Lesson Six & Seven

I SORTED MY INSURANCE!
Hallelujah. After weeks and weeks of trawling comparison websites and review websites I finally made a decision. Phew!

SO! This means I've been able to drive around loads the last week or so. 
I've driven to school a few times and to friends' houses.

It's very scary at first without your trusty instructor but I think it's been more scary for my parents! oops. 

My lesson last week was on Friday 13th...OOoooooOOooooo!

It went really well though! 
This week I learnt about manoeuvring around parked cars, keeping a metre away and checking mirrors to move in and out. Basic concept really but concentrating on everything else too of course made it a lot more complex. 

To practice this we drove around housing estates, which also meant I could practice junctions! 

(I've been stalling A LOT in my car so practising junctions again was vital!)

I think I'm finally getting to grips with things now, it's slowly coming together. 

My instructor keeps testing me on little theory points too which is really useful.
I've also benefited massively from doing a few online theory tests, it all makes sense in real life! 

This week's lesson was today! 

I drove around an estate first just getting warmed up with a few junctions and a hill start..life. 

And THEN..

I drove into town. The naive learner driver I was. My instructor lured me into a false sense of security and before I knew it I was in the middle of town in RUSH HOUR. AH. 

But don't worry...I'm ok. Still a little shaken. 

The main thing I've learnt this week is that in situations when its busy and you're feeling a bit overwhelmed by everything, the best thing to do is stay calm. Stay calm and remember what you've got to do. Just take it a step at the time and don't panic because then you miss things out and get stressed out and then it all fails and before you know it you're crying at the side of the road and......no, I'm joking but STAY CALM. 

This evening I decided to take a leisurely cruise down to my friend's house that is 2 minutes down the road, it was very successful and I'm soooo enjoying it. 

'til next time..

Hannah.

Lesson Five

SO!
5 hours in and I actually feel like I'm getting somewhere! 

After several pretty successful roundabouts and junctions I feel it's all coming together!
I learnt about pelican, puffin and toucan crossings! 
(No, I didn't make those up) 
Also, who knew there was such thing as a Pegasus crossing? FOR HORSES!?

In other news, I'm getting a car this week! CRAZY.

But as exciting as it is, an element that isn't so exciting is...insurance. 

IT. IS. A. MINEFIELD. 

What to trust, what not to trust?
What's good, what's bad?
What are excesses, what are good excesses?
Who's name should it be in?
How many times do I have to fill out this quote form?
 urgh. 

There are lots of companies that offer annual insurance of around £300-£600, but the fact they're so cheap makes me suspicious. 
Comparison websites such as Compare The Market, GoCompare and Confused.com have all been really useful in finding the best deals for me. 

What I've realised is that, no one wants my provisional driver business. 
And if they do, they want to stick a spy box on the side of my car...uh..is that a good idea?

I have 3 more days to sort this out. It's going to have to be this evening. 

I'll update you on the outcomes!

Wish me luck! 

Hannah.