Hi, I have a partner who insists I share the driving 50/50 when we are on holiday and generally.
I live in the UK and am originally from Australia. I have a driving licence but didn’t need to use it as got the tube/public transport for 20 years. When I went back to Australia, I drove.
We have a second car that we both use but is mostly mine as he has a fancy sports car that is way too powerful for me. My partner and I have been going to Europe every year and he has driven in his car. I have felt too nervous to drive. He is a nervous passenger that makes things worse. I drive my car (we paid 50/50 for it as he uses it too but he considers it mine) to work and trips I am confident with. I am getting more confident as time goes on.
He is a rock climber and insisted I drive the car down the mountain in Switzerland as well as splitting the driving around Europe for a month. I do think it is fair for me to do some of the driving and I am happy to do so on the motorways and in quiet countryside places. So far I have driven him down from this horrible mountain with narrow roads where cyclists appear in huge bunches everywhere.One cyclist was on his phone and scraped along the side of my car. Luckily he was fine and I was going slow but it affected my confidence.
My partner is a nervous and impatient passenger. He shouts if I make a mistake and mansplains the road rules. When I went under the speed limit when it was raining on the motorway he went ballistic. We have an 8 hour trip coming up and I am doing 4 hours of it. I am dreading it. I hate driving in Italy as a passenger but that is coming up with me driving. He is insisting more and more that I drive in built up areas where I am scared. Any advice?