Troubleshooting

Learning to drive is not easy, but it shouldn’t be painfully hard. If you are having lots of trouble learning, talk to your parent/supervisor about it and use the tools below to actively solve the problem.

Feeling anxious?

When you are learning to drive, it’s good to feel a little bit anxious - it will help focus your attention and protect yourself.

However, too much anxiety is a problem. If you feel very anxious while driving, you lose awareness of what’s happening around you don’t think clearly.

If this happens while you are learning to drive, don't try to keep driving. Pull over somewhere safe and talk about it with your parent/supervisor or driving instructor.

Tips for dealing with anxiety

• Remember that learning to drive with a good supervisor is mostly a very safe thing to do. Very few learners are hurt while learning to drive.
• Anticipate stressful situations and work out how to take control while you can still think clearly. Breathe slowly and deeply and relax your neck and shoulders.
• If you make a mistake and another driver hassles you, don’t take it to heart. To them you are a car that’s annoying them; it’s not you personally.
• Work out what you're exactly anxious about ask your parent/supervisor to help you with a strategy to overcome the fear.
• Start off in a situation you feel comfortable with and gradually step closer to the situation that worried you.
• Have a lesson, but don’t drive - you can learn from the passenger seat too.

Problems with your parent / supervisor

Unless your parent/supervisor is a driving instructor or knows a lot about driving and teaching, they may be having some difficulties teaching you. That’s understandable - driving well is not easy and neither is teaching someone to drive.

Have a look at How to work with your parent / supervising driver for advice on how to work together and communicate what you need.

If you really can’t make it work, you might choose to look for another teacher. These choices can be difficult, but the main thing is that you learn well, because safe driving is too important to compromise.