machineman9 wrote on Oct 14^th, 2009 at 4:47pm:

Check this out. http://www.msvdrivinggifts.com/youngdrive!.aspx

All this could turn out expensive. Ideally you need a friend or relative to give you a few lessons in their car on a piece of private land. Unless you have plenty of money it might be better to wait & save up for a proper course of lessons when you reach 17.

As far as tracks go, you'd be looking at a track day which A: is even more expensive and B: you need to be a license holder.
If you know anyone who is fairly high up on an military airbase that has no movements, you can get away with driving around the perimeter roads. It happend a lot at Middle Wallop.
Otherwise its things like Farm land, large estates and so on.
If its a public road your not legally allowed.

CVs are around the place at the moment and I have some funding set aside.

I only think it would be cheaper for lessons to gain some experience beforehand... If I already know some of the skills then it isn't so much learning them as improving them. I'd also like to get on the road sooner, ensuring those CVs get me a job, and be driving soon after my 17th. I've got a few dates lined up a few weeks after my birthday which I'd like to drive to myself.

I don't really care for the whole 'pass the test as quick as you can and then go and whizz around in cars' approach as it is stupid and dangerous. I prefer the 'get it done, be experienced, be safe' approach. I think that having extra hours experience (which will not cost me, or at the very least just fuel) is worthwhile.

I know my mother has already said I can use her car when the instructor says I am capable enough to do so on the roads as a learner, but that is during tuition and I'd like some experience before lessons start at all. I know full well that the instructor's words should be followed at all times, but it might help progression if I can start up, not stall and get around a bit on my own steam. Anticipating the power of brakes, gear changing, etc, would just be more experience and I think it would help the learning side of things go better, faster and cheaper.

Would car parks only be acceptable for people with a provisional and all that jazz, or do they properly count as off the road and legal?

White lines are certainly better for practising 3 point turns than in an area with lamp posts and people.

I thought I'd get a licence really quickly when I was 17 and start driving myself to airshows.....then life got in the way.....I got out quite a bit with my mum to car parks and local roads but haven't had many proper lessons and I'm nearly 18. I have so much other stuff going on that driving just isn't a priority at the moment....I'll happily take the bus or train (you can fall asleep....and look out the window....and watch videos on your iPod )

I'd slow down and see what happens....I'm determined to pass before Uni, but there's a massive summer holiday for that next year

.mic (just got in from the opening night of a play I'm directing and crewing )

Hagar wrote on Oct 15^th, 2009 at 5:21pm:

See thats interesting, and creates several legal questions.
for instance my works car park has signs up saying it is private property and claims as such they can ticket cars using it for too long using their own companies and such.

So BSM say it must be gated. I am guessing it pretty much means on the land your house is on, or as close as this as possible. And using someone elses land of course requires their permission.

I shall have to think about that one then. Very few people I know have a gate of any kind, even fewer have a gate and anything larger than a drive way to park their cars on.

I am fully aware of it. They are licensed with a provisional now, but I'm still more than aware of the naughtyness of it.