Passed test but scared to drive!
Hi everyone,
So I passed my test in September and my boyfriend bought me a car but the problem is Im too scared to drive on my own! I'm been out in it with my bf in t he car and im fine as long as someone is in the car with me. The one time I went out on my own just down the road i was terrified and it put me off doing it again.
My main problems are
1. I cant park at all. Therefore im worried about going anywhere as i can barely remember the manouvers i was taught and scared to try it incase i hit a car.
2. Changing lanes. Im worried if the lane i want to get into is busy i wont be able to change lanes
3. Turning right. Again if its busy im worried about hesitating too much and judging the gaps.
It doesnt help that i live in the outskirts of the city centre and the roads around me are always busy. Does anyone have any advice on being more confident?
So I passed my test in September and my boyfriend bought me a car but the problem is Im too scared to drive on my own! I'm been out in it with my bf in t he car and im fine as long as someone is in the car with me. The one time I went out on my own just down the road i was terrified and it put me off doing it again.
My main problems are
1. I cant park at all. Therefore im worried about going anywhere as i can barely remember the manouvers i was taught and scared to try it incase i hit a car.
2. Changing lanes. Im worried if the lane i want to get into is busy i wont be able to change lanes
3. Turning right. Again if its busy im worried about hesitating too much and judging the gaps.
It doesnt help that i live in the outskirts of the city centre and the roads around me are always busy. Does anyone have any advice on being more confident?
Parking is only a matter of practise, just spend some time in an empty car park pulling into spaces on different angles until you get some confidence. I couldn't park until I was forced to when parking at work for the first time. It was horrible as I had to pull in between two cars, but I just took my time and was really careful. I can guarantee you'll be exactly the same - so don't worry about it!
As for changing lanes, just indicate and only move over if you're SURE someone is letting you in (they might flash you) if you really can't get over, it's not the end of the world, you'll just have to take a detour, so allow plenty of time for journeys in rush hour traffic!
Turning right is also nothing to worry about. If you can't go, you can't go, nothing to worry about. If you're kicking yourself for missing gaps as you're worried the person behind is getting annoyed, don't. They can wait - take your time, remember, if there's time to walk across, there's time to pull out.
It all comes with experience, wear P plates if you think it will help. Within a year you'll be wondering why you were so scared to begin with!
As for changing lanes, just indicate and only move over if you're SURE someone is letting you in (they might flash you) if you really can't get over, it's not the end of the world, you'll just have to take a detour, so allow plenty of time for journeys in rush hour traffic!
Turning right is also nothing to worry about. If you can't go, you can't go, nothing to worry about. If you're kicking yourself for missing gaps as you're worried the person behind is getting annoyed, don't. They can wait - take your time, remember, if there's time to walk across, there's time to pull out.
It all comes with experience, wear P plates if you think it will help. Within a year you'll be wondering why you were so scared to begin with!
Take a few more extra lessons with an instructor, doesn't have to be the your original instructor, the AA are flexible with no.of lessons and are a great company! Then be confident and go for it!
The more you pratice the better you get but the longer you leave it the more you'll forget! <----- Omg i just made that up
The more you pratice the better you get but the longer you leave it the more you'll forget! <----- Omg i just made that up
Original post by misscharli
1. I cant park at all. Therefore im worried about going anywhere as i can barely remember the manouvers i was taught and scared to try it incase i hit a car.
2. Changing lanes. Im worried if the lane i want to get into is busy i wont be able to change lanes
3. Turning right. Again if its busy im worried about hesitating too much and judging the gaps.
It doesnt help that i live in the outskirts of the city centre and the roads around me are always busy. Does anyone have any advice on being more confident?
1. I cant park at all. Therefore im worried about going anywhere as i can barely remember the manouvers i was taught and scared to try it incase i hit a car.
2. Changing lanes. Im worried if the lane i want to get into is busy i wont be able to change lanes
3. Turning right. Again if its busy im worried about hesitating too much and judging the gaps.
It doesnt help that i live in the outskirts of the city centre and the roads around me are always busy. Does anyone have any advice on being more confident?
1- Practice practice practice practice practice... take you bf in the car with you and practice... go to super market car park at night, find a quiet street just practice loads
2- get in the correct lane early... or wait for someone to let you in...
3 - if you were on foot and would have time walk across, you have plenty of time to pull out...
all of this stuff is just things you need to practice..
you passed your test so you obviously showed your instructor and the examiner that your capable of these things... you just gotta go practice them...
x
Original post by sb123303
The more you pratice the better you get but the longer you leave it the more you'll forget! <----- Omg i just made that up
I like it!
I really feel for you, I have exactly the same problems. I passed my test in September and I'm still not very condfident at all, especially with parking. People say parking is a matter of practice and it's true, sometimes I feel it's down to luck as well, some days you'll park perfectly, others it'll be awful, but once you've done it loads it'll get better.
I went to practice parking shortly after passing, at first at a quiet end of a car park, and then gradually moved up to where there were limited spaces where you had to park in between cars and it really helped. If you're not very confident with parking, for now, park in spaces where there's no cars next to you, and then like I said, gradually start parking in busier areas of the carpark, but only do it when you're ready and you feel confident enough.
In terms of changing lanes, it's always best to get in the correct lane early, but the best advice I can give you is check your mirrors LOADS and indicate, and make sure you know that someone's definitely letting you in before you move over. I once had someone beep at me before I moved into another lane because they'd hung back for so long while I was checking it was safe, but at least by the time he beeped I knew he was definitely letting me in!
As for turning right, if it's busy, then it's busy, there's not really much you can do. If you're indicating and positioned as if you're turning right, then people (or at least someone) should hang back to let you turn in.
It might be worth getting a P plate for your car just to show everyone else you're a new driver. You might find then that people are more tolerant if you make mistakes like stalling. Although the best thing you can do if you're not confident about driving on your own is to just get out there and do it. Honestly, once your behind the wheel in the car on your own, something just clicks and you just sort of get on with it. You find yourself concentrating more because you don't have anyone next to you telling you what to do if you make a mistake or come across something challenging.
Just remember, the examiner obviously thought you were a good enough driver, otherwise they wouldn't have passed you. Good luck!
I went to practice parking shortly after passing, at first at a quiet end of a car park, and then gradually moved up to where there were limited spaces where you had to park in between cars and it really helped. If you're not very confident with parking, for now, park in spaces where there's no cars next to you, and then like I said, gradually start parking in busier areas of the carpark, but only do it when you're ready and you feel confident enough.
In terms of changing lanes, it's always best to get in the correct lane early, but the best advice I can give you is check your mirrors LOADS and indicate, and make sure you know that someone's definitely letting you in before you move over. I once had someone beep at me before I moved into another lane because they'd hung back for so long while I was checking it was safe, but at least by the time he beeped I knew he was definitely letting me in!
As for turning right, if it's busy, then it's busy, there's not really much you can do. If you're indicating and positioned as if you're turning right, then people (or at least someone) should hang back to let you turn in.
It might be worth getting a P plate for your car just to show everyone else you're a new driver. You might find then that people are more tolerant if you make mistakes like stalling. Although the best thing you can do if you're not confident about driving on your own is to just get out there and do it. Honestly, once your behind the wheel in the car on your own, something just clicks and you just sort of get on with it. You find yourself concentrating more because you don't have anyone next to you telling you what to do if you make a mistake or come across something challenging.
Just remember, the examiner obviously thought you were a good enough driver, otherwise they wouldn't have passed you. Good luck!
Thanks everyone for your advice. I guess I just need to practice especially with parking and im gonna try and find a car park to practice in this weekend. Ive always been scared of driving so need to get over that and particularly scared of people beeping me if im hesitating. I cant afford any lessons atm so thats not really an option.
Original post by misscharli
Original post by misscharli
Hi everyone,
So I passed my test in September and my boyfriend bought me a car but the problem is Im too scared to drive on my own! I'm been out in it with my bf in t he car and im fine as long as someone is in the car with me. The one time I went out on my own just down the road i was terrified and it put me off doing it again.
My main problems are
1. I cant park at all. Therefore im worried about going anywhere as i can barely remember the manouvers i was taught and scared to try it incase i hit a car.
2. Changing lanes. Im worried if the lane i want to get into is busy i wont be able to change lanes
3. Turning right. Again if its busy im worried about hesitating too much and judging the gaps.
It doesnt help that i live in the outskirts of the city centre and the roads around me are always busy. Does anyone have any advice on being more confident?
So I passed my test in September and my boyfriend bought me a car but the problem is Im too scared to drive on my own! I'm been out in it with my bf in t he car and im fine as long as someone is in the car with me. The one time I went out on my own just down the road i was terrified and it put me off doing it again.
My main problems are
1. I cant park at all. Therefore im worried about going anywhere as i can barely remember the manouvers i was taught and scared to try it incase i hit a car.
2. Changing lanes. Im worried if the lane i want to get into is busy i wont be able to change lanes
3. Turning right. Again if its busy im worried about hesitating too much and judging the gaps.
It doesnt help that i live in the outskirts of the city centre and the roads around me are always busy. Does anyone have any advice on being more confident?
How did you pass your test then?
Original post by misscharli
Hi everyone,
So I passed my test in September and my boyfriend bought me a car but the problem is Im too scared to drive on my own! I'm been out in it with my bf in t he car and im fine as long as someone is in the car with me. The one time I went out on my own just down the road i was terrified and it put me off doing it again.
My main problems are
1. I cant park at all. Therefore im worried about going anywhere as i can barely remember the manouvers i was taught and scared to try it incase i hit a car.
2. Changing lanes. Im worried if the lane i want to get into is busy i wont be able to change lanes
3. Turning right. Again if its busy im worried about hesitating too much and judging the gaps.
It doesnt help that i live in the outskirts of the city centre and the roads around me are always busy. Does anyone have any advice on being more confident?
So I passed my test in September and my boyfriend bought me a car but the problem is Im too scared to drive on my own! I'm been out in it with my bf in t he car and im fine as long as someone is in the car with me. The one time I went out on my own just down the road i was terrified and it put me off doing it again.
My main problems are
1. I cant park at all. Therefore im worried about going anywhere as i can barely remember the manouvers i was taught and scared to try it incase i hit a car.
2. Changing lanes. Im worried if the lane i want to get into is busy i wont be able to change lanes
3. Turning right. Again if its busy im worried about hesitating too much and judging the gaps.
It doesnt help that i live in the outskirts of the city centre and the roads around me are always busy. Does anyone have any advice on being more confident?
I was exactly the same, and it started getting worse to the point where I'd be shaky for about half an hour after arriving at my destination. Then one day it suddenly stopped and I was fine. It takes time to build up confidence, you'll get there in the end
Original post by blueray How did you pass your test then?
How did you pass your test then?I didnt have to park on my test! The first test i got 3 point turn and the second which i passed i got reverse round a corner, if i had one of the parking manouvers i probably would have failed!
i remember the first time i drove by myself and when i tried to parallel park half my car was sticking out :P
if you're struggling with parking, then i suggest getting some blind spot mirrors to stick on your side mirrors (i got mine for £1.50 on amazon!!) can't tell you how much they have helped me in parking (and changing lanes)!!
other than that it's just confidence. stick on a P plate for a few weeks until you feel comfortable.
Just remember to be safe on the roads and drive the way you want to - ignore anyone who wants you to drive faster than you should
if you're struggling with parking, then i suggest getting some blind spot mirrors to stick on your side mirrors (i got mine for £1.50 on amazon!!) can't tell you how much they have helped me in parking (and changing lanes)!!
other than that it's just confidence. stick on a P plate for a few weeks until you feel comfortable.
Just remember to be safe on the roads and drive the way you want to - ignore anyone who wants you to drive faster than you should
Original post by misscharli
Original post by misscharli
I didnt have to park on my test! The first test i got 3 point turn and the second which i passed i got reverse round a corner, if i had one of the parking manouvers i probably would have failed!
Take some more parking lessons
I was like you when I first passed. To be honest, I'm still not 100% confident in driving on my own but I basically think what's the worst that can happen, so long as you're safe about it.
Yes, sometimes the road is busy so it makes it difficult to turn left quickly but people will just have to wait.
Alternatively, sometimes I drive a little further along and see if it's easier to turn right further along the road then come back at the original right turn from the right side of the road.
If you you can't change lanes, oh well carry on and turn around when you can. Not the end of the world.
You just need to practice and you'll panic less.
And like someone else said, P plates are great until you're feeling more confident.
Yes, sometimes the road is busy so it makes it difficult to turn left quickly but people will just have to wait.
Alternatively, sometimes I drive a little further along and see if it's easier to turn right further along the road then come back at the original right turn from the right side of the road.
If you you can't change lanes, oh well carry on and turn around when you can. Not the end of the world.
You just need to practice and you'll panic less.
And like someone else said, P plates are great until you're feeling more confident.
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