5.Ask what make and model Driving School car is. There are many models in use by Driving Schools and of course all Instructors tend to have their own particular favourites. Diesel models are extremely economical for Instructor who lives in country and who does a lot of mileage. Diesel models are on increase due to their improved performance over past years and their economy. They also hold their value well and while a little more expensive to maintain they go on for ever if looked after.

6.Ask Instructor whether or not country road and high speed carriageway Driving are include in Teaching Syllabus. These form a large part of your every day driving in Ireland and are very important skills to have right from start. Ask yourself question...are you going to be spending bulk of your driving career, driving around your local area or into town and back; or are you going to be visiting Coast, going on Holiday to far reaches of country or even Dublin. Of course you are; after all isn’t this why you are buying a car in first place? If you are only concerned with transporting yourself within your local area it’s much cheaper, believe me, to hire a Taxi!

7.Ask your proposed Instructor does she or he give Motorway Tuition. While we don’t have same level of Motorways here in Ireland, as in U.K or Europe, we do have stretches between major cities and particularly in Dublin area and of course over coming years there will be many more miles of Motorway I am sure. These marvels of Engineering require a higher degree of skill and lots of practise in your car before one can safely negotiate Dublin or abroad. This is why Learner Drivers are not permitted on Motorways. We are lucky here in Limerick, in that we have a new ring road carriageway, spanning about 20 miles which is identical in layout and signage to a Motorway apart from speed limit and colour of said signs. Perfect for legal high speed Motorway style practise within five minutes or so drive from most parts of City.

8.Most Driving Schools will usually book lessons at least a week ahead, so don’t expect to ring up and get a lesson that day or even next. Occasionally if you are lucky, and School has a vacant slot they will take you but it’s exception rather than rule. If School can’t take you for a week be patient it will be well worth wait.

9.A good Driving Instructor will ask you for a fair bit of information on phone in order to gauge your level of skill. He or she will ask questions that may not seem relevant, when all you, as a pupil want to do is to get behind wheel .Believe me they will be; they will all be designed to build up your driver profile and should not be construed as being nosy!

10.A Professional Instructor will take with a pinch of salt your efforts at explaining just how well you can drive and how you only need a bit of practise here and there at reversing or hill starts. Don’t be defensive, you are about to learn one of most important life building and life saving skills. A good Instructor will not venture out in your own car, if you already have one, until he or she has seen your capabilities or you have described in great detail your experience. eg. one years driving and getting ready to sit Driving Test.

This is first in a series of “Ten Tips” to better and safer Driving.

Whenever we had to make a trip into city (New York that is), my father made me drive while he sat in back seat. It had a amazingly comfortable ride, even with all pot holes on Long Island Expressway! In addition to drives into city, I had loads of fun in Black Beauty with my friends.

Unfortunately I had to sell “Black Beauty” when my husband and I went off to graduate school. However, don’t feel too bad, we had replaced it with a 1976 Pontiac Trans Am, yep, last of big 455’s. Plus we had engine blue printed, balanced and a whole lot more, so it really hauled a**!

We sold Black Beauty to a neighbor, who took out vinyl seats and lo and behold cloth ones were in excellent condition. He eventually sold it to his brother in Brooklyn, who while driving one day went to step on brake pedal and his foot went through floor. Unfortunately harsh NY winters aren’t kind to cars!

I think many of us wax sentimental when we think of our first car, I know I do! Luckily , I still have my pictures and some very great memories of my “Black Beauty”!

Drive On!

DeFiore Enterprises, Copyright 2005

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