Driving in heavy traffic makes me very nervous, what is the best plan to handle it?

Question

I drove in some heavy traffic a few years ago and about got ran over (trying to merge) by a semi truck.

Answer 1

Pay attention and be alert at all times.

Sometimes, it pays to have your window slightly open. That way, you're not so isolated from the outside environment, and you get a greater sense of speed and noise.

Drive in heavy traffic as often as you can. As you build experience, your confidence will grow as well.

Answer 2

If heavy traffic makes you nervous, stay out of heavy traffic. Nervous drivers make mistakes, and mistakes cause accidents.

I am not trying to be mean, I am just telling the truth.

You likely need practice driving in freeway/highway situations. The reason you were almost run over may be that you did not have the right of way. Merging traffic has the responsibility to merge safely into traffic. The traffic on the highway does not have to "get out of your way". You have to accelerate your vehicle to highway speeds and merge into an empty spot. The only way to get comfortable with this is to practice.

The truck driver likely could not see you. Trucks have a large blind spot on the right side of the vehicle. If he cannot see you, he doesn't know you are there. There is also a smaller blind spot on the left side. When passing or merging with semis you must ensure that the driver can see you and make your pass as quickly as possible, so as to clear the blind spot. Passing on the right is not a good idea, because it is not only illegal, but unexpected. When you pull in front of a truck, please leave plenty of room. The room you leave is the only room he has if both of you have to stop suddenly.

I have been driving trucks for almost 20 years. I am always as polite a driver as I can be, but many times traffic or other situations do not allow me to move over to let someone on the highway. I am always willing to help someone if I can, and I hope this helps you. No truck driver wants to cause an accident. The driver who you almost hit didn't want to hit you. There is no reason to be scared of trucks. You just need to learn how to share the road with them, and practice, practice, practice. The more you drive on the highway, the more comfortable you will become.

Answer 3

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RE:
Driving in heavy traffic makes me very nervous, what is the best plan to handle it?
I drove in some heavy traffic a few years ago and about got ran over (trying to merge) by a semi truck.

Answer 4

First, get used to changing lanes and turning left at lights when there is very little traffic (on Sunday mornings is good).
Once you get comfortable doing this when there isn't much traffic, you can then choose slightly busier times and work on your confidence level.
You can practice the same way to gain skill and confidence merging onto multi lane highways.
Don't forget to shoulder check quickly in the direction you plan to travel and then look forward when you change lanes. Do it smoothly without oversteering (drifting), and look far up your intended path of travel.
When merging onto multi lane high speed roadways, you increase your speed as your "on ramp" becomes parallel to the highway. Then you have to gauge the speed of the oncoming traffic and "fit" in. This takes practice to become comfortable.
Take your time to learn and go out to practice when traffic volume is low until you feel confident.
Also, a refresher driving lesson would be of great value to you.
Good luck!

Answer 5

Get a car with good visibility, good mirrors and pay lots of attention to driving in traffic. never take chances and always assume the other driver does not see you until you make eye contact. There are aggressive drivers out there that you just have to stay out of their way. You have to take driving seriously and never multi task like reading or cell phone chatting. I have been driving fifty one years and have not been in any accidents in the past twenty by adopting this philosophy. I drive over a hundred miles a day in heavy rush hour traffic.

Answer 6

well first off, pay attention! second, when you merge, speed up to the speed of traffic or faster, do not slow down and get forced into a merge where someone is going faster behind you.

you should practice driving with just your gas pedal (when you let off the car will slow down, don't be a fakey braker who's braking for no reason).

taking a defensive driving class, or better yet a racing class will help you understand your car and it's capabilities better, and be more confident on the road.

Answer 7

Most of these answers are correct. They all have the same general theme. BE CALM. Driving is safe as long as you pay attention to your surroundings and obey they traffic laws. It takes time to get somewhat comfortable driving. It takes a lot of energy to perform the task of driving and even more in heavy traffic. But being calm helps to retain some of that energy and that will help you cope with driving situations.

Answer 8

It's tough driving in heavy traffic. Let's break it into two parts, first, what to do around a truck, and then what to do when in heavy traffic generally.

When around a truck, remember that if you can't see the dirver's mirrors, she/he probably can't see you. That means that when I am around a truck, I use my turn signals, and then move up past them. If I am not sure of what to do, I stay well back from them and cruise. I never sit right behind them and wait.

When I am on the expressway, and an entrance ramp comes up, I look over there ahead of time, and try to judge whether I will be blocking a car or truck coming up. If I am, I either slow down, speed up or move over a lane to make it easier for them to come in. I never like sitting beside a truck, particularly when they are trying to merge. I move up, back, or over.

If I am trying to merge, first off, I accelerate hard until I am moving just a little faster than the traffic is. Then I find my space, aim for the bumper of the car in front, and slow down to match the traffic speed. Much easier than chasing in at a slower speed and hoping I can catch up.

In general, I try to keep right except to pass, I take my time and adjust my mirrors on any car I am in, and I practice turning my head to look for cars beside me.

If I get boxed, let's say with a big scary truck on each side of me, someone behind me, and someone up ahead, I remember that this is my space, and that everyone else is in pretty much the same situation. If I keep looking at the vehicles all around me, I get scared. Instead, I look far ahead of my car in my own lane, and I concentrate on driving the car to that point, which is always one or two hundred yards up the road. When a farmer is plowing a field, he/she can keep a straight furrow by looking at a point on the horizon, and driving to it. You can do pretty much the same thing in your car by using that point up ahead in your lane, and you will drive straighter and smoother.

Finally, if you panic, give yourself permission to pull over, or even stop for a cup of coffee. Leave extra time on trips that involve driving under such conditions. If you use all these techniques, you may even find that you start to enjoy it.

Answer 9

My wife had the same problem. What we did to make her comfortable is drive on the highway at non peak hours. Every Sunday morning for about 2 months we would get up in the morning and get on the highway at approx. 7:30am and drive for about an hour. We would enter and exit at different points; practice lane changes at different speeds etc. Most of the time people in your situation are nervous because they're not comfotable with the car they are driving. Since our exercise my wife no longer has the same problem. Good luck.

Answer 10

Follow a big truck.

Turn off all distractions.

Have a second set of eyes that will talk to you but not
make you nervous.

Stay in the slow lane, but do not lag behind the traffic flow.

clean all glass before you get started. Top off all washer fluids.
Adjust and clean all mirrors before you get started.

Get rid of all clutter around instrument console/gear shift/dashboard.

Have proper change readily available for any tolls.

Check brakes and fuel and oil and tires before you
get started (keeps you from getting nervous).

Pee before you get started.

Check mirrors frequently while driving.