Drive with Confidence: Seven Practical Tips to Overcome Your Driving Anxiety

Well, your long-cherished dream has finally come true: you have the license, you have got a car and now you can proudly call yourself a driver! However, in the first few months, a ‘young’ driver is often distressed by constant anxiety, fear of violating traffic rules, or making some kind of mistakes in driving. We have prepared several effective and simple tips to assist you in becoming a good driver.

The confidence of a driver is one of the main secrets of road safety. The calmer you drive the lower risk of accidents you have. That is why it is so important for first-time drivers to get used to the new role. So, let us look at some simple tricks that will help you to get rid of fear and to feel like an experienced driver.

Tip 1.  Get enough practice.

It is not a secret that a person feels confident only when he or she becomes experienced. Thus, the best thing you can do to become a skillful driver is, first of all, practice, practice and again practice. You should pull yourself together and drive your car as often as possible. Are you afraid of traffic? Start at four o’clock in the morning, when almost all roads are empty.

It would also be a good idea to ask another driver to accompany you. Each experienced driver has several tricks on his own that make him feel more confident. Ask them to share these tips with you.

Tip 2. Try not to have long pauses in driving.

Having gained theoretical knowledge and some experience in a driving school, try not to refuse from the further rides in a car. Remember that all the skills can disappear very quickly. It is just like skiing or playing a musical instrument. Without everyday practice, you will not be able to consolidate your driving experience and over time, you will simply lose it. Indeed, many of us know that if a musician plays his musical instrument just four times a year, he will probably forget how to play. The same thing is with driving.

Anyway, if it happens so that you feel like you have forgotten some important things from the driving regulations, you can easily refresh your memory with the help of online driving applications. For example, Zutobi Learning offers summarized DMV manual in an easy-to-read format, containing detailed information on all the questions you may have. It is a good way both to refresh your knowledge and to check your skills with a DMV practice test.

Tip 3. Use navigator

If you are a resident of a large city, a navigator will be your indispensable assistant while driving. It will greatly simplify the movement around the city and, if necessary, the device will indicate the desired route. However, it is better to start practicing your driving skills on familiar roads.

Tip 4. Put away your mobile phone and turn off the radio

If you are still a beginner on the road, we recommend you to remove your phone and turn your radio off, as these things seriously distract drivers from the existing traffic situation. According to statistics, distractions to the phone cause the most dangerous situations on the road. Radio can also prevent you from focusing on driving, which means it will distract you.

Tip 5. Do not be afraid of turning to professionals.

Sometimes driving anxiety becomes too strong, which builds some unpleasant limits around the person’s life. Fortunately, there exist special experts and programs that help people to learn how to overcome driving fear and how to get their control back. According to numerous reviews, the Driving Fear Program is one of the most successful programs of this kind. It was developed by professional psychologists to help people cope with fear, anxiety, and panic attacks while driving.

Overall, remember that driving will bring freedom and convenience into your life, and that experience comes with practice. We hope our recommendations will help you to get confidence and safety on the road. Good luck in driving!