How To Regain Driving Confidence After A Lockdown
Photo by Elina Sazonova from Pexels (How To Regain Driving Confidence After A Lockdown)
After spending so much time working from home and having all our needs delivered right to our doorsteps, we’ve spent a lot less time driving our cars than ever before. But, unfortunately, that can make us quite nervous when we drive again, especially as more of us return to working at our offices and participating in our daily commute.
Our driving confidence will be relatively low after being in lockdown for so long. Thankfully, we can regain our confidence in several ways. First, start small by driving short distances and at slow speeds, perhaps around your neighbourhood. Second, remind yourself of the basic driving skills and rules, and practice with as few distractions as possible. Third, bring a co-driver to help you feel more comfortable, and practice regularly!
Now, let’s look at a few ways you can reduce your driving anxiety and prepare to get back on the road again!
Start Small and Slow
Driving a car is like riding a bicycle; you never truly forget how to do it. But, of course, if you’ve been away from your car for far too long, you’ll need to readjust to driving gradually.
So, the first way to regain your driving confidence is to take short trips at relatively low speeds. For instance, you can drive to your neighbourhood convenience store to pick up groceries. That will give you a chance to practice driving, turning, and parking in a very low-pressure way.
It’s crucial to do this while sticking to a slightly slower speed. Then, as you get more comfortable, you can drive a little faster like you used to (while sticking to the speed limit, of course!).
The first time will be pretty challenging, especially if you’re feeling lots of anxiety about driving again. But the more you do it, the more you’ll readjust.
Soon, you’ll be driving long distances without any problems!
Remember The Basics
No matter how many years you’ve had your driver’s license, it’s always an excellent idea to return to the basics. Little things like remembering to signal before taking a turn, performing a three-point turn, and reverse parking are essential skills that you can freshen up.
The more these basic skills you re-learn to do, the more your overall driving confidence will increase. That’s because you’ll show yourself that you can indeed operate your vehicle in whatever way is necessary when you start driving again.
Drive With A Co-Driver
Naturally, you might be feeling unsure of yourself when getting back behind the wheel after a long hiatus. Not to worry. One way to increase your confidence is to bring along a co-driver.
Ideally, this should be someone who has been driving for even longer than you have, such as a parent or older relative. The point here is to have someone you know will advise you as you rediscover driving first-hand.
Of course, if you don’t have any older relatives to bring along, a trusted friend will do. That way, you’ll feel less alone during the initial stages of rebuilding your driving confidence.
Remove Distractions
Driving can be pretty overwhelming if you haven’t done it in a long time. That’s because your mind and your senses will be overloaded with information as soon as you begin driving. That’s why you must reduce the sources of distractions in your car, at least in the early stages.
For example, you’ll want to keep the radio off while you drive. That way, your mind can readjust to all of the other sounds you’ll hear while on the road.
Besides that, you’ll also want to avoid multitasking while driving. So, avoid eating and drinking so you can keep your focus on the road ahead. Of course, you should never be playing with your phone while driving at any time.
Other sources of distractions include the passengers that you might have in your car. Sure, it’s an excellent idea to drive with a co-driver as you rebuild your confidence. However, having people in the car who will be talking can distract you as the driver.
Don’t worry, as all of this is temporary. Once you’ve regained your driving confidence, you can go back to listening to music while you drive.
Practice Makes Perfect
Last but not least, always remember that practice makes perfect. Earlier in this article, we mentioned how driving a car is like riding a bike and never completely forget how to do it. Well, that’s entirely true.
Just like riding a bike, you’ll be nervous at first. But the more time you spend behind the wheel, the more your mind and body will remember all the different driving tasks. Then, with sufficient practice, you’ll be driving at the same level of confidence and proficiency that you had pre-pandemic.
Still, you’ll probably want to practice driving somewhere safe before getting back onto a busy road or highway. Here are a few places where you can do that:
An empty parking lot or an empty part of town: When getting back behind the wheel, the best place to begin driving again is at an empty parking lot. Here, we’re talking about a place with no cars and pedestrians, where you can practice your basic driving skills without any worry.
As an alternative, you might also practice in a quieter part of your town with few people or other cars.
The roads in your neighbourhood: Another good place to practice driving is around your neighbourhood. The reason for this is straightforward: you’re very familiar with your neighbourhood’s roads, and that will help keep your practice driving predictable.
A parking lot that’s crowded: Once you’ve built a little bit of driving confidence, you can then begin to practice in a regular parking lot where there are cars and pedestrians. That would be an excellent place to rebuild your confidence in parking your car, especially when reversing into small parking spaces.
Final Thoughts
When regaining your driving confidence, always remember that it’ll take time. So, don’t be too hard on yourself if you don’t get it at first. Soon, you’ll be able to drive with all the same confidence you had before!
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