Whether you are an adult or teenager learning to drive, there are going to be feelings of nervousness.  These feelings can serve you well in being cautious, but if you are too nervous it can also hinder your learning abilities.  To help you avoid common mistakes some tips are outlined below.

Most countries require that you take a driver’s education course.  This course teaches you the rules and laws of the road.  They discuss when you change speed after seeing a speed limit sign, the proper techniques for pulling off the road in an emergency and other information.

Even with a driving course you can feel nervous, and may want extra practice behind the wheel.  Parents or a licensed driver over 18 are allowed to help you practice your driving.  Before you go out with this helper make sure you have chosen a place to drive that is safe and allows for good situations.  For example while you may want to try highway driving, if you are driving for the first time you will want to stay to less busy streets, getting down intricate turns, stopping at lights, etc. before tackling the highway.

Tips:

1.    Do not go too slow on the road.  This can lead to a rear end accident from another driver.  If you feel you must stay slow then choose a road with a lower speed limit, such as 25 miles per hour.

2.    Do not drive too fast.  Sometimes new students get behind a wheel and think they can go above the speed limit like their parents or friends.  Instead stick to the limit.  It is the law, and you do not want to cause an accident or get stopped by the police your first time out.

3.    Do not panic.  Panicking while driving is very dangerous.  There could be situations that cause your nervousness to heighten, but remember to stay calm.  To do this you might have easy listening music on the radio, something that you can barely hear, but that relaxes you.  Most people giving the driving lessons say not to have music on; however, something barely audible in the background can reduce your angst.  It makes the drive feel more natural.  Again it must be something soothing, not rock or metal.

4.    Corners and curves require proper speeds.  When you first learn to drive it is best to pay attention to the speed limit signs posted for curves.  Often on curvy roads a sign might say 35mph with a picture of the curve.  For corners, slowing down to 10 miles per hour is a good speed until you learn how to take the corners.

5.    Parking is the most difficult for new students, especially when it comes to parallel parking.  We could write an entire article just on parallel parking.  For now though, consider learning how to park by pulling in, and then reversing.  Most parking at the market or in parking garages requires a straight shot.  When parking, choose a spot that has both slots open around it.  This way if you turn too wide you can still make the parking spot.