Top Tips for New Motorists

While there is no feeling quite like passing your driving test, many motorists find the first few months afterwards to be just as – if not more – stressful. It is a very strange feeling to start driving without having an instructor or someone supervising as a passenger and without the protection of an L plate (you might find people to be a lot less patient). You don’t often hear people talking about this time during your driving career, so this post will offer a few tips that will hopefully help you to adjust, build confidence, and start to make the most out of driving. 

Practice, Practice, Practice

The single best thing that you can do after passing your test is to keep driving and to drive as much as you can. Nothing can beat experience in terms of building up your confidence and your abilities, so you should practice as much as you can and try to expose yourself to different situations, such as driving at night or in a new area.

Use Sat-Nav to Reduce Direction Anxiety

Leading on from this, many people find that a lot of stress and anxiety come from driving to places that they are unfamiliar with. Often, the anxiety comes from getting lost, so to avoid this you should use a sat-nav system that can provide spoken directions as you drive. This will prevent you from getting lost and allow you to focus purely on the road ahead of you. 

Avoid Driving Groups of People

Another common cause of stress and anxiety is driving a group of people, especially friends. Peer pressure can be a very serious issue when it comes to driving, plus groups of people can be distracting. Instead, try to only drive those that you feel comfortable with in the early stages of your driving career until you feel more confident in your abilities. 

Find a Used Car to Build Confidence In

The car that you drive when you first start driving is also key. You need something easy to drive, reliable, and nothing too valuable and powerful. A used car is ideal as you can make savings on the price and running costs and it is likely that you will upgrade after a few years, which means that you can avoid depreciation. Search for used cars in your area that are for sale, such as used cars Macclesfield dealerships where you can find the perfect first car.

Be Patient & Forgive Yourself

Finally, it is important that you are patient and that you forgive yourself for any mistakes. Just because you have passed your test does not make you a brilliant driver and you are sure to notice that many people on the roads are not very good drivers. This is why you need to be patient, try to keep improving, and forgive yourself for any mistakes.

Hopefully, this post will help you to build confidence and feel more settled behind the wheel after passing your test.