A great way of increasing your independence as a young adult is by learning to drive and then passing your test. It opens up opportunities you may not have been able to pursue before, as well as allowing you to rely on yourself and to travel under your own steam. The day I passed my test is a pretty clear memory, although I do no actually remember much of the test itself. It was my second attempt and I was very relieved to have passed, so much so I think I wore a dumb grin for the next two days. I was met with a great sense of achievement that very quickly developed into excitement once I had realised the opportunities that were now available to me. One thing that stuck in my mind, however, was how much I wanted to keep this memory a positive one and prevent an accident marring my memories of this momentous occasion.
It’s not hard to get overzealous once you have passed your test. After all, you have just reached a landmark in your life; why not take advantage of that? As mentioned before, it pays to keep this landmark a positive one and avoid potential accidents and mishaps. It can be easy to become complacent with your ability once you have passed, and to become lax with your procedures. This might mean you stop being so diligent with checking your mirrors when you pull off, or decide to take the chance and squeeze through the lights when they are going from orange to red. You could get away with this for a while, but it is important to remember what you had learnt in your lessons, and particularly why you learnt these things. The idea was not to get you to an acceptable level of driving skill and then stop considering it forever. Once you pass your test, there should be no negative difference to the way you drive – you should be getting better with the increased practice, not lazy!
With around one in five drivers having an accident within their first year of driving, it makes sense to stop your performance slipping and seeking to improve your driving skill, not let it slip. Below are a few tips that I think helped me stay on top form and proactively improving both my confidence and skill.
Getting Hot Under the Collar
One thing I was plagued with in my early lessons was getting a bit flustered. I’d make a mistake and it would frustrate me – usually resulting in me making more mistakes. It would begin with a hill start or something I was slightly less familiar with. I’d notice that a large amount of cars were behind me and my anxiety would rise. The light would go green and… stall. No problem, perform proper procedures and checks… stall. The light goes red again. I’d then have to wait another minute with the whole line of cars behind me fuming at my mistake – or at least that’s how I thought they felt. The reality of the situation was probably much different. Once I’d passed and been driving for a while, I noticed other learners and occasionally see them stall. The other thing I noticed was that it really didn’t bother me. I wasn’t sat there thinking ‘this is irritating, why can’t they just do it?’ That’s when I realised there was no need to get worked up about making mistakes. After all, everyone has to start somewhere. Occasionally another motorist will react with a toot of the horn to show their annoyance, but you should never take this to heart. Even the most seasoned drivers can make mistakes. At the end of the day it is more important to focus on yourself and your driving rather than worrying about what the motorists around you are thinking because, let’s face it, you’ll probably never see them again and you are paying to learn, not worry! Next time you feel a bit flustered, try taking a few deep breaths and focus on your procedures.
Impatience.
Once you have passed your test, you are potentially at risk of falling foul of impatience, whether on your own part of through your passengers. It’s easy to feel a little nervous when approaching busy junctions or merging with a busy road, particularly because your instructor is now no longer a secondary source of judgement. In this situation it is best to use your own best judgement and to trust your abilities. If your friends are pushing for you to pull out when you feel it isn’t safe then you should try and ignore them. If you end up taking a risk because you felt like shaving a few minutes from your drive time or fell victim of peer pressure then you have compromised your safety to save face – certainly a bad idea! Nothing safe was ever achieved by going faster, so it’s worth spending a little longer making sure it’s safe to pull out and, as always, remember to perform your procedures. Mirror, signal manoeuvre should be ingrained in your mind by now!
Accidents in the first year of driving do happen, but they can be avoided. Try not to fall into bad habits like pre-empting the driver in front’s actions. Thinking ‘this is usually a pretty fast roundabout, I’m sure they’ll pull off quickly and then I will follow him’ is a sure fire way of getting into a rear end shunt. What happens if he doesn’t pull away quickly? You’d be too close and liable to hit them. Perhaps this is obvious, but it is easy to develop a sense of boldness after having driven for a few months – increasing the potential to take risks. The best course of action here is to enjoy your new found confidence, but combine it with safe and responsible driving.
Apprehension.
This is a feeling felt by many of my peers as well as myself. By apprehension, I mean developing a sense of nerves before driving somewhere, especially when alone. During the early days of my post-pass driving life, despite being incredibly excited and proud of my achievement, I occasionally felt a bit apprehensive about making journeys to places I hadn’t been before or regularly. I had just got a job at a local supermarket with a very busy car park, and this was probably my biggest source of concern. To make matters worse, the entrance had been modified to reduce the speed of people entering and exiting the car park (mainly due to boy racers) – resulting in a curbed dogleg that was hard for even a hatchback to negotiate. The spaces within the car park were also very narrow, which bothered me somewhat. How did I manage to get over these worries? I just got in the car and went there. It sounds simple, but by doing something that makes you feel nervous enough times you are sure to gain confidence in this area. And this really is an important part of motoring – the more you practice it, the more confident you feel. Eventually I was met with the realisation that feeling apprehensive about certain things wasn’t going to go away entirely, but I’d feel a lot better if I kept trying it.
Remember, passing your test and becoming a motorist is a fantastic opportunity, and surely a big landmark in your life and in your development as an independent adult. Becoming more mobile presents a wealth of opportunities for personal and social development, and could signal a huge change in your future. Whether it means applying for a job you thought was just a bit too far away or setting your sights a little further afield in terms of further education, you are sure to enjoy your newfound abilities and opportunities. The main things to remember are:
– Remember your lessons; do not forget the procedures you learnt. They are not just tips, they are guidelines!
– Take it steady, you won’t win any prizes for going faster and your safety will surely be compromised.
Overall, be responsible and show respect. It sounds cliché but it is the best way of maximising your safety and enjoyment whilst driving. If you take these tips on board and proactively improve your driving, instead of falling into a rut of laziness and bad habits, you will be rewarded with years of happy driving!
This article was written by Matt Chappell on behalf of iCarhireinsurance, pioneers of car hire excess insurance.
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