FTO AUSTRALIA

So our eldest teenager has just gotten their L's and is learning to drive a manual car,
The first few lessons caused me to go a little ,slowly getting the hang of it as there is a lot less seatback,dash,seatback,dash,seatback,dash!
Are there any other parents on here suffering the same that have any idea's or pointers.
So far I have restricted their driving to an industrial area only due to less traffic and have also let them loose in the paddocks of my parents 16 acre property!

Yep, paddocks and empty carparks to start with. Paddocks with dew are great for learning car control. Best getting them intoa place where there isnt too much stress. Places where theycan make a mistake or 2 without diabolical consequences. Getting them driving on the property prior to being able to get their licence is a plus if you can because then they can concentrateon the rules rather than how to handle the car. And as much as Iam a fan of manual cars,auto's are easier to teach driving in.

This probably isnt telling you anything youdidnt already know, but hey, you asked

I taught my son in the FTO.
I took him to a quite back street.
I got him to slowly release the clutch, with no throttle, until he could feel the clutch starting to grab, then push the clutch back in.
We did this boring exercise for about an hour, but it taught him where the clutch release point is.
Next I got him to release the clutch to the release/grab point, hold his foot there, give a bit of throttle and slowly release the clutch the rest of the way.
Then I got him to put his foot straight back on the clutch and off of the throttle, the FTO would have moved about 2 meters.
We did this excercise for about an hour.
Then I allowed him to take off as just taught, he took off quite smoothly, then taught him to change up through the gears and back down through the gears.
Within about 3 hours he was driving with traffic, out of the quite area and onto the highway.

I got him to drive an auto first, just to get some road sense.

While driving I also got him to narrate 'out loud' everything he saw and done.
Incl his speed, when he looked at his mirrors, all traffic/pedestrians/bicycles/everything he can see/notice. When he was braking, accelerating.
It was just like a constant story.
It made him aware of everything that was going on, and also allowed me to know everything he was and wasn't doing.

Anyway....good luck.

Cheers for the reply gents, Guess I have been doing pretty much what you have both said so will just keep on clocking up the hours!
Might get them a professional driving lesson when closer to getting P's!

I have taught a few mates to drive. Just go carpark and explain things slowly. If it's an auto should be pretty easy, I've only ever taught in a manual. Just a case of repetition of finding the clutch point and taking off/slowing down with engine braking/downshifting. Once theyre comfortable with that and don't need to concentrate so much on what their feet and left hand is doing then its easier to then teach road sense and rules.

Daniel2019 wrote:I have taught a few mates to drive.

Aren't you like.... 12?

My daughter got her L's today so I'm starting tomorrow - Auto though so should be easier for her. (she doesn't want to learn manual although i've tried to encourage her to do so)

Sister's just got her L's, scary stuff
Although she refuses to learn in the WRX as its manual so everyone on the streets are a little safer

I remember my first time learning how to drive a manual. It was pitch black, no street lights and I accidentally drove over a gravel mound (it looked level and was in the middle of the road in a parking lot). Had to get our mates to tow us out of that one...

Oddly enough, I only stalled from not depressing the clutch all the way when braking.

Just get your kids to play GTA5 for a week straight. Then they'll be ready for the real world

Yeah, I learnt to drive in an auto, and once I was confident I purchased the FTO, and learnt to drive a manual :p