To ask when I will become less shit at driving?

[CaroleOfTheBells]

I passed my test two weeks ago and already had a car so could drive straightaway. But I'm shit! I drive to work and that's ok but driving anywhere else I make loads of mistakes. Today I didn't stop in time for a red light as had gotten confused about which direction I had to go (ahead was green, left was turning red) and stopped over the line. I've finally mostly stopped stalling but I feel incredibly nervous all the time. I keep accidentally going into forth gear too instead of second and I know I'm having some bad habits like coasting. I got into a terrible meeting situation last week where I misjudged the gap and had to reverse pretty much into a wall to get out of a large car's way while they shouted abuse at me (in my defense this car had moved out of their parked space and could easily have moved back and let me pass).

Does it get easier? I feel like I'm on the road just pissing people off.

I think pass plus or just more driving lessons if you liked your instructor would be a good thing for you. I did PP and not only did it knock £ off my insurance for years more importantly I do think it made me a better driver. You're so vulnerable as a road user when you've first passed, nobody there to help and not yet got the experience that will come over time. Pass plus really helped me, I remember thinking it should just be mandatory for everybody. My mum had been driving for years when I was learning, but was a nervous (to the point of sometimes dangerous imo) driver, and she had some lessons with my instructor, which helped her.

Take the p plates off. For as many drivers who'll be considerate there's an equal number who will take advantage.

Just keep practicing and remember you've got just as much right to be on the road as anyone else and there's plenty who've been driving for years and are shit. At least you acknowledge that there's room for improvement.

Book a few more lessons, including pass plus. I'm looking into doing a few lessons as I had about 18mo not driving due to parking space drama, injury & replacing my vehicle. It knocked my confidence a little - and I'm highly strung & a bit nervous to start with!

Practice really does make perfect though. I usually find learning routes with someone along for the ride then increases my confidence to drive alone as I'm then more confident that I won't get lost. Driving alone is how you get to then really learn the roads and become more confident. I get up early on summer mornings with the good light and drive whilst it's quiet, too. You need to get used to busier roads but that's a good start.

If I'm alone I also drive with the radio on as I find it relaxes me more!

I also repeat the mantra I learnt from my house mate- just remember that stupid people drive & you are not stupid. Anyone can make mistakes, including ppl driving longer than you.

Congratulations on passing your test. Also, congratulations for having a realistic assessment of your abilities and aiming higher - that probably puts you ahead of many drivers out there.

I agree with this.

^ as do I.

Relax OP.
I was so bad at driving that my first driving instructor dumped me and told me that I would never learn how to drive.

Thankfully the second one was a lovely lady and not as insecure about her own teaching qualities as the stupid cow that was my instructor before and I managed to get my driving license after doing the exam only once.

Was also very insecure in the beginning, made lots of mistakes but eventually got the hang of it and have been driving safely in all kinds of weather conditions and even in other countries including Latin America.

Keep your eyes on the road, relax, don’t get distracted by your phone/ the radio etc. and you’ll be fine.

Keep going OP, it WILL click, just don’t give up - one day soon, you’ll realise you “get” it and you’ll relax and it will become second nature.

Just keep getting in the car everyday and don't be discouraged.
Remember even experienced drivers have bad days and make stupid mistakes sometimes.

'OP shot a red light because she was overwhelmed. Doesn’t sound very safe to me'. Doesn't sound like she caused an accident, so not unsafe. Obviously, it's not ideal and not something you should ever do intentionally, but even experienced drivers make silly mistakes like this from time to time. My driving instructor accidently drove through a red light when driving me back from my test, no crash, nobody was injured I still consider him to be an experienced and competent driver.

'Seriously, how will you get better in your own? If I had paid to learn a skill and didn’t feel in command of it I would get more training'. Mastering driving is about gaining experience. You have to make peace with the fact that as a new driver you will make mistakes and stop listening to people who say daft things like you'll never get better at it. I took loads more lessons (almost a year's worth) than I likely needed to pass my test, still didn't make me a perfect driver or any less anxious.

My instructor told me "the less sure you are, the slower you should go", and "if someone is behind you tailgating and being an idiot, then let them go past when you can so they can speed off and have their accident somewhere that doesnt involve you".

It also helps to remember that all roads join up - if you have to have a guess at directions then have that guess, and if it was wrong there will always be a chance to turn around and come back.

I'd book a few more lessons. I passed at 6.5 months pregnant and had to stop driving two weeks later as I couldn't fit behind the wheel and still reach the pedals so after DS was born I had a couple of lessons to get my confidence back up which really helped. If I'm going somewhere new I use google maps with the satellite overlay on so that I can see exactly what lane I want to be in for each step. Particularly handy for navigating motorway service stations in the dark.