I absolutely hate driving!

no offence but i cant see how something like this isnt picked up during lessons/test and how they will let you out on the roads with it.

when i first passed my test it did seem a little wierd, having so much responsability for your own life and others can be a little daunting when on your own.

i suggest you just drive somewhere you know well and keep at it, otherwise youll just be like this forever. obviously by passing your test you konw the rules of the road so you should be fine.

It's been over a month since I passed my practical test yet the furthest I've been unaccompanied is only a few hundred feet. I lack confidence and always fear that I'm going to do something wrong, resulting in carnage, mortal injury and humilitation. Realistically I know that such an extreme scenario is unlikely and, indeed, it's probably made more likely by worrying about it as that stops me from being able to think about more important things. I've never been in an accident nor have I ever caused an accident so I don't know why I'm like this. I think it's part of my personality; I really don't like crossing roads unless there are absolutely no cars in sight.

I think my complete inability to park -- be it in car parks or outside my house -- puts me off driving too. I don't feel like I can go anywhere because, once I'm there, I don't quite know what to do. I learnt how to reverse around a car to park and I did reverse bay parking in my test yet none of this seems to make any difference whatsoever to how I feel. I end up feeling panicked if I think I'm preventing another car from passing and that just throws me even futher. I can drive into a space but reversing out, in spite of the fact it should just be common sense, just confuses me. I don't know when I should turn the steering wheel and I'm reluctant to have a go in case I inadvertently swing the car into a parked one nearby.

When I actually get in the car, I don't drive badly; it's just building up the desire to get in the car that I struggle with. My father's the only other person in my household who drives but he is epileptic and lost his licence after having a fit just after I passed. Effectively, this means I have my own car yet it just sits outside my house all day. I know I should just bite the bullet and drive somewhere but the parking issue is really getting to me and I always question my own judgement. My parents do not pressure me to drive and try to understand how I'm feeling but I know I frustrate them.

How can I start to like -- or at least no longer dislike -- driving? I realise it's probably just a matter of experience and practice but I'm having difficulty practising to gain experience.

Thank you so much.

With all due respect, i think the reason you don't like driving is because of your intelligence...you are obviously very clever to be going to Cambridge (thats not a bad thing!!) but, i think you don't like Driving because it is the first thing you can't do straight away/you have failed at grasping straight away. Please don't take this the wrong way, i am not criticising you, but it is something that comes naturally to some and not to others. Being clever academically does not mean you are clever with your hands/co ordination if that makes sense. My brother is exactly the same as you, he is going to Oxford doing Law, and he could not grapse driving for the life of him and hated it because it was the first thing he could not do. So, might be similar to you...

The only advice i can give you is to keep doing it, it sounds stupid but with most fears the only way to tackle them is head on. Also, don't see it as something you hate or have failed to do, you have done the hard part which is pass your test, now just drive more and really learn to drive.

Graham

With all due respect, i think the reason you don't like driving is because of your intelligence...you are obviously very clever to be going to Cambridge (thats not a bad thing!!) but, i think you don't like Driving because it is the first thing you can't do straight away/you have failed at grasping straight away. Please don't take this the wrong way, i am not criticising you, but it is something that comes naturally to some and not to others. Being clever academically does not mean you are clever with your hands/co ordination if that makes sense. My brother is exactly the same as you, he is going to Oxford doing Law, and he could not grapse driving for the life of him and hated it because it was the first thing he could not do. So, might be similar to you...

I think this is really quite true actually. I'm going to do Law at Oxford too, and it took me three tests and squillions of hours of lessons before I passed and most of my friends at Oxbridge have similar stories. However, my friends from Sainsbury's where I worked part time for three years easily passed their tests first time and with stupidly small hours' worth of lessons - one girl I knew passed with 10, although she was driving around with her mum late at night when she was 16.

I think what makes it more difficult if someone is academically quite intelligent is that they think too much about everything rather than just doing, leading to hesitations and then low confidence - that's definitely the case with me. I passed on the fourth attempt with four minors in December, and it took my brother's tomtom to get me to drive on motorways and bypasses so I didn't panic about where I was going, and I needed my boyfriend (who hasn't even passed his theory) to tell me how to straighten up when I was parking for ages - and I'm still completely rubbish at simple bayparking! Now I have to consciously get myself not to think by listening to the radio and talking to someone so my driving is just automatic, which has made me more confident. I think you just need to take the plunge and drive, and eventually it will just get easier and easier, I promise. I hope you feel better about it soon xx

Don't drive tomorrow evening, will be one of the worst days ever for driving.