TY Driving Course

This past Friday, this coming Friday and every Friday for the next three weeks, Transition Years have the opportunity to take part in a driving courses for the whole day. The point of this article is to inform you fully about the course because I believe everyone should at least try it. It’s an extremely valuable course and it’s just a fun experience. The driving course costs €60, and you can sign up now. There are still some free spaces so you still have the chance to get a spot! If spaces become filled, Mr Toomey will put your name on a waiting list.

There are four main activities on the course. The first activity my group took part in was using drunk goggles. The instructor gave us these goggles that make us see the world  as if we were drunk and we had to do everyday activities while using them. We walked around the school, walked up and down stairs, played catch, etc. It was a way of seeing how alcohol affected you and your ability to perform at your best. It also taught us the lesson of not to drink and drive. After all, if you can’t walk in a straight line while drunk, how can you expect to drive a car?

The second activity we did was driving a car. The instructor showed us how to drive a car and one by one, we all took turns actually driving. He was there the whole time and he has his own set of pedals so you’re completely safe the whole time. The car is driven around the outdoor basketball court and the main things we do in the car is drive in circles and reverse. The instructor tells you what to do the whole time too, so you’re not expected to rely on your memory.

After actually driving the car, we learnt the mechanical side of cars. The instructor for this activity showed us the engine of the car. He named each part of the car and what purpose it served. We also learnt how to change a tire before changing it ourselves. 

Those three activities finished at around 12.20. Then for the next hour you did one of two things, depending what group you were in. Our group did the theory part first. What that involved was talking about the theory test you need to pass to get your driver's licence. The test asks you 40 questions on driving laws out of 2,000 questions so each test is somewhat different. You need 35/40 to pass the test but the average for people who haven’t studied for it is 28. It was a fun way of seeing the theory test and learning about different road laws and the meaning behind some road signs.

The theory test took up an hour, then you were able to go on your lunch break. After lunch, you do whatever activity you have left. For us, it was riding e-scooters. We all got high-vis vests and a helmet for our safety and we were taught how to use the e-scooters. After that, we had freedom to ride around in circles and practice using them. We would change direction, have timed races, learn how to emergency brake and test out different speeds on the scooters.  That took up another hour so we didn’t finish the course until after 3pm.

That’s everything we did last Friday. I feel this driving course is important and I recommend it to everyone in our year. Driving is a skill most people need in life so this course gives us a head start. It’s also just a really fun experience and a way of taking a break from the academic week. It lasts practically the whole day so you’re certainly getting your money’s worth. As I said, it’s still going on this Friday and for the next three weeks. There were still open spots so if you’re considering trying it, you definitely should.

Written by Tara Coen-Hernandez