Latest news with #Ollie
New York Post
8 hours ago
- Automotive
- New York Post
Teen saves $1.3K on driving lessons by watching YouTube tips — and passes first time
A savvy teenager saved over $1,346 on driving lessons by watching YouTube tips — and passed first time. Ollie Bird, 17, ditched professional lessons after taking one which cost him $54 and started surfing the web for cheaper alternatives. He started watching YouTube tutorials posted by driving instructors and put the lessons into practice using a computer driving simulator. 5 Ollie Bird practices driving on a simulator in his home. Courtesy of Oliver Bird / SWNS After clocking up 30 hours of lessons which his original instructor had suggested he needed, he took his test on June 6 and was stunned when he passed first time. Ollie, from Scotby village in Cumbria, England ditched his L-plates just three weeks after his 17th birthday. 'I was hearing horror stories from my friends about all the money people were spending on driving lessons — I didn't want to be getting into all of that,' he said. 'The instructor estimated that I would need 25-30 hours of tuition, if not more if I failed the first time round. That's at least $1,600 which is a lot of money. 'I do a lot of things my own way, so I told my mum and dad that I wanted to research on YouTube instead of cramming in lessons. 'When examiner said I passed, I was shocked I also felt very lucky.' 5 Ollie Bird sits in the driver's seat of his car after passing his driver's test. Courtesy of Oliver Bird / SWNS 5 Ollie Bird races in an F1 video game on the simulator he used to learn how to drive. Courtesy of Oliver Bird / SWNS Ollie, who is a keen go kart rider, also aced his driving theory test the day after his birthday on May 16. In the two weeks before his test Ollie watched 30 hours of dedicated driving instructor YouTubers who he said 'taught him the ins and out of how to drive'. He also used his racing simulator computer game to practice steering, gears and braking. The teen added: 'I've took part in go-kart racing for a couple of months last year and I also have my simulator — they both helped. 5 Ollie, who is a keen go kart rider, also aced his driving theory test the day after his birthday on May 16. Courtesy of Oliver Bird / SWNS 'YouTube, along with all of the indirect driving experience, were definitely useful in my eventual success.' Ollie also went driving with his parents near his home to become familiar with road signs and perfecting parking and reversing. He said: 'The main thing that I learned from driving with my parents was not the theory of it and the strategy of driving well. 5 He also used his racing simulator computer game to practice steering, gears and braking. Courtesy of Oliver Bird / SWNS 'It was more of the gears, the car control, clutch control and handling an actual car and being on an actual road which became more natural. 'I wasn't going to go into it and just stress out and mess up — I had nothing to lose. 'The actual test was really enjoyable, me and the examiner had really good conversations about school and random stuff, it was quite relaxed. 'When the instructor ended the test and I found out I had passed I was shocked more than anything. 'It was also really satisfying as a couple of people including my parents as they didn't think I was going to. 'I felt very lucky after hearing how hard to process can be from friends and family. I'm super chuffed I passed and in the way I did was just great.'
Daily Mirror
10 hours ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mirror
'I taught myself to drive using YouTube and passed first time'
Ollie Bird, 17, ditched professional lessons after taking one that cost him £40 and started surfing the web for cheaper alternatives A clever teenager managed to save more than £1,000 on driving tuition by turning to YouTube for guidance – and sailed through his test on the first go. Ollie Bird, 17, abandoned conventional instruction after a single £40 lesson and began hunting online for budget-friendly options. The resourceful lad discovered YouTube videos created by qualified driving instructors and practised the techniques using a computer-based driving simulator. Having accumulated 30 hours of preparation – the amount his original tutor had recommended – he sat his examination on June 6 and was amazed to succeed at the first attempt. Ollie, who is from Scotby village near Carlisle in Cumbria, discarded his L-plates merely three weeks following his 17th birthday. The teenager said: "I was hearing horror stories from my friends about all the money people were spending on driving lessons - I didn't want to be getting into all of that. "The instructor estimated that I would need 25-30 hours of tuition, if not more if I failed the first time round. That's at least £1,200, which is a lot of money. "I do a lot of things my own way, so I told my mum and dad that I wanted to research on YouTube instead of cramming in lessons. When examiner said I passed, I was shocked. I also felt very lucky." Ollie, an avid go-kart enthusiast, impressively passed his driving theory test the day following his birthday on May 16. In preparation for his test, Ollie dedicated 30 hours over two weeks to watching specialist driving instructor YouTubers, who "taught him the ins and outs of how to drive". He also honed his skills using a racing simulator computer game to practise steering, gear changes, and braking. The teen said: "I've taken part in go-kart racing for a couple of months last year and I also have my simulator - they both helped. YouTube, along with all of the indirect driving experience, were definitely useful in my eventual success." Additionally, Ollie practised driving with his parents around his local area to get to grips with road signs and master parking and reversing techniques. He said: "The main thing that I learned from driving with my parents was not the theory of it and the strategy of driving well. It was more of the gears, the car control, clutch control and handling an actual car and being on an actual road which became more natural. "I wasn't going to go into it and just stress out and mess up - I had nothing to lose. The actual test was really enjoyable, me and the examiner had really good conversations about school and random stuff, it was quite relaxed. "When the instructor ended the test and I found out I had passed, I was shocked more than anything. It was also really satisfying as a couple of people, including my parents, as they didn't think I was going to. "I felt very lucky after hearing how hard to process can be from friends and family."
Canberra Times
a day ago
- Canberra Times
I let my kids plan our holiday in Thailand - what could possibly go wrong?
Let's be honest, TikTok is the new Google for teens. Zara took off researching, while Ollie dived into booking sites. Neither consulted the kind of travel articles I write. Honestly, what am I even doing? Ollie's "ThaiLand" Google doc had hotel options, possible activities, even a currency conversion. Zara wanted an elephant sanctuary, night markets, ziplining. They divided the trip accommodation: Ollie first two nights, Zara the rest. With little movement a month out, I dropped a table in the doc: HOTEL, ADDRESS, DATE, INCLUSIONS, ACTIVITIES. Another life template from parent to child. The table started to fill. Zara upped the ante by setting up a WhatsApp group, surprisingly effective when I needed help sorting rental cars and visa info. She nailed it. Smug mum moment, planning stage tick. It felt too easy. Then we arrived.
Washington Post
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Parents are burned out and lonely. Are our rigid rules making it worse?
My friend Melissa has the voice of a principal you don't want to cross: calm, steady and, sometimes, dripping with disapproval. One Wednesday night, I watched her use it on my son. 'Ollie. Down.' He was scaling her mid-century modern table mid-game of tag, seconds from toppling a plant onto her Persian rug. In our house, that behavior might have earned a warning or maybe a plea to take the game to his room. But at Melissa's, it crossed a line, and he knew it.
New Indian Express
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Hemangini Dutt Majumder's new book smells like trouble—in the best way
Hemangini Dutt Majumder returns with her latest Gothic detective mystery, The Scratch and Sniff Chronicles (Niyogi Books), featuring a new kind of sleuth—one who can sniff out more than just lies. The book was launched at Delhi's Alliance Française, amidst a laughter-filled conversation with a panel featuring Patricia Loison, director of Alliance Française; actor Padmapriya Janakiraman; RJ Sarthak; chef Sadaf Hussain; and the author herself. The evening set in the jasmine-scented, flower-filled auditorium was designed to evoke Neelbari, the mysterious ancestral estate in the novel, set in West Bengal's Chandannagar, mirroring the immersive world of Ollie's story. Olympia Chattergé—Ollie, for short—is a 29-year-old sommelier with an aversion to working out, a deep love for food and random Nat Geo factoids, and one highly unusual gift: a hyper-sensitive nose which picks up random fragrances, that often has her jokingly comparing herself to Batman. Nearly every page contains a smell-note: the comforting familiarity of talcum powder, the sharpness of garam masala, the antiseptic zing of Ultracin gel, or the unmistakable aroma of Koraishutir Kochuri (fried bread with pea stuffing).
