Driving alone for the first time is difficult and can be taxing on your confidence. Getting out in your car alone is part of building your competence as a newly licensed driver. Repeating a few more simple driving lessons may help overcome driving anxiety.
Fear of driving alone, also called autophobia, stems from feeling unconfident or perhaps being afraid of other fast-moving vehicles going by. It may feel scary to be controlling your vehicle on your own for the first time on the open road, but if you apply the practical tips for new drivers described here, you will gradually manage it better. Eventually, you’ll find yourself driving safely automatically, responding well to the road and the environment.
Tip 1: Take a Defensive Driving Course
First, you could brush up on your basic driving skills by attending a defensive driving course.
Using defensive driving techniques will make you a smarter driver in dangerous situations caused by other drivers, or by hazards on the road, like rocks falling from an embankment. You will learn to control your speed and keep a safe following distance.
Tip 2: Confront Your Fear and Ask For Help
Deal with your anxiety by recognizing what you’re experiencing and asking for help from other experienced drivers or supportive friends who can check on your safe arrival after a drive. Set small manageable goals for yourself each week, starting with driving practice in areas you know well. You could tackle shorter distances and drive on quieter roads, to give yourself the opportunity to have an uneventful drive on your own, to generate a feeling of success. Build up positive experiences of driving alone, then try a new goal of driving alone in a different neighborhood, or in a shopping district where there’s some traffic.
Tip 3: Stick to Daytime Driving at First
Night-time driving is a challenge because it’s hard to see other vehicles in the dark and to judge their speed and distance. Even experienced drivers are stressed by driving in the dark. In bad weather conditions where visibility is poor, like driving in snow or rain, it might also be difficult to hold the car on the road or judge what speed is safest.
As a new driver, try to limit these experiences until you are generally more confident behind the wheel. Driving in hot weather can also cut your concentration; make an effort to keep yourself cool, by using the air-conditioning or opening the windows and occasionally stopping to drink water.
Tip 4: After an Accident, Get Back to Driving
Any accident is traumatic and takes time to recover from. But don’t stop driving; get back behind the wheel as soon as you can. Your confidence will return, and your driving skills will continue to build up.
Tip 5: Adapt Your Behavior to Cope With Fear of Highways
Driving on a highway may be very overstimulating with cars rushing by at high speed, and having to notice signs for off-ramps and detours that can lead to distracted driving. Practice driving on minor highways or in country areas that are less busy before you venture onto busy highways.
Tip 6: Calm Yourself With Relaxing Music
Music while driving can help soothe and relax you. It’s important to keep the volume low to avoid blocking out sounds of other cars on the road, or sounds of traffic slowing and accelerating. These are important auditory clues that help you orient to the other cars around you and the flow of traffic. If you are highly stressed at work, getting into a car and driving simply transfers the stress to your driving behavior. It’s better, and safer, to de-stress with a bit of quiet music.
How Long Does It Take To Gain Confidence When Driving by Yourself?
It’s going to take about six months of regular driving by yourself, to establish confidence in your driving skills and your ability to drive in any setting, in the dark, in the rain, or on a busy highway. By gradually exposing yourself to new driving areas and new contexts for driving, you can steadily increase your own skills. Use the practical tips to help yourself develop into a skillful and confident driver.
Driven2Drive is a premier driving school and the leader in Driver’s Education. From our dedicated team of instructors to our innovative state-of-the-art Driving & License Testing Centers, we are committed to instilling safe driving habits for life in a fun and interactive atmosphere.
