To think that driving lessons don't teach you how to drive

[catgirl1976]

I passed my driving test on Tuesday (hurray!) at the ripe old age of 40

But....now I don't think I can drive.

I learned in a nice nippy car, now it's DH's massive Saab

I've driven once to school and back with DH in the car and he was so jittery it put me off

Then I took it out to the corner shop just so I had driven on my own. I couldn't park the fecking thing when I got home and smashed the front licence plate on NDN tow bar

Please tell me everyone is like this and does anyone have any tips for driving?

I learned to park the instructors specific car using a specific set of markers at the test centre to park in a specific bayand parallel parking which was fine because there was never a jeffing car behind us when we did the manoeuvre. I now feel I can only park in the test centre car park or on an empty road. None of which is much use in real life :(

I'm scared to get back in the car in case I stack it.

One of my friends changes cars every few years and after she takes delivery of the new car - even if it has parking sensors - she sets off for a large car empty park armed with two traffic cones and two broom handles.

She sticks the broom handle in the hole of each cone and places both behind her car. She then reverses a number of times until she knows where the back of her car ends (basically until she stops knocking the broom and cone over). She then does it for the front and then she positions them for parallel parking. Takes her about an hour or so but then she's pretty much clued up on where the back of her car ends, where the front of her car ends and how far she can reverse before walloping something.

She's miles better than me, I live by the parallel parking space motto "If I can't drive into it, I drive away from it" but I'm working on it!

Sounds like you just need practice, especially in the car you'll be driving most.

Please just keep going or you'll end up like me! I've had a licence for ten years and I'm too nervous to drive.

If you get any snow at all, find somewhere where you have a bit of space and, from a slow roll, use the brakes hard. You want to know what the car feels like when it's skidding.

My 2 DDs were terrified! Both admit (now!) that it was better done with Dad at their side than alone on a dark road.

As a side story, DD1 told me she hated fast motorways. From that point that was all we did - even if they were out of the way. DD2 was along for the rides; when it was her turn she told me slow country roads terrified her!

Well done for passing. It's quite easy to fall into a habit of one person always doing the driving (especially long journeys) so I'd definitely make sure you at least split evenly with your dh to build up experience.

As others have said, getting used to a new car is often a challenge. Keep at it and it'll get better.

Just keep practicing
I've been driving 16 years and I rarely reverse into spaces because I'm more confident driving in. Every time I go to parallel park (about once a year that I need to!) I go "eek argh can't remember" and then do it first time
Everyone has their strengths too, my dad can reverse a HGV through a gate with the tiniest gap while I cover my eyes but he hates driving forward into tight spaces

Use your mirrors when negotiating any parking or driving through a narrow gap.
I've been driving since 1975 and remember the first time I went out on my own, I was a nervous wreck.
I had my own car which was ten years old, I went from a brand new driving school car with dual controls, gear changes like a hot knife through butter to a car with steering wheel the size of a dustbin lid, no power steering (don't think it had been invented then) stiff clutch and clunky gears.

It takes practice. I passed aged 35 went from a corsa to apeople carrier and had a nasty habit of driving into bollards initially!
It took me almost 3 years to feel confident.