Driving and SA

flowergirl · #1 27th October 2010, 15:11

How is it for you? How do you cope?

I always feel really nervous and worry about embrassing myself or having an accident. And a lot of times when I drive I end up doing something wrong/stupid and end up embarrasing myself.

The biggest problem I have is when waiting to pull onto a main road I can sometimes be there for quite a while until I know I can go, becauase I guess I'm not that great at judging the opportunites to go yet. And this usually pisses off other drivers a lot behind me and they start beeping at me.

Does anyone else experience this problem?

Salusa87 · #2 27th October 2010, 16:04

Im pretty confident about my driving ability. Sometimes I get self conscious of the people in front of me if i look in their dashboard mirror, or when people pull up parallel to me. I don't really feel I can look across at them to see if theyre watching me or not cos id look really weird.

I know what you mean about people getting up behind you, I feel quite pressured by it. After I got cought speeding though I had to stick totally to the speed limit or id lose the licence, im sure I annoy allot of people sticking to 30 but im not risknig losing the license for them.

I've never had any kind of accident but if I did I expect id just try and get it resolved with minimum fuss.

flowergirl · #3 27th October 2010, 16:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Salusa

Im pretty confident about my driving ability. Sometimes I get self conscious of the people in front of me if i look in their dashboard mirror, or when people pull up parallel to me. I don't really feel I can look across at them to see if theyre watching me or not cos id look really weird.

I know what you mean about people getting up behind you, I feel quite pressured by it. After I got cought speeding though I had to stick totally to the speed limit or id lose the licence, im sure I annoy allot of people sticking to 30 but im not risknig losing the license for them.

I've never had any kind of accident but if I did I expect id just try and get it resolved with minimum fuss.

Yup, I feel really pressured too. If I feel I could be waiting for a while I start panicking.

I'm wondering, do you get beeped at a lot? Not just in the situation I described, but in any situation. It happens to me occasionally.

Medea · #4 27th October 2010, 16:37

I can't even get to the test I'm so nervous, but it's mainly the guy sitting next to me that causes me to be anxious.

Salusa87 · #5 27th October 2010, 17:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by flowergirl

I'm wondering, do you get beeped at a lot? Not just in the situation I described, but in any situation. It happens to me occasionally.

Not really. I did once or twice after I passed my test for being a bit slow but not anymore. How long has it been since you passed your test?

I quite like beeping at people now lol, only if they act like tw**s though and do stuff deliberately like cutting you up.

flowergirl · #6 27th October 2010, 17:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by Salusa

Not really. I did once or twice after I passed my test for being a bit slow but not anymore. How long has it been since you passed your test?

I quite like beeping at people now lol, only if they act like tw**s though and do stuff deliberately like cutting you up.

2 years ago.

catlover · #7 27th October 2010, 17:46

Quote:

The biggest problem I have is when waiting to pull onto a main road I can sometimes be there for quite a while until I know I can go, becauase I guess I'm not that great at judging the opportunites to go yet. And this usually pisses off other drivers a lot behind me and they start beeping at me.

I've experienced this, especially when i had less experience as a driver.

Just recently, I struck a deer with my car. Now, when I drive on that road, I slow down, and the folks behind me get annoyed and start honking and flashing their lights.

VeryQuietGuy · #8 27th October 2010, 18:00

I'am mostly ok now with my driving, I passed my test in September 2009 and although sometimes I get anxious, I'am a confident and able driver.

I'm currently looking to get rid of my banger and get a new car, something positive to cheer me up.

Sea · #9 27th October 2010, 18:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by catlover

Just recently, I struck a deer with my car.

That's always been my biggest fear driving at night - I would be absolutely mortified if I hit a deer or badger or something,

Salusa87 · #10 27th October 2010, 18:42

If the traffics on a road is fairly slow, start nudging your way out slowly. Even if you block off traffic coming from your right it'll mean (hopefully) someone on the left will stop to let you out.

vianerone · #11 27th October 2010, 18:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Salusa

If the traffics on a road if fairly slow, start nudging your way out slowly. Even if you block off traffic coming from your right it'll mean (hopefully) someone on the left will stop to let you out.

who taught you that was a good idea?

flowergirl · #12 27th October 2010, 19:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by catlover

I've experienced this, especially when i had less experience as a driver.

Just recently, I struck a deer with my car. Now, when I drive on that road, I slow down, and the folks behind me get annoyed and start honking and flashing their lights.

I wish people weren't such ass holes.

flowergirl · #13 27th October 2010, 19:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by VeryQuietGuy

I'am mostly ok now with my driving, I passed my test in September 2009 and although sometimes I get anxious, I'am a confident and able driver.

I'm currently looking to get rid of my banger and get a new car, something positive to cheer me up.

How often do other drivers beep at you?

vianerone · #14 27th October 2010, 19:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by catlover

I've experienced this, especially when i had less experience as a driver.

Just recently, I struck a deer with my car. Now, when I drive on that road, I slow down, and the folks behind me get annoyed and start honking and flashing their lights.

horrible feeling when you hit an animal, since i started driving i've hit a deer, a badger and a cat and several pheasants. none of them were nice experiences and each time i wasn't that keen on driving after it happened. infact i've hit two badgers the second one did some serious damage to the front of my car. the deer wrote the car off.

Salusa87 · #15 27th October 2010, 20:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by vianerone

who taught you that was a good idea?

Me lol. I mean if your waiting there for like more than 3 minutes, and its safe to do so then I dont see why not.

vianerone · #16 27th October 2010, 20:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Salusa

Me lol. I mean if your waiting there for like more than 3 minutes, and its safe to do so then I dont see why not.

so you just pull out infront of cars coming from the right. good luck with that technique. not sure if i remember reading that one in the highway code.

Salusa87 · #17 27th October 2010, 20:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by vianerone

so you just pull out infront of cars coming from the right. good luck with that technique. not sure if i remember reading that one in the highway code.

Well you dont suddenly pull out.

You very slowly edge your way out so people can have time to see and avoid you. Either they make space to go around a bit or they'll let you go. Plus you only do it in slow moving traffic like under 20ish where theres a que.

vianerone · #18 27th October 2010, 20:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Salusa

Well you dont suddenly pull out.

You very slowly edge your way out so people can have time to see and avoid you. Either they make space to go around a bit or they'll let you go. Plus you only do it in slow moving traffic like under 20ish where theres a que.

what you're trying to describe i think is when traffic is busy both ways you're trying to turn right at a t junction and you wait for a gap in the traffic coming from your right then pull half way across the road the wait for a gap from the traffic to your left then join the traffic? you don't just pull out infront of moving traffic do you.

Salusa87 · #19 27th October 2010, 21:43

Quote:

Originally Posted by vianerone

you don't just pull out infront of moving traffic do you.

Depends on a few things, perhaps..

A) how slow the traffics moving
B) how long you've already been waiting
C) how long you predict you'll be waiting unless you edge out
D) what types of vehicles coming

no0ne · #20 27th October 2010, 21:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by Salusa

Depends on a few things, perhaps..

A) how slow the traffics moving
B) how long you've already been waiting
C) how long your predict you'll be waiting unless you edge out
D) what types of vehicles coming

so on your insurance claim you're going to put sorry i was waiting for far to long so i just drove straight into the road the other car was only doing 15mph though so it's perfectly ok and wasn't really my fault that they drove straight into the side of me. out of interest are you a new driver?

Salusa87 · #21 27th October 2010, 21:58

If you exercise your common sense theres really a very very minor risk of any accident.

I'm not really interested in arguing about it though, sorry.

Salusa87 · #22 27th October 2010, 22:06

I get annoyed at people who do it in bad locations or during an unsuitable traffic flow, I think it can be pretty dangerous. But then ive seen other people do it I dont mind at all cos i know theres no risk.

Its all about whether you do it sensibly.

catlover · #23 28th October 2010, 02:10

Quote:

horrible feeling when you hit an animal, since i started driving i've hit a deer, a badger and a cat and several pheasants.

Yes, I did feel really bad about it. I stopped the car and walked back to the point of the accident. The deer had run away and there was no blood on the street (or on my car), so I'm hopeful that he or she survived. Yet my car's fender was damaged so I have to assume that the deer suffered an injury of some kind.

VeryQuietGuy · #24 28th October 2010, 13:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by flowergirl

How often do other drivers beep at you?

I think I have only been beeped at twice since passing my test, once was on a motorway when I cut in front of someone without noticing they were there so they had every right to peep and the other I can't remember.

grimble · #25 4th November 2010, 19:12

I only learnt to drive about 7 years ago, but I've always hated it! I'm fine if it's somewhere I know, but going long distances or new places stresses me out completely. The worst thing is if my husband asks me to drive somewhere, even if it's just into town - I worry about it from the minute he mentions it, get nervous and bad tempered.
On my own behind the wheel or with my son in the car too, I am actually quite agressive - I swear at other people way too much! Im probably a fairly annoying driver to others as I try to drive as I did in my test, and stick to speed limits most of the time so it irritates me when others don't drive properly. GRRRRRRRRRRRRR!