Session 3 Debrief: Expectations and Future Strategies

There’s nothing to talk about today’s session per se, but in the past 24 hours, a lot of revelations have occurred and this session is a part of it.

As usual, I ran the car for 15-20 minutes. Nothing serious. Nothing major. I guess, I dug tracks into the sand, but nothing new. I’ve done the debrief as a force of habit.

Moreover, I’ve also thought a lot about purchasing a car myself, a used one because I will probably drive it like I stole it. Scratch that. I WILL drive it like I stole it. Much regarding that is in today’s debrief.

But first, the recap.

Session 3 Recap

The town was packed with people because some event was taking place. Consequently, we couldn’t go to the field we usually go to for our daily training. We drove to another part of the city after discussing for a while whether the session was on.

En route, an experienced kid stalled a time or two while on the way. Then he sat back and another experienced kid took his place. The event repeated. The second kid reported that the teacher used his side of the pedals at the stalling event.

This was an important observation.

Anyway, then I jumped in. All I did was drive it in a straight line and shift gears. Maybe a downshift or two, I don’t clearly recall.

At the start, some kids on a scooter asked me to stop the car. I lifted off the throttle and slammed on the clutch to slow the vehicle down. I am not sure how, but the car stalled. I retried and maybe frantically pressed the accelerator pedal while releasing the clutch slowly.

The car didn’t move. I lose the clutch a bit more and the car stalls.

Maybe it was my fault. Perhaps the first stall was due to me disengaging the clutch without giving gas while the car was coming to a halt. The second one could’ve occurred because I lifted the clutch too quickly which killed the car.

Or maybe, it was him.

When the car is stationary, lifting the clutch should get the car going. There’s no way the second stall should have happened. Before frantically pressing the accelerator, I did release the clutch a bit.

Then the frantic pressing happened as I continued to relieve pressure from the clutch pedal.

Was it because he was holding on to the clutch on his side? 

Additionally, my teacher gives me direct steering feedback while driving in a straight line. That means, he holds the steering and corrects it himself rather than telling me to do it. For some reason, he didn’t tell me to pull over or anything when he knew that I’d never done that.

Earlier, I called him a ‘good’ teacher due to a friend’s recommendation. I guess that’s subjective.

The whole start-stall-start-stall-start thing lasted for a minute. It’s hard to recall all the sequence of events clearly. At least I have the excuse of being a learner. Today was literally the third time I was in a car’s driver’s seat. He (my instructor) could have done a better job, for sure.

The rest of the drive was good. We negotiated a U-turn, which went poorly because i never practiced it in a field and this guy gives direct steering feedback in road drives, so it’s impossible to learn.

After that, I drove 100 yards and pulled over safely. Along the way, I shifted multiple gears. There was a downshift at the U-turn which was a collaborative effort. This is, again, a concerning issue because if he’s shifting, then he’s definitely pressing the clutch.

The Driving Program is Poor

The curriculum isn’t structured at all. The ‘areas of focus’ is my invention. All of the sessions are dependent on what’s possible at the moment. If it is in everyone’s best interests that I (and others) drive to and fro on a scantily crowded road, then that’s what it is gonna be.

Ideally, the program should focus on getting handy with the controls first, then combining these controls for slightly advanced maneuvers in controlled conditions. For example, the first lesson should teach how someone should drive a car in a straight line, like back and forth.

This would teach clutch control and steering stabilization.

The lesson after that could be about taking a sharp left/right.

All of these initial control lessons should be given in an empty field with traffic cones for direction. 

The driving program I signed up for is simply unprofessional. There’s no plan to get a kid comfortable with the car first and progress iteratively. As I mentioned in the first debrief, I drove a car directly on the road after a few sorry laps in an empty field and got no tips.

Anyway, this erratic way of learning is unproductive, to say the least. My goal is to learn the controls as much as I can and then practice the rest on my car, whenever it arrives.

The folks signing up for these kinds of driving programs can’t expect to pass the driving test issued by the RTO, Government of India. My teacher claims you can, but that’s just a part of his marketing strategy.

The instructor, thankfully, is pretty good at introducing drivers to the car’s controls. I know how the clutch works in various driving conditions and the sensitivity of the brake and throttle pedals.

Another thing the guy does well is take over in critical road conditions. I am aware that if I keep the engine running, he can take us to safety with a direct steering assist.

But driving is a lot more than that.

Areas of Focus

Turning a car and reversing the vehicle.

Unfortunately, today there was some event going on that cost us our training field which prevented me from practicing turns. Tomorrow, I will press the guy to let me negotiate turns in the field and do a bit of reverse as well.

This will help me understand the steering a bit more. I struggle with both entry and exit, so it should be tricky and hard at the same time. Good stuff.

My goal is to keep getting comfortable with the controls, not necessarily the driving conditions on the road. That’s too much to ask after a handful of 15-20-minute linear rides. 

If I get a few clockwise and counter-clockwise laps to practice sharp turns, it will be okay.

Long-term Training Plan

The first 30 days after purchasing a car will feature me driving around town for an hour at night, preferably around midnight. The objective is to get handy with the car and all the controls within.

After the month, i will go on endurance rides on the weekends which will last 3+ hours. These drives will begin my actual test in on-road conditions where I will be tested thoroughly. It will also test how I perform on long rides and prepare me for such scenarios in the future.

I am planning ten endurance rides but will increase them if needed.

In total, i will have 40 sessions after the purchase of my car but before I attempt the RTO-mandated driving license test. Until then, there will be 12 more driving lessons, where i will get acclimated with the car’s controls as much as possible.

So, in summation, we are looking at 52 more debriefs one additional chapter for the day of the test, and an epilogue to wrap this memoir up. Since the prologue needs a bit of work too, the book will have 55 more chapters. Mamma mia.

Of course, I can’t get the car all the way to my house by myself. The boys will help. Thank the cosmos for that. A round for the lads. They deserve it anyway.

Looking Forward: This was a Pickle

The last day and the period after today’s session was hectic as hell. There were so many questions in my head, plus the stalling thing didn’t help make matters simpler either. 

Mary Jane helped me through this.

The revelations started coming in and everything got untangled. The strategy going forward, for getting a driver’s license at least, is demystified completely.

The next thing I need to focus on is going through the remaining lessons and learning as much as I can while I wait for the boys to help me cop a ride.

Until next time,

Tara

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Next Chapter: Session 4 Debrief: Smooth Drive With Turning Problems

Previous Chapter: Session 2 Debrief: Straight Line and Throttle Control

Index (with Prologue): The Path to Driving License