Know a nervous driver

[obi_waynne]

Do you know any nervous drivers?

I certainly know a few. One is so nervous she will take a 10 minute detour to avoid having to do a right turn!

I know another one who just drives slowly everywhere because he is petrified.

We can criticise these drivers all day long, the delays and hold ups they cause and danger they pose to all on the road.

However maybe we should be looking to help these drivers get over their nerves.

Today I spent a couple of hours with one of these drivers and got him using his gears properly and briskly accelerating.

In most cases the addage Practice makes perfect.

Do you think you can help any of your nervous family or friends to become useful members of the driving public.

 

[pgarner]

yup one of the wifes mates is a very nervous driver. took her almost 3 years to go on a motorway and still panicks if someone comes flying up behind her

 

[HDi fun]

Practise is the key but it's only useful if the [nervous]driver is advancing their skills whilst doing it. Without good quality instruction it can serve to exacerbate the problems.

I am not able to coach drivers at all - good drivers don't necessarily make good instructors, any more than ex-Olympic swimmers make good swimming trainers. (I'm not one of those either BTW).

We all need to understand that a nervous driver has his/her own hangups. If I were put into that driver's mindset I'd quite possibly understand exactly what it is that makes that driver nervous.

I can perhaps put myself into the mindset of a nervous driver but I have no idea how to help a nervous driver improve their confidence and skills whilst they are behind the wheel.

 

[herb]

my grandad he's to proud to admit it but he is a terrible driver and will only use roads he knows well (and he can just about pass as a competent driver on them!) but he will not use motorways and he will not exceed 40mph even on national speed limit roads :sad2:

but my wife is a weird 1 she is a very good driver and has drove her own and all of my cars over the last 10 years competently. on all roads except the motorway. i have no idea why she did very well the 1 time she accidentally went on the m6 via junction 10

 

[HDi fun]

The fear of Motorways is very common.

 

[herb]

The fear of Motorways is very common.

i understand that but i really cant get my head around why my mrs wont drive on the motorway. when she will happily drive down a national speed limit dual carriageway at 70mph ???

 

[obi_waynne]

I think people are scared of 3 lanes and 70mph. For many it is joining and leaving that presents the biggest problem. Also the fear of taking a wrong turn or forgetting to turn off worrys many people.

 

[Davidline]

My mom, hell she's afraid to drive with me. And I do try to keep below the speed limit where I know I have to...cops all over where I live >.> and they stop for going 34 at a 30...

 

[RobBentley]

My girlfriend is a nervous driver and goes everywhere pig slow. Sometimes I want to jump out the window and run quicker.

I've even resorted to parallel parking her car from the passenger seat just giving her pedal instructions after getting insainly bored of going forwards and backwards for in excess of 5 minutes.

I don't for a minute suggest I am the best driver in the world, but I do feel I have a usefull sense of car control. If the tail goes out left for example I will steer left into it. I can create oversteer in the W8 and catch said oversteer - it's not Micheal Schumacher stuff, but I have a clue.

My other half however, hasn't the foggiest - and the second anything 'bad' happens - she enters a state of panic and does something stupid.

Hell, I even flashed my headlights at her once (I was behind) as an ANSWER YOUR BLOODY PHONE, YOU HAVE A CAR-KIT sort of idea and she panic'd and veered left up somebodys gravel drive.

 

[Lewis]

I know quite a few and its annoying when your in there car but it cant be helped really. Hopefully they will get more comfortable as time goes on.

 

[HDi fun]

I think people are scared of 3 lanes and 70mph. For many it is joining and leaving that presents the biggest problem. Also the fear of taking a wrong turn or forgetting to turn off worrys many people.

I think the problem people have with motorways is that there's a visual paradox going on. You're moving at, say, 70-80mph relative to the road and roadside furniture.

Yet your speed relative to other vehicles is very much lower. It can be positive or negative relative to other vehicles.

I agree that the same applies on non M-way roads but the width of a M-way, which can be 5-6 lanes each way in some cases if you include h/s and slip lanes (M4/M5 interchange at Patway is a good example).

I don't have a phd, and I'm not a psychlogist but I think that it's all down to perception.

I think the M-way environment creates a visual paradox for unfamiliar drivers.

They know that the true speed is roughly that on the speedo and the stationary scenery is rushing past at that speed.

Yet the eyes perceive much lower speeds relative to other cars (which are closer to us than the roadside).

This is not an entirely natural set of circumstances for the human brain to compute and the only cure is time and practise.

Perhaps we learn to reject the disturbing and needless information?

I wonder if something similar is what causes travel sickness is susceptible individuals.

Dr Hdi, signing out................

 

[obi_waynne]

You could be on to something there Doc!

 

[HDi fun]

You could be on to something there Doc!

Is it time for a change of username?

 

[obi_waynne]

Just say the word and it'll be done. Doctor Derv

 

[HDi fun]

I think there's a commercial site called Derv Doctor and I wouldn't wish to be seen plagiarising a trademark.

Any suggestions?

 

[pgarner]

Prof. P Anderson HDI

 

[obi_waynne]

Torque Doctor, it will work with your big torquey V8 then? or what about Torque Fun