How I Got My Singapore Driving License as a Foreigner (Part 2): Modules 1 and 2

Introduction

This is a continuation from Part 1, where I covered everything before the first lesson. In this part, I'll share my first 12 practical lessons at ComfortDelGro Driving Centre (CDC), from 20 November 2023 to 29 December 2023. That covers Modules 1 and 2 in my booklet, plus the three simulator courses.

Just like in Part 1, this is based on my own notes while learning a manual car (Class 3). The info is almost 2 to 3 years old, so please check with CDC or your instructor when in doubt. Your instructor will always be the best source for what to do in the car. Think of this post as a preview of what to expect, not a replacement for the lessons.

Let's get started!

How the lessons went

Each lesson was about 1 hour 40 minutes. I mostly booked weekday mornings at 8:30am, plus a few evening and weekend slots. Here is my timeline. The subject numbers are the stamps in my CDC booklet.

Module 1: Getting to know the car (lessons 1 to 5)

Lesson 1: The basics

My first lesson started around 10am. It was mostly knowledge transfer about the car and its controls, then I drove around the circuit. A few things I wrote down:

• Wear thin-soled shoes if you can. Thick soles make it harder to feel the clutch
• Try to be on time. Don't have high expectations so you won't feel pressured
• Adjust the seat first, then the mirrors, then put on your seatbelt. After the lesson, reset the seat height to the lowest for the next instructor
• Adjust the seat distance so that you can press the clutch all the way with your knees slightly bent
• Adjust the mirror so that you only see about a quarter of the car. The horizontal line should be slightly above the middle
• To start the car (if it's keyless), press the clutch all the way then press the button
• Gears: 1 is for moving off, 2 to 4 are for driving, 5 is overdrive and R is reverse. Neutral is the middle position
• The maximum speed is 20 km/h inside the circuit. On the roads, the speed limit depends on the road, so always follow the posted speed limit signs. In my lessons and the test routes, I mostly stayed within 50 km/h
• Check your mirrors every 5 to 10 seconds
• Signalling isn't just for turning or changing lanes. You also signal when you are moving off
• Don't use the horn. Let your instructor handle it
• A car with a double L sign is taking the TP test, so give way to them

To move off, I learned this sequence: press the clutch and the footbrake all the way, change to 1st gear and release the handbrake. Then gently release the clutch until you feel the vibration (this is the biting point, or half clutch), release the footbrake and finally release the clutch.

If you stall, you lose points in the actual test. Stalling a few times in a row can fail you, depending on the tester.

Lessons 2 to 4: Footwork and braking

These lessons were all about coordination. I practised steering around the circuit, braking a lot and moving off over and over. These were the tips that stuck with me:

• On 1st gear, press the clutch first then brake gently. On 2nd gear, brake gently first then press the clutch. This is easy to mix up, so practise it a lot
• Practise accelerating from a stop. Clutch in, go to half clutch while switching your foot from the brake to the accelerator, then release the clutch. If you do it right, the car shouldn't shake
• Check your blind spots quickly on the side you are turning or changing lane to, just before you start. Not too early
• When you stop at the side of the road, aim for about 0.5 metres from the kerb, which is basically the centre of the lane
• A good driver never moves the floor mat because of good footwork coordination
• When you are moving very slowly, control of the clutch is important. Practise releasing or pressing it gently

My instructor also taught me a routine for picking up a friend on the left lane:

1. Signal left for about 3 seconds
2. Check 1 (rear mirror), 2 (side mirror) and 3 (blind spot)
3. Brake gently and stop where your friend is standing
4. Turn on the hazard lights, change to neutral and engage the handbrake
5. When you are ready to go, turn off the hazard lights, change to 1st gear, release the handbrake and signal right
6. Check 1, 2 and 3 again, then move off

The same 1, 2, 3 routine applies when changing lanes. Signal first for about 3 seconds, check, then change.

Lesson 5: Traffic lights and right turns

By lesson 5, I was learning how to handle junctions with traffic lights:

• When turning right at a green light (without an arrow), stop just behind the traffic light and look out for cars going straight. Check your blind spots, then proceed until your shoulder passes the light. Turn right into the lane nearest to you
• When turning right into a main road, stop behind the stop sign. Check for cars going straight and your blind spots, then turn
• When changing down a gear, brake a little, press the clutch, then change down slowly
• My weaknesses at this point were checking blind spots and stopping at zebra crossings. Don't brake too early

At the end of this lesson, I finished Module 1 in my booklet.

Module 2: Courses and driving outside (lessons 6 to 12)

S course and crank course (lesson 6)

These are the narrow courses inside the circuit. The idea is to use a sighting point on the car to know when to turn the steering wheel, instead of guessing:

• Signal left, check your blind spot. When your sighting point aligns with the kerb, full lock the steering wheel
• Once the car is almost parallel to the kerb, straighten the wheels
• Before exiting, signal and check the incoming traffic, then check your blind spot before turning
• On sharp turns, use the sighting point to gauge when to turn. On junctions and wider turns, use your shoulder instead

My instructor also told me to watch the videos for each course before the lesson. All lessons have videos online, so you can spend your lesson time practising instead of watching a demo.

Slope (lesson 7)

The slope took me a while to get right. In short, you stop at the bottom, find the biting point and accelerate until the car starts to climb, then release the handbrake and keep going. When the car is on top, change lane, release the pedals and use the footbrake to go down slowly. Stop at the white line before the exit.

The most important part is feeling the engine. If it sounds smooth you are fine. If it shakes, your clutch is too high.

Driving outside the circuit (lessons 7 to 12)

This is where it started to feel like real driving. Here are the habits I picked up:

• Always keep left. If there are parked cars or an obstruction on your left, signal right, check 1, 2 and 3, then move to the right lane slowly. When you are past the obstruction, signal left and move back
• If you are changing from the most right lane to the most left lane and there are 4 lanes, move one lane at a time
• When changing lanes, look for a gap of about 5 to 6 car lengths. Check the rear mirror first, then the side mirror, then your blind spot. Keep signalling and repeat until you reach the lane you want
• If a car is slowing down, it's usually giving way. If it's moving fast, slow down, let it pass and look for another opportunity
• Always stop at the white line before turning into a main road, then check the traffic
• Gear up: release the clutch slowly and accelerate at the same time. The higher the gear, the faster you can release the clutch
• Gear down: release the clutch slowly and use engine braking, then brake. Don't use engine braking too early
• Inside the circuit, you only go up to gear 4. Change to 2nd gear when approaching humps or bends
• Lights: turn off the dipped lights in the circuit. Only the position lights should be on at night

Gear changes (lesson 7)

If you keep mixing up the gears like I did, these tips helped me. Your instructor will show you the exact movements for your car:

• The gear pattern is printed on the gear knob and it can differ slightly from car to car. Check it before you drive
• Keep your hand relaxed on the gear stick. Don't force it. Let it slide through the middle (neutral) position into the next gear
• Practise the shifts while the car is stationary (clutch pressed) until your hand knows where each gear is, then ask your instructor to check your technique

Filter lanes (lesson 8)

A filter lane is the turning lane you use to join a main road. This is the process I was taught:

1. Signal your intention, change to 2nd gear and slow down with intermittent braking
2. Check left and right for pedestrians
3. When a pedestrian is crossing, start checking the main road for cars going straight, turning right or doing a U-turn
4. If it's not clear, stop at the white line and check again. If it's clear, you can go without stopping
5. Check your blind spot before turning

When turning left onto a main road, make sure both the nearest lane and the 2nd lane are clear. You can easily go into the 2nd lane without realising it.

Footwork and clutch (lesson 8)

In lesson 8, I was told that my weakness was the clutch and changing gears. Here is what helped:

• Use your toes to step on the pedals so they cover the pedal nicely. For the clutch, keep your heel off the floor. For the brake and accelerator, keep your heel on the floor
• When finding the biting point, lift your leg by moving your knee outwards to the left so it doesn't touch the steering wheel
• Release the footbrake when finding the biting point. There is a low biting point and a high biting point. Once the vibration is gone, you can release the clutch slowly
• Don't hold the steering wheel too tightly. Relax your hands, slot in your thumbs and use two fingers
• Keep your car in the centre of the lane. Check where the line is touching, just beside the right panel
• To practise at home, draw the pedals on a piece of paper, place it on the floor and sit on a chair

Right turns at junctions (lesson 10)

• When turning right at a green light, signal, keep to the right lane and inch forward when it turns green. Check your blind spots, then turn into the right-most lane. Then slowly change back to the left lane
• When there are two right-turn lanes and you are not in the right-most one, stay in your lane through the turn. Keep checking the car nearest to you that is also turning
• At a T-junction, check the traffic from both sides, including cars on the left that are turning right
• Don't hesitate. Once you move forward, drive faster
• To move off quickly, go to half clutch right away to find the biting point while accelerating at the same time

U-turns (lesson 11)

• Only do a U-turn when you see the U-turn sign
• For a narrow kerb, signal right, keep right and check your blind spots when changing lanes. Full lock the steering wheel once your shoulder passes the kerb and stay in the 2nd lane. Accelerate when you are almost straight, then signal left to get back to the left lane
• For a wider kerb (about 1 car length), stay on the 1st lane instead. If it's even wider (2 to 3 car lengths), you don't need to full lock
• To count lanes, start from the middle kerb
• The 3-point turn is no longer part of the TP test, so you don't need it

Directional change (lesson 12)

In my 12th lesson, I reviewed all of Module 2. The last topic was getting my first taste of the directional change, which is a type of turning around in a narrow road or car park. It's part of Module 3, so I'll cover it in Part 3.

The simulator course

The simulator course is compulsory before the TP practical test. I booked mine after my 5th lesson. The slots for Saturday get released at around 4pm, while the Sunday slots are only released on Friday.

I took three courses: two on Sunday, 17 December 2023 and one on Wednesday night, 20 December 2023. They don't teach you how to drive. They show you what can happen when someone else causes a hazard:

• Course 1: A car suddenly turns into the main road and stops in front of you. A pedestrian crosses the road. You also have to do a U-turn and avoid a motorcycle going straight
• Course 2: It's raining, so you need to turn on the wipers and drive slowly. A bicycle is following closely behind when you turn left and wants to go straight, so you let it pass first. It's also night so you need to turn on the lights. You also wait for the green right arrow before you turn right
• Course 3: Emergency braking for foreign objects (like wood or a box that fell off a lorry), slowing down when there's sand ahead, giving way to an ambulance and what to do with blinding lights (look to the left of the kerb and stop when possible)

What to book next

After your 12th lesson, it's time to look ahead. You'll want to book these as early as possible so they won't stop you from booking your TP test later:

• The Final Theory Test (FTT)
• The Vehicular Pre-Operative Check (VPC) and the Learner's Driver Competency Screening (LDCS). If you can, book the VPC on the same day as the LDCS or a lesson, so you don't waste a trip to CDC Ubi

I'll cover those in Part 3.

Keeping up with slots

Just like in Part 1, getting lesson slots was the hardest part for me. If you don't want to keep refreshing the page, check out my free CDC Practical Lesson Slots alerts. It sends a Telegram notification when new manual or auto car lesson slots show up.

What it cost in this part

All amounts are in Singapore dollars (S$) and include GST, taken from my own spreadsheet. First, here are the rates so you don't have to work them out yourself:

Here is what I paid in total for these 12 lessons and 3 simulator courses:

Cancellation charges add up, so only book the slots you're sure about. I'll share the full breakdown in Part 4.

What's next

In Part 3, I'll share Module 3, which covers parallel parking, vertical parking, directional change and more. I'll also cover the VPC, the LDCS and the Final Theory Test and how I booked my TP test.

Thanks for reading!