LogFAQs > #904290649

EclairReturns posted...

Mostly the fear of ramming into other cars or something else in a high-speed environment. I just get nervous when I'm pressured to drive over thirty-five miles-per-hours because I know that every other car on the highway is driving about fifteen miles-per-hour more than that. It just got me freaked out that a car might possibly ram into me because I'm driving too slow, and it also freaks me out because I might ram into something because my field of vision is limited as a result of the speed at which I'm traveling.

Keep in mind that in high speed areas, you are actually in some of the safer spaces on the road. Intersections are technically more dangerous, since you have cars from all directions crossing paths. As for being afraid of hitting someone else due to driving fast, heres a tip: watch when a driver in front of you passes something (like a street sign) and then count to found out how long it takes you to reach that same marker. That is how long you would have to slam on the brakes if the person in front of you were to do so. Anything between 1-2 seconds should be plenty.

To a much lesser extent, I'm also afraid of driving too much to the left or too much to the right in my lane, and being discourteous towards other drivers, who are sharing the road with me. I was also freaked out today about cutting my turns too sharply when turning at an intersection, which again, would result in a collision. I also got nervous when I was told to speed up to the speed limit because I was driving too slowly, but that's irrelevant, I think.

I was nervous about veering outta my lanes when I first started. Over time, I just came to realize that my car is a lot smaller than the lanes. It just isnt easy to realize at first from inside the car. Cutting into your turns too sharply... youll be fine with that with practice. Since you dont like going fast though, be sure to stay out of the fast lane. Stay in the slow lanes and others can pass you if they dont like your speed. And if you truly dont like going fast, you can always avoid the highways and take side roads.

Oftentimes, I am worried about what to do when exiting a driveway. I'm too afraid of blocking the way of pedestrians crossing, which leads me to stop for too long before a stop sign before creeping out of the driveway. On one hand, I'll block people's way, but on the other, I'll interfere with people driving behind me who also wish to exit.

Youre being thoughtful, but overly-so. If you block the walkway, pedestrians will just walk behind your car (as would you, in that case).

I also always have this habit of double-checking my mirrors and looking over my shoulder when crossing over to some other lane, because I'm afraid of ramming into some other car. I'm also freaked out because while I'm doing this, because my attention is shifted away from the front of the car, and that will also have a good chance of causing a collision.

Im the same way with mirrors. Its good to be aware of your surroundings. And you should be looking over your shoulder when changing lanes due to blind spots. Again, repetition will make this come as second nature over time.

Honesty, the more you practice, the more youll become accustomed to it and begin to relax. Just keep at it and youll loosen up over time.
---

Live action Hungry Hungry Hippos though, now that was a sport. ~Aeon Azuran