Help with driving please

[Dangerblouse]

I'm 42, pasted my driving test last year.
I started learning before covid and then failed two tests just before. I had a break, took more lessons and then passed in September 2022. I've driven twice since passing and I've used every excuse not to drive since.
I hate it, I feel I should because we are semi rural Scotland, but I've lost all my confidence. It took me long enough because I was a nervous learner.
This sound daft but one of the things that freak me out is to get back into our village, there is hill start at some traffic lights. In my instructors car, it was fine as it had an automatic handbrake which released when you pressed the gas, our car has a manual handbrake and I can't seem to get the hang of hill starts with the manual handbrake or even without the handbrake without rolling back. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to grow my confidence? I have a manual license and manual car so switching to automatic not an option right now xx

Find the bite then release the handbrake. Just keep the handbrake on tull you can feel the car trying to move and hold the pedals there.

But really it's just practise. The more you do it the easier it will get and you'll soon be holding it without even using the footbrake and sailing off!

Practise on a quiet hill away from the lights. It might be worth booking your instructor for an hour. But don't let such a hard-won skill lapse.

Have someone with you in the car at a quiet time and just practice - they can pull up the handbrake if you roll back and panic. Or go out and drive and then swap over for this bit back - you'll get more confident out and about and work up to the hill bit.
As you say 'we' I assume you have someone else that is currently driving you places? Do the driving and then if you need to swap then do it. You'll work up to it,

Just to say a manual licence allows you to drive an automatic. I understand that changing a car is not ideal but you are allowed to drive one.

Hi @Dangerblouse
My sister passed her driving test but didn't drive for years. Our financial circumstances were not good and we couldn't afford to have a car. When finally she did get her own car she had lost all her confidence, so she booked a few lessons with a driving instructor which really helped and gave her confidence back. You could try that and the instructor could show you how to do the hill start in your car.

As others have said, go somewhere and practice. Doesn't even have to be on a hill tbh, you can practice finding the biting point (which is the point at which you will go forward and not roll back) on any surface. So sit in a car park and get used to how that feels. Then when you're more confident move to a quiet hill. After a while, it will just come naturally.

Thank you, some great suggestions. It never occurred to me to pull over and let me partner do the hill start bit until I get confident! The irony is, there was a beast of a hill start in some of my lessons and it was in my test!. I did it but now I have talked myself out of being able to do them everywhere else.

Get an automatic OP. No more hill start worries, no more stalling - full focus will be on the road instead of finding bites and fiddling with gears

The more time you spend driving (even if you only do the bits you feel ok with) the more you'll get to know the feel of your car and you will get more confident.

It gets easier, I promise!

The only way you can get your confidence up is get out there driving. Pick a quiet time and just go for it.

you can do it!

The best thing to do is practice. Could you get up at 5am on Sunday and do a couple of loops around practicing the hill start while it's quiet?