How do i beat my nerves during driving lessons??

Question

I have recently started taking driving lessons,i`ve had 2 and got my next one on tuesday afternoon,the problem is i don`t know if i`m cut out for driving at all although it`s something that i really want to do and dont want to give up yet.I just feel as though i turn into a complete dunce the minute i get behind the wheel and my instructor seems to be getting bored repeating the same things to me over and over again,it`s as if my mind goes totally blank and i cant remember a thing he says to me.I`m still not driving on the road yet just up and down the one wee quiet street.Did any1 else start off like this and finally learn to drive properly,if so how did you manage it??

Answer 1

dont worry I teach hundreds of pupil each year, everyone learns at a different pace. one day you will get in the car and everything will just click.
If your instructor is any good he will keep you on the quiet street till your ready to move on, having near misses and a panicing instructor will not do your confidence any good be patient you will get there.

Answer 2

Easy. Do what I did. Found a good friend who got a car and got the person to help me out. twice or three times a week, my mate took to this place where I could practise for a couple of hours a day.

After say four weeks, man, I was getting good and my nerves weren't that bad. After eght weeks, I was flying. So when the driving lesson came, I wasn't nervous; I was raring to go and the nstructor said, "mate, you don't need anymore lessons."

Practise, is what will help you but also, stop the negativity, the words, that negative you inside talking to yourself. Shut that voice up. Go to your bathroom mirror and talk positive to yourself every time you're about to have a lesson.

One thing that stops many people, is that other voice, that negative voice, that thing which we heard so many times from either society, parents, TV or somewhere which is now in our sibcobscious saying, "ah, you're always nervous, you'll never achieve that, forget it, you don't need a car, catch a bus."

So when you hear that voice say, "No! This is not part of my VISION!" Then, close your eyes and imagine yourself driving great, passing the test, cruising the roads like a professional.

And just one more thing; Stop saying, "my mind goes black and I can't remember a thing." Why? You're programming your mind. Your mind doesn't know what failure or success is. It only knows emotions but keep saying it, and you're gonna stop remembering things you need to.

Say, "Yeah! I can remember anything I want!"

There's a book called "WHAT TO SAY WHEN YOU TALK TO YOURSELF" It is a powerful book. It will help you and not just on driving but so many things in your life as it did with me and my friends and families I lent the book too.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

I am the person in the family who has taught everyone to drive and parallel park, after they got through their first 6 hours with an instructor. Pretty much, you could say I have nerves of steel. When you are finished with the driving school, you might need to get a bit more. Then you need to find someone like me in your family or a very close adult friend, who will not yell at you, but who is willing to spend hours with you while you drive patiently giving you pointers and explaining things.
It will take months to "get it", not just a few hours behind the wheel with a bored person who doesn't care about you. You'll have to learn to drive on other streets, on busier streets, in the city, on country roads and in all different weather conditions. You want to stick with the car you are going to take the test in.
Everyone is nervous when they start, some more than others. It takes time. Don't worry. Just find someone who can be patient. When you get to the stage where you are learning parking, try to find a small side street or dead end with no driveways and no traffic. Set up some orange road cones, with sticks sticking out of them. I let people practice this in the car by themselves, while I watch from the street, once I feel they have gotten the hang of it.
After you have passed your test and have your license, you still will have to learn to drive on super-fast highways, at night and in tough weather conditions like snow and ice. All this takes time. You'll have to learn to anticipate other drivers' moves and mistakes. You can only learn that after you have been driving for at least a year or two. Then there is orienteering - learning to find your way around in totally unfamiliar areas without directions, how to detour and still find your place, and how to find your way back at night if you were driving somewhere suring the day and visa-versa. All in good time. If you have a GPS system, it is best not to depend on it.
Be patient with yourself and you will be fine. If you feel uncomfortable with your instructor now, you might try to request another one.

Answer 4

You obviously lack confidence, and maybe your driving instructor is impatient.
Just try to think and concentrate on exactly what you are going to do next. When you are seated in the car, with the door closed, develop and go through a mental checklist
1)Is the seat adjusted correctly..(S)
2) Are the mirrors adjusted correctly (M)
3) Is the handbrake on, and the gear in neutral.(H)
4)Seat belt on (B)
5)Start the engine (E)
6)Look in the mirror for approaching vehicles (L)
7)Indicate that you are about to move out (I)
8)Check mirrors, press in the clutch, and select first gear(C)
9)Let out the clutch SLOWLY as you press the accelerator a little, and move off (A)


Print out this list and carry it with you, until you can remember
S-M-H-B-E-L-I-C-A.

Once you can do that, then you have the first part down pat, and keep practicing it until you are totally confident. Get out of the car and back in a few times, even when there is nobody there, to practice the first four items.

This means that you will already be moving, and with in a calm frame of mind, which will make you receptive to your instructor's words.
Don't forget, practice makes perfect.
Of course you can do it. Millions of people have gone through the same problems, and we do understand, but soon your nervousness will disappear, and you will begin to enjoy yourself

Answer 5

I found an intensive driving course the way to go. Takes about a week, you are driving all day, get films to watch etc. and everything stays fresh in your mind whereas waiting till the next lesson and whoosh it's gone. The nerves just disappear when you've been driving around most of the day. I passed second time and found the course did it for me, worth every penny and much quicker too.

Answer 6

Go prepared ........Study your driving books think about each rule and procedure as they present themselves in the car. Visualise every detail of your drive before you get in the car If you concentrate on the learning aspect and focus on the skills you need to learn and practise you'll be fine. Make up your mind before you go to class that this is what you want and need. If you are not ready quit for now and try again later. I started to learn to fly like that. Finally i took the presure off myself started having fun. Now i have soloed and am building hours to get my sport pilot licence. I was very unsure at the start.

Answer 7

Time will take care of the nerve problem.Relax, go one day at a time with it. Believe it or not everybody you see behind the wheel of an auto has gone thru just what you're going thru now, even your driving instructor. Try to remember this when you take the lesson's. Hope this thought makes you feel better. Good luck and happy motoring.

Answer 8

rule 1. New cars will naturally drive straight so don't panic about that
rule 2. Everybody once had to learn to drive
rule 3. Relax
rule 4. Once you pass and get your own car you'll never miss the bus in the pouring rain! (Focus on that, and relax)

Answer 9

My mate used to be terribly nervous and actually used to get the shakes when riding his yamaha 250, but after a night at the pub when the cool heineken had done its thing he was confidence personified, so why not take a swig of brandy before the lesson? dont forget the Incredibly strong mints to disguise the smell.

Answer 10

Practice makes perfect, I remember my dad teaching my aunt how to drive,she went from side of the road to another,couldnt keep the car straight,forgot the pedals and so on, If she couldve learned I bet you can. She has been driving for 8 years with no prob