Hello everyone!

I am a newly qualified driver passed on Tuesday and got my 2006 Fiesta 5dr on Sunday. It's going to be getting a tremendous amount of use over the next couple of years hopefully and I would appreciate any and all tips on how to care for the car and any general driving advice anyone has is also very welcome!

Look forward to asking all the silly questions and reading the no doubt hilarious responses!

Hi welcome :)

Thanks nice to be here!

Hey bud congrats on passing and all here if need anything

Saul

Thanks Saul, looking forward to getting to know the car and roads better!

Pass plus scheme is a good idea & could lower your insurance quotes :)

Pass plus scheme is a good idea & could lower your insurance quotes :)

Yea I did have a look at that, but since I'm 27 already it wasn't having any effect on the quotes £80.80 a month, got to start those no claims somewhere

Hi and welcome,

If you need any help with insurance at all then please feel free to drop me a line. I'd be only too pleased to try and help.

Regards,

Dan.

hi and welcome

Thanks guys! Good friendly community you have here!

Welcome on board!

I passed on.... (Sadly, I know the exact date - Friday 18th January 2013 - It was the last day of term as well... and it snowed majorly!)

Have been driving more or less happily since then.

I'm just going to give you my two cents tips wise:

Feel free to take on board/ignore any of my silly points as you feel necessary :P

• Always wait for the person to start to turn (Even if they are indicating).... The amount of times i've had people indicate to turn off onto an exit before the one I'm joining the roundabout from, then gone to pull on, and had them cancel their signal at the last second and had to slam the anchors on to avoid hitting them..... well, let's just say it happens far too often.

• Be ready to hit those brakes! - If I had a pound for every time i've had to do this for some other fool, i'd be.... well, not quite rich, but somewhat wealthier!

• Speed cameras - Some people chance this, there is a rumour that has been circulating that only approximately 10% of all speed cameras are actually fully functioning units. Personally, I never take any chances... for a good reason:

Following a Merc driver (What a surprise!) on the way to work one morning early in October 2014, he/she either didn't see the speed cameras and the road markings on the incline to go up the hill or didn't realise the speed, and decided that the speed limit didn't apply....

Unfortunately for them, as they went past I saw a quick double flash from the camera, So I'd assume as it's a double flash it's actually a genuine unit (The theory is a dummy unit only has the flasher unit and only flashes once, therefore you've gotten away with it)

Also, it wasn't a gatso, so no film limitations, it's one of the more modern cameras, Speedcurb (pic below) I think they're called. On the plus side, I now know that camera does work!

Well, that's about all I can think of right now....

Thanks! Those are some great tips, yea since starting to learn to drive you notice how few people indicate what they are doing properly on a roundabout! And the speed cameras I agree better safe than sorry. My driving instructor was an ex-traffic cop and he told me a story about going full pelt London to Birmingham (lights on and as fast as possible) only got him there about 20 minutes faster than normal driving just cause that's how traffic works.

If you drive within any given speed limit, speed cameras are not a problem !

If you drive within any given speed limit, speed cameras are not a problem !

Interesting note on that, I've often wondered what the device tolerances are set at on speed cameras and the like, do they use the simple 10% + 2 mph or whatever it was?

I believe the police use that when considering pulling someone for speeding, along those lines anyway.

Perhaps I should have asked the Merc driver what speed he was going when he got flashed.....