lane where you can try some emergency stopping or swerving,to get a feel of how the car reacts to your actions.Understanding your car is very important in order to build the confidence needed to drive on Indian roads.
If possible, try to use your car as frequently as possible, even if it means taking it to the grocery store few mins away from home.
Don't worry, over time you'll teach yourself a lot of things and make yourself a good driver.Remember,its always important to be safe & maintain a sane outlook when on the road.
Good luck!

Count · 8th January 2010, 08:41

I have always felt that driving schools in India are pretty much useless. Well, probably the only value add they bring is that they cut across the red tape when you have to get a DL.

So just keep driving, that is the best way to learn. Try to keep to the main roads, use junctions with traffic police/lights rather then places where you have to just cut across traffic.

All the best!

Anand123 · 8th January 2010, 09:28

hey buddy, first of all congrats on your i10. Its a great car and enjoy it well. About your incident on road, there's nothing new about it. These kind of incidents can happen to any new driver. You can get out of this fear by increasing the time you spent with your car. Glad to hear that you've started to gain confidence. Just go on like this and you may even forget that incident after sometime. HAPPY DRIVING.

rohan_iitr · 8th January 2010, 10:23

Just remember where the brake pedal is and you have nothing else to worry about.

I feel that there are 4 key learning phases for a new driver:

1. Learning the basics (steering, gear, accelerator, brake, clutch) in a driving school for 1 week
2. Practicing along with a known experienced driver (father/uncle/friend) for another week (on highway and on city roads)
3. Driving alone in less traffic to get a feel of the car and improving self confidence
4. Driving alone in normal traffic/crowded areas to graduate from a learner to a responsible driver

Don't forget to learn how to park in tricky situations.

Also, practice the use of hand brake when stopped on an incline.

Keep observing the driving habits of other good drivers. There is a lot to be learnt even from taxi-drivers and bus-drivers.

Drive withing your limits, do not overspeed even if tempted by others.

Never drive under the influence of alcohol/drugs.

Respect traffic rules and drive safe.

Rohan,
Bangalore

sanju.iitm · 8th January 2010, 10:55

Hello Ulhas,

I suggest you to attend driving training from "Maruti Driving School". They are professionals and you get training on Simulator which is much required for learners. I too attended thier 10day class before I took my first car. Now I am confident enough to drive in city and also on Highways.

Do check thier website (Maruti Driving School)

All The Best!

Sanjeev

swarooppatil · 8th January 2010, 10:57

Hey Ulhas
Congratulations on your new priced possession. Our fellow T-BHPians have already given you some very important suggestions. I would just add that you start giving more thought to the fact that you have your long cherished dream fulfilled. Being a bit more conscious at the beginning is natural and that confuses you initially in such situations. Don't worry, the confidence in your own driving also comes as you do more and more of it..It's just like all other things. So its just a matter of time. And the fact that you have had a bad incident right in the beginning is the reason for your worry. However, do keep in mind that even the most experienced driver can meet with an accident. Let that one incident not dent your confidence. I would suggest you can avoid the narrow and congested lanes for the first few days till you get used to the car. Then it all should be fine.
Congratulations again and all the best buddy!!!
P.S. Just keep driving safely even when you are used to and quite an expert with the car.

7th January 2010, 16:16	#1
ulhas.ahirrao BHPian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 237 Thanked: 301 Times View My Garage	A story of a childhood dream & a nightmare! I loved cars since my kid days. My dad had an old Mahindra Jeep and I always dreamed of owning a car someday. This dream was fulfilled one month back when I got my new i-10 delivered. I will not go in to the details of how did I select my car etc. etc. everybody knows it’s a great car and a great company. Its smooth, spacious, has good leg-room, fantastic interior so-on & so-forth. So I got my oyster grey i-10 Sportz and the nightmare started! No it’s not about car, it’s just brilliant! It’s about me. I didn’t really know driving, so I joined the driving class one week before the delivery; only to realize that it’s not me but the instructor is driving. I am just holding the steering & pretending! So the 6 days of driving class didn’t help much to boost my confidence on driving my car on the day of delivery. So I went to the Dealership took the car & went to a Ganesha temple near my house. Everything was fine till I entered in to a very narrow lane which was full of people walking on the road! I got tensed, really tensed and suddenly a lady holding a baby in her hand came right in front of my car. I go confused didn’t press the break (but didn’t press the accelerator too! Thank god!!) & let loose the clutch. Car just zoomed brushed the lady & stopped. With-in no time a lot of people stopped & started yelling at me (though nothing happened to the lady as well as the kid, except it started crying!) I got down, said sorry many times, paid some money & went-off. This incident created a tremendous fear in me regarding driving. I used to sweat, my heart used to pound & chest became heavy, as soon as I approached the car for driving! I checked by BP it was high, got the ECG & Cholesterol checked it was ok. So the car driving anxiety made my BP go up (I am not a lame person to get paranoid so easily, but somehow it happened with car driving) It’s been a month now I am driving, the fear is getting subdued and confidence is going up. I had long trip of 300 KM to Bhimashankar in Pune (many Ghats) without any trouble & the car has already clocked 1350 KM (due for the 1st service). The car is performing really well no complaints whatsoever. FE is 17-18 Km (auto-cut to auto-cut, 50-50 city & highway, 10% AC) even before the 1st service Just wanted to share this experience & get some pearls of wisdoms from BHPians to come out of this fast!
	() Thanks

7th January 2010, 21:38	#2
akas_chauhan BHPian Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: San Antonio Posts: 596 Thanked: 26 Times	Welcome Ulhas. I can understand what you went through, but as you are now gaining confidence, it should be OK after sometime. I would say enjoy your drive and thanks for sharing your story.
	() Thanks

7th January 2010, 21:48	#3
Cartman BHPian Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Mumbai Posts: 411 Thanked: 244 Times	Remember the first time when a kid rides a bicycle and never wants his dad to let go of the seat? The dad just lets go without knowing and viola! the kid can ride a bicycle. It is something similar, a little complex rather. People fear things done wrongly by them in the past and hesitate to do them in the future. Just take your car or the training school car to an empty place and drive your heart out. Only stop when that feeling of being scared and having a nightmare is gone. Wishing you luck and many miles of happy motoring. Drive safe!
	() Thanks

7th January 2010, 22:50	#4
Nitin Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 3,294 Thanked: 20 Times View My Garage	Its good to see that you've slowly begun to get over the fear of driving. A bit of advice here. Try to take your car out late at night, or probably early in the morning (around 4.00-4.30am if possible). When the streets are less crowded, try driving slowly and pick an empty lane where you can try some emergency stopping or swerving,to get a feel of how the car reacts to your actions.Understanding your car is very important in order to build the confidence needed to drive on Indian roads. If possible, try to use your car as frequently as possible, even if it means taking it to the grocery store few mins away from home. Don't worry, over time you'll teach yourself a lot of things and make yourself a good driver.Remember,its always important to be safe & maintain a sane outlook when on the road. Good luck!
	() Thanks

8th January 2010, 08:41	#5
Count Newbie Join Date: May 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 24 Thanked: 0 Times	I have always felt that driving schools in India are pretty much useless. Well, probably the only value add they bring is that they cut across the red tape when you have to get a DL. So just keep driving, that is the best way to learn. Try to keep to the main roads, use junctions with traffic police/lights rather then places where you have to just cut across traffic. All the best!
	() Thanks

8th January 2010, 09:28	#6
Anand123 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: KL-01 Posts: 2,305 Thanked: 5,293 Times	hey buddy, first of all congrats on your i10. Its a great car and enjoy it well. About your incident on road, there's nothing new about it. These kind of incidents can happen to any new driver. You can get out of this fear by increasing the time you spent with your car. Glad to hear that you've started to gain confidence. Just go on like this and you may even forget that incident after sometime. HAPPY DRIVING.
	() Thanks

8th January 2010, 10:23	#7
rohan_iitr Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,132 Thanked: 823 Times	Just remember where the brake pedal is and you have nothing else to worry about. I feel that there are 4 key learning phases for a new driver: 1. Learning the basics (steering, gear, accelerator, brake, clutch) in a driving school for 1 week 2. Practicing along with a known experienced driver (father/uncle/friend) for another week (on highway and on city roads) 3. Driving alone in less traffic to get a feel of the car and improving self confidence 4. Driving alone in normal traffic/crowded areas to graduate from a learner to a responsible driver Don't forget to learn how to park in tricky situations. Also, practice the use of hand brake when stopped on an incline. Keep observing the driving habits of other good drivers. There is a lot to be learnt even from taxi-drivers and bus-drivers. Drive withing your limits, do not overspeed even if tempted by others. Never drive under the influence of alcohol/drugs. Respect traffic rules and drive safe. Rohan, Bangalore
	() Thanks

8th January 2010, 10:55	#8
sanju.iitm BHPian Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Bangalore, Dxb Posts: 64 Thanked: 2 Times	Hello Ulhas, I suggest you to attend driving training from "Maruti Driving School". They are professionals and you get training on Simulator which is much required for learners. I too attended thier 10day class before I took my first car. Now I am confident enough to drive in city and also on Highways. Do check thier website (Maruti Driving School) All The Best! Sanjeev
	() Thanks

8th January 2010, 10:57	#9
swarooppatil BHPian Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Mumbai Posts: 83 Thanked: 30 Times	Hey Ulhas Congratulations on your new priced possession. Our fellow T-BHPians have already given you some very important suggestions. I would just add that you start giving more thought to the fact that you have your long cherished dream fulfilled. Being a bit more conscious at the beginning is natural and that confuses you initially in such situations. Don't worry, the confidence in your own driving also comes as you do more and more of it..It's just like all other things. So its just a matter of time. And the fact that you have had a bad incident right in the beginning is the reason for your worry. However, do keep in mind that even the most experienced driver can meet with an accident. Let that one incident not dent your confidence. I would suggest you can avoid the narrow and congested lanes for the first few days till you get used to the car. Then it all should be fine. Congratulations again and all the best buddy!!! P.S. Just keep driving safely even when you are used to and quite an expert with the car.
	() Thanks