Gaining Confidence Behind the Wheel Can Be Easier Than You Think

Partnered Post

 

It’s fairly common for people to feel intimated by the idea of driving a car. They might feel that the cost of a car is daunting, they might be concerned about the safety of driving a vehicle, and even the idea of picking a car to buy can be a little too much for some people. Whatever the case is, we completely understand that you might lack the confidence to make those kinds of decisions and actually get behind the wheel.

 

So whether you’ve yet to purchase a car or have been avoiding your vehicle, we’ve put together this post to help you gain more confidence to get behind the wheel. We’ll be splitting up this article into multiple sections depending on what level of car ownership you’re at.

 

Getting used to driving and obtaining your license

One of the first big hurdles to overcome is actually getting your license. If you’re reading this blog then there’s a good chance that you already have your license. However, in the event that you don’t or simply want a bit more advice on how to get used to driving, we’ve put together a few tips to help you out.

 

• Find the right instructor. If you don’t really get along with your current instructor then there’s nothing wrong with replacing them with someone else. The company you’re getting your license with might be open to swapping the instructor if you don’t get along with them. Alternatively, you could ask someone you know to teach you how to drive so that when it comes to officially passing your test, you’ll be able to pass it with flying colours.

 

• Follow your instructor’s advice. If you’ve never driven before then we highly recommend you follow everything that the instructor says. This will help ensure that you don’t end up in an accident or crash the vehicle unwillingly. Following their advice is for your own good and will be an important step in learning how to diagnose your mistakes.

 

• Accept that mistakes happen. You’re not going to be a perfect driver while getting your license, so embrace the idea that mistakes will happen and that you’ll ultimately have to learn from them. Don’t focus on your mistakes and beat yourself up over it. Driving demands a lot of muscle memory and the only way to build it up is to drive more!

 

• Schedule your lessons and don’t procrastinate. It’s up to you to schedule your own driving lessons, so don’t procrastinate and ensure that you’re actually booking them on a regular basis. This will help you get a lot of practice with your car and it’ll ensure that you quickly build the muscle memory needed to drive your vehicle. 

 

Taking that first step and booking your very first driving lesson can be daunting. However, if you don’t start driving more regularly then you’ll never build the confidence needed to actually get on the road comfortably. Take full advantage of this time by asking your instructor lots of questions about how to drive safely, and don’t rush ahead by trying to get your license as soon as possible. Instead, take it slow and just focus on improving your skills at this stage.

 

Gaining confidence before you buy your vehicle

A lot of people find that it’s difficult to muster up the courage required to go out and buy a vehicle. For starters, buying a car is incredibly expensive and it’s important that you don’t just throw your cash at something that isn’t worth your time. So to help you build up confidence before you even get behind the wheel, here are a few tips to keep in mind.

 

• Learn more about cars by researching them. There are plenty of books and videos on websites such as YouTube that will teach you all you need to know about cars. It can be broken down into bite-sized pieces of information that are easy to digest, and you’ll slowly gain more confidence in your knowledge of vehicles. This can then be used to get a great deal on a used car purchase or it can help you feel more comfortable behind the wheel.

 

• Try out a range of different cars. You should book test drives if you want to gain a little more experience driving cars. It also helps you learn about all of the different features that a car has. This will ensure that you’re a little more comfortable driving different types of cars and should give you a better understanding of what kind of car you’d prefer.

 

• Ask friends and family members about their car purchases. Some of the best advice you can get is from friends and family members that have purchased a car in the past. They’re usually the best people to go to because you’ll learn from their experiences and also their mistakes. Don’t hesitate to ask a couple of questions if they’re willing to help you out.

 

• Decide if buying a car is right for you. Just because you own a license it doesn’t mean that you need to own a car. You could sit on a license and just drive rented vehicles if you wanted to. However, if you decide that you have a use for your own car (such as needing to drive your family around or for commuting to work) then you should start looking into the costs of buying a car and financing options. This will help you brush up on your knowledge to help you feel more confident getting behind the wheel.

 

Don’t just sit on your license and occasionally drive someone else’s car or rent a vehicle. If you want to be confident on the road, you need to make sure that you have your own vehicle that you can get accustomed to and drive comfortably.

 

 

Gaining more confidence on the road

Finally, if you already own a vehicle but are still finding it difficult to confidently get on the road, then here are a few tips to help out.

 

• Plan your routes ahead of time. You’ll want to try and plan your routes ahead of time whenever possible. This should give you a much better understanding of the road conditions and will ensure you don’t get lost when you start driving.

 

• Maintain your car and keep it in great condition. It’s important to keep your car in great condition to make it a more pleasant experience when driving. Remember to maintain the rims and tyres, give it a clean every few weeks, and make sure you take it to your local mechanic if you notice any issues with it.

 

• Try and drive more often. This is easier said than done but is a great way to ensure that you get more practice. Try and make more excuses to go out and drive, such as visiting friends and family members or taking your family members on a day out.

 

• Ignore what other drivers say about you. Don’t worry about what others say about your driving. They can criticize you all they want, but unless it’s helpful information you can safely ignore it and move on. Don’t let their negative comments discourage you.

 

• Learn to drive defensively. One of the best ways to gain confidence on the road is to drive more defensively. This is all about looking out for other drivers and getting out of potentially dangerous situations as soon as you notice something going wrong.

 

• Don’t be afraid to go out and drive on your own. A lot of people find it difficult to go out and drive on their own after getting their license. This is because they’re used to having someone else in the car to instruct them and talk to them. Make sure you try and get out and drive on your own to somewhere nearby. This will help you build up the confidence needed to drive on your own.

 

• Focus on comfort in your car. You want to be comfortable in your car to make it a more pleasant experience when driving. You should personalize your car a little so that it makes you feel more comfortable both physically and mentally.

 

• Remember that experience and confidence driving comes with practice. Don’t be discouraged because you’re not used to driving yet. Keep on practising, focus on the skills you’re weak at, and build up your experience over time.

 

By following these tips, you’ll find that it can be easy to gain confidence behind the wheel. From the moment you commit to gaining a license to actually owning a car, there are lots of different areas where you might lack confidence. We hope that we’ve covered most of the situations that you could be in and the problems that you might face.  Driving can be daunting at first, but with a bit of time and some practice, you’ll find that it’ll become second nature before you know it.