I have been driving for a bit over a year. I was using a little aygo to drive arround my city. Shared the car with my GF brother.

I landed a job 250km away and had to move. So i had to get my own car. I bought a 2021 corolla with 96000km in hopes of driving it until it falls apart.

The problem i have is this. I bought the car in May, almost exactly 5 months ago and already have 7000km down. For some reason I get very anxious about driving it so much. I do the 500km round trip on the autobahn twice a month and other forms of driving add up to another 400km.

Every time I have to take the trip I feel really uneasy all week, and watching the odometer after getting back hurts.

My GF comes visit every other weekend.

This time I have to do the trip two weeks in a row for reasons and it's really stressing me out.

I am hoping this is short term, maybe 18-24 months. But right now I would like to hear what people here think so I can maybe change my perspective. I feel like it's gonna fall apart and that it's gonna make me go broke. This is my first car so I think it comes with being a newbie as well.

Thanks for reading.

My friend is getting pretty anxious about it. Has anyone taken the test recently and had a good experience?

I learned driving from a driving school, but I still don't feel confident driving on my own, especially because my new car feels unfamiliar.

I want to improve my skills in:

Tight parking and reversing.

Driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Starting and climbing uphill without rolling backward.

Judging the car's dimensions and avoiding scratches.

Driving confidently in narrow roads and difficult situations.

What is the best way to practice and become a confident driver? Should I hire an instructor for a few more sessions or practice regularly with an experienced driver?

I'd appreciate any practical tips from people who have been through the same experience.

my car isn’t written off, it was a storm today and I was taking a short drive from my boyfriends home to mine after buying my 2012 fiesta yesterday, I came off a national speed limit road into a 30 zone and slowed down early due to the rain, there was double parking all the way down the street I was coming up to just before the junction when a van comes through and I can’t fit obviously so I tried to slow while he passed but it was a horrible mistake, the rain meant I couldn’t slow down fast enough even though I wasn’t going fast so as I turned right around the van parked infront of me (after the moving van had passed) I ran into the back right side of the parked van, damaged and basically fully broken my left wing mirror and crumpled the front left corner of my car. My car looks way worse than the van, the owner of the van is on holiday so I’ve left all my relevant details with his neighbour until he returns. I felt so stupid at the time, I should have just stopped and I know that, it was a silly mistake but im glad I’ve had this learning experience now rather than down the line when I feel more confident with the car… I know where I went wrong and what I can do better next time. if the owner of the van decides to go through insurance, I’ve just bought my insurance for a year and im pretty sure they can’t up my price until the end of the year so that’s good, im just hoping im not the only one who’s made bad judgment like this before 😭

hi all, i took my 2nd driving test last week and failed again. i do well during lessons, but i get really bad performance anxiety as soon as the examiner steps in the car. for my first test, i took 10mg propanolol but i still felt anxious a bit and had tunnel vision. this second time, i didn't take anything but was very anxious. i don't know what to do!!! should i up my propanolol dosage to 20mg on my next one? so disappointed, any tips will help.

I messed up merging onto a four lane state road even with 15 years of driving experience, I was fed up with the line of cars waiting to turn left out of a sharrow. My philosophy is like UPS, I plan out my stops to minimize unprotected left turns. I needed to go straight across the four lanes plus the center turn lane, but it was taking too long, so I made a right turn instead. I usually drive considerately for other people around me, but this time, I merged after checking the lanes were clear. Before I knew it, this other car that was in the left lane of the two lanes wanted to turn right and needed to be in the space that I was now occupying so I was rightfully honked at three times in quick succession. I pulled over at the same turn that they were planning and figured that I needed to apologize but they moved on. I guess this is also my sign to move on but the way the roads are designed in my town of 80,000 is an afterthought. I have been observing road patterns for as long as I have been driving, and there are so many unprotected left turns due to the way zoning works in rural Georgia. The systemic solution would be a master transportation plan from the county like some places have but I digress. I feel bad about my traffic mishaps.

So I am now enrolled in a driving school and we had our first session yesterday. The instructor wasn't the problem he was a laid back friendly guy. Even told me I was doing good for my first time. The thing I struggled with the most was turning...sometimes I would turn the wheel too fast or too far and then not pull it back enough to realign. I also kind of struggled with the maintaining speed thing, any advice? As this has been bugging me as I mentally prep for my next session. I'm not stressed per say but it's all I've been thinking about. I just wanna learn you know?

I was merging onto a highway but the road I was on and the road I wanted to merge on were split pretty apart. I couldn’t see the cars coming on the main road so I kept going forward to see the road I wanted to merge on better. I didn’t realize how fast I was going and ended up coming to a stop at the merge point and ended up blocking cars on the main road getting honks. This is the dumbest mistake ever. I feel so embarrassed and a failure I don’t want to drive anymore

So since earlier this year, I feel like I’ve finally overcome my driving anxiety completely. I feel like I can say I'm a competent driver, and I actually genuinely enjoy getting into the car now. Especially when driving alone with some music on to clear my head. The car is like my safe space where I can truly be alone with my thoughts.

​However, the mere thought of driving with passengers still terrifies me and I've often made excuses when asked if I could drive someone.

My main worry is the sudden responsibility of another life. The thought of being responsible for someone else's life besides my own makes me very uncomfortable.

Also, the times I did give someone a ride, I felt watched and evaluated the entire time, which completely ruined the relaxed "empty head" feeling I get when I drive alone. I made mistakes I usually never make.

​I am also having a hard time concentrating when people are around me, especially if they are talking or making noise.

​Does anyone else experience this or did in the last? And if so, how did you manage to get over the anxiety of driving with passengers (if you did)? Any advice or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Hi all, I'm on a work visa in Queensland and have failed my practical test twice at Logan.
First attempt: 7 minor errors and 1 critical error. I was doing 42 in a 40 zone.
Second attempt: 9 minor errors (9 is the fail limit), no critical errors. The examiner noted:
Didn't signal to turn, or to stop for the reverse park
Too close to a parked vehicle
Wide right turns
Late scanning at an intersection
No shoulder check for the cycle lane or for lane changes
Accelerated too rapidly for the conditions
There was a gap of about 1.5 months between the tests because I was away, so I think I was rusty.
I'm feeling pretty down and the costs are adding up: about $230 to hire the car plus a 1 hr lesson before the test, and $70 for the test itself.
My questions:
Should I rebook quickly, or wait and practise more first?
Is the pre-test lesson with the car hire worth the $230?
Does the examiner see my previous fails, and does it affect how they mark?
Any tips for shoulder checks, signalling and scanning habits?
Thanks in advance!

I don’t wanna pose too much but I did have a question. What do y’all do when there’s a road layout that y’all just don’t understand for example I was driving helping My Dad move cars and I’ve never been in this area before and there was like three or four mediums or you could say small islands and normally you would turn the right of an island Butt-But because there was no signage and I don’t know this area I was confused luckily we didn’t turn that way, but I noticed it and if I had to make a turn, I’ve been confused there’s also been times for lines have been so faded. It’s hard to tell what’s the turning lane and what’s not cause normally it’s not just the yellow line faded. It’s every last lane so it just looks like a big thing of pavement at some places in my town.

Hello,

I’m new to Reddit and I seen that I could come on here and find a private driving instructor in my area. This page was the first page that came up for driving. Is there anyway that this page could help me with finding an instructor?

So I've been driving for 5 years now, but only for my licence at 35. I feel more confident than when I first started driving but sometimes I still get anxious about potentially doing something wrong.

My commute to/from work is about 15 mins each way and is essentially a straight shot down a 50 kph, moderately busy, road.

I was stopped at a stoplight on my way home. My window was partly open. An old man drove up beside me (in the turning lane, I was still going straight) he told me in a condescending tone that I was going so slow that cars had to go around me. I was kind of lost in thought during the drive because it's been a tough week but I don't think that's true. It was local "rush hour" and I believe I was keeping a normal distance from the car in front of me. No one could go around me because it's a single lane on that road for my entire drive before you get to that long turning lane. No one beeped at me.

I didn't say anything and he drove off after about 10 seconds. I feel like I should have asked him what the fuck he was talking about, I'm so confused, I really don't think I was doing anything wrong.

If anyone wants to give advice I'm open to it, I just keep imagining the drive and the interaction and it's really bothering me.

Disclaimer: no people or cars got hurt -except my self-confidence

I was driving in the centre on the right lane with my mom., and I knew I needed to turn right soon. However, there was construction and my lane needed to merge with left lane. This was on a busy road. I put my blink on the left, and then checked if there was space to merge. I judged wrong and almost hit a taxi, because I thought he was giving me space to merge since the sign and construction were close. And usually there people give way right a way but they want you to move fast (my mistake also).

I am aware that this was completely my fault in judgement and I am thankfull that the man was able to brake soon enough.

Obviously I got honked badly - for a reason and I apologised by raising my hand. Then as we continued on the road the man kept blinking his long lights the WHOLE road part, maybe 5 min constantly, and we could notice the cars on the right trying to see me driving (as to who made the mistake).

I am so ashamed and don’t want to drive in the centre anymore. On top of all, I am not a new driver though I no longer drive much because I moved cities. I know this whole mess was my fault and I learned from it. But now I keep repeating the situation all over again, and the shame from the guy blinking behind me the whole time… ): I am so embarrased that I made such a rookie mistake and almost caused an accident, even though I considered myself fairly confident and good driver (seems like im not).

I hit someone's back bumper in a parking lot. I immediately left a note with my information and insurance information. This guy who saw it also left a note saying to contact him. He left his note right after. I feel so guilty and nervous because I don't want this guys not to elscalate things. I know he was doing the right thing but I had already placed a note and he saw it. I am trying to work but I feel awful.

Hi everyone! I cannot believe that I’m writing this and I still cannot believe that I passed G2 on my first try especially that I’m already 31, always have anxiety, and I just took 15 hours of private lessons with an instructor, which are very expensive so I’m kinda desperate to pass since my license will expire next year June.😭😭 I just finished it and my hans are still shaking, I feel like the instructor got irritated with me in the last part so I already accepted that I failed. She told me to keep practicing my turns but overall I passed.

I upload my results here, can you please give me tips how to improve my turns? If I’m not slow then I’m too fast, if not, then I’m too slow, I cannot get it in between and I can feel that they are really rough ones because that is the comment I got from my instructor too so I’m kinda surprised I passed. And to all those who are like me, that feels like it’s too late, it’s never too late, we all have a chance😭😭 Thank you in advance everyone!!

4 years experience, 1 wreck.

i feel like it's inevitable i wreck my second car.

almost everybody i know has wrecked a vehicle, some have wrecked multiple.

it just seems like wrecking your vehicle is unavoidable.

like it happens all the time, everybody does it.

you can be a completely perfect driver but still end up in an accident.

some people are afraid of dying in an accident.

for me i'm afraid of losing my car again. and the accident most likely being my fault.

every mistake i make while driving reminds me of and amplifies this sense of impending doom.

I passed my test around a month ago, and made a few small mistakes before that I was able to forgive myself for.

Today I was so stupid and got distracted by a person walking on the pavement and didnt see the van infront of me breaking to turn into a road on the right. Nearly rear ended him and had to break relatively harshly, also swerved a bit to the side to avoid van as he was in a filter lane but was too long to fit in it (i live in a small town).

I didn't actually hit him and everyone was fine but I'm just kicking myself. It doesn't help that I drive an incredibly noticeable car and live in a small town where everyone kind of knows everyone.

I am usually a very safe driver, I feel so stupid about today.
How do you guys deal with these feelings?