Learning to drive, any tips?

[ramac]

Hi,

I have finally signed up for driving school, so I guess I'll finally learn how to drive a car.

Any tips on doing this as effectively as possible?

Thanks, Ramac

PS: I'm 35, so I guess I'm a bit older than most new drivers.

[Annabelle]

It´s never too late, you know, to learn something. When driving, it is helpful to think everybody else are idiots, so you´ll be twice as careful. Also remember, it is normal to be nervous at the beginning, but it quickly becomes a second nature. Good luck.

[RT Wolf]

Develop an awareness of the space around your car. Like how you have an awareness of your body, you'll expand that to include your car. Ever wonder why people get mad when someone cuts them off? Cause their "personal" space has been invaded, just like if someone's standing too close to you.

Beyond that, I'm really glad for you. Good luck and have fun!

[supertom]

The best advice that i got was just "lighten up" and that was it, You know i never thought i would be able to drive, but now its normal. You can use things like affirmations if you want.

Master the Basics

[bbdream8]

I used visualizations to help me on my practical and the results are fantastic. You should try it too.

Cheers
Vincent
Personal Development Blogger

[ramac]

Thanks for all the tips, they are really helpful. If anyone else have something to share, please do so.

[erego]

Focus on creating good habits. As my driving instructor said, most people have very bad habits driving and like all habits, bad ones are difficult to change after.

Get lots of driving done with supervision. I didn't, wasted money on too many lessons.

Relax. Remember to breathe.

Just did my first solo, long, and highway, drive. Real thrilled I did very well. (I normally wasn't that good a driver.)

[bluedragon]

Make it a habit of checking weather you've done everything before leaving with the car: turning on lights if it's dark, lowering the handbrake, adjusting the mirrors - it's very easy to forget even when you get more experienced - especially, forgetting to lock the doors when you leave your car, and then wondering weather you did or not, or forgetting to close the windows - this was my favorite , and then someone notices, he can open the door and steal your car or whatever you have inside.

[Plato]

Practice as much as possible outside your lessons.

I found I didn't start feeling confident on the road until I did that. With my instructor in the car I didn't feel 100% responsible.

[magi13]

Originally Posted by ramac

Hi,

I have finally signed up for driving school, so I guess I'll finally learn how to drive a car.

Any tips on doing this as effectively as possible?

Thanks, Ramac

PS: I'm 35, so I guess I'm a bit older than most new drivers.

Focus and concentrate. Read the manual and visualize the process of driving in your own personal time at home. Visualizing helps us prepare and do better. ^^ take advantage of visualization as much as you can.

[Bleicke]

Get a friend with a car who's willing to let you drive. Go to some huge parking lot or field or something where you can't possibly crash. Drive around the whole day. Pay him for gas. Repeat.

It's 100% practice. The more you drive, the better you drive.

[newrat]

The best advice here is practice, practice, practice. EVERYBODY is nervous, or unsure of themselves when they first start driving, but with time and practice it becomes second nature...just like walking. When learning to drive the worst thing for me was worrying about slowing down other drivers. Don't let this worry you, everyone was at this stage once. When you get in the car just think "I'm going to see just how much I can annoy other drivers...and if they do get annoyed and start blaring their horns, then I'll slow down further and annoy them even more". This disregard for the impatience of others really helped me.

[seeker5]

I don't know if it's practical for you or not, but if you have a friend who is willing to show you and take you to a dirt road (or road with no traffic) and practice with you while they are in the passenger seat. That's how I learned, and I've thought several people to drive like this too.

[DayInTheLife]

My tips:

Use your turn signal no less than 100% of the time, and turn it on before you do anything else (slowing down, shoulder checking, turning the wheel.)

Get into the lane you want to be in as early as possible. I can't believe how many people try to navigate across three lanes of traffic right before they have to turn.

Let people into your lane when they have their turn signal on, as a rule. Don't be one of those inhospitable people that speed up to prevent others from getting in.

Be patient with other drivers and don't expect them to be respectful or careful. In my experience this is an unreasonable expectation and some people stress over it needlessly their whole lives.

Always leave ten or more minutes early if you need to be somewhere, so you don't have to worry about slow drivers, bad traffic.

If you need to look at a map, check an address, or make a phone call, pull over.

Don't get into the habit of speeding, but don't drive less than the speed limit if conditions allow; it is not respectful to other drivers to go too slow, especially if there is no passing lane.

On the highway, always travel in the right lane. The left lane is for passing.

Don't forget to enjoy it!

[MagicalRealist]

I agree with the people who said to get out and practice between lessons as much as you can. And I think having someone along, who already knows how to drive, is a good idea.

When I learned (as a teenager), my lessons were on Saturday mornings, from 7:00-10:00 AM. My mother picked that time because there was little to no traffic on the roads so early in the mornings. Much as I hated getting up early, she was right--I got plenty of confidence in simply handling the car before I had to deal with other drivers. Then, during the week, my mom would have me drive her to the supermarket, or up to the nearest shopping mall, or wherever she needed to get errands done so I could practice in different situations, with more traffic.

And having her in the passenger seat actually helped me feel more relaxed--if anything went wrong, I had an experienced driver along to tell me what to do. If I blanked out on how to handle a situation, she was there to tell me. Before long, I didn't need her to do that anymore, but until driving became an ingrained skill her presence was reassuring.

So if you have a friend or family member willing to get up early on a weekend and accompany you while you go out and practice (and who can offer advice without being pushy or anxious), offer to buy that person breakfast in exchange for co-pilot duties.