10 Tips for newly licensed drivers to lose their fear of driving and avoid accidents

According to data from the Brazilian Association of Traffic Medicine, it is estimated that 2 million Brazilians are afraid to drive, of which 80% are women. The causes of fears are varied, the main ones being motivated by insecurity when driving the vehicle and the fear of causing accidents, since the newly qualified driver now starts to face the traffic routine alone and in his own vehicle. But the good news is that there are ways to overcome your fear of driving and be a great driver.

In view of this, the awesome.club brings 10 tips to help newly qualified drivers overcome the fear of driving and feel safer in traffic. There is also a bonus especially at the end of the post. Check it out!

Right after removing the PPD (Permission to Drive), drivers need to move around so they don’t forget the practical and theoretical knowledge they learned at driving school. But that doesn’t mean just get in the car and drive anywhere. First of all, more training is needed so that newly qualified drivers gain more confidence in driving and are better acquainted with the vehicle’s controls.

Stipulate small goals and gradually increase the degree of difficulty. Training can start by taking the car out and putting it in the garage, then walking around the block and when you feel safer, taking longer and more complex routes.

Studies have reported that very anxious drivers make more driving mistakes, as when they become more tense, they impair their body movements and become distracted. The important thing is to focus and respect each point of the route (traffic lights and mandatory stops, for example) and not leave the house already thinking about all the obstacles you will face until you get to work.

Many newly qualified people find themselves lost because they have to drive a different car than what they learned in driving school. In this way, it is necessary to familiarize yourself and explore the controls and components of the new vehicle that you will now drive. Before taking the car out on the streets, the driver needs to master the use of pedals, have good motor coordination and a sense of the space that his vehicle occupies.

At the beginning, prefer times and addresses with less vehicle flow to practice driving more peacefully. This will help you better understand vehicle operation and traffic rules, away from the stress of chaotic moving cars and impatient drivers.

Choose an experienced driver to accompany you and give you tips on your first few laps or until you feel more confident in traffic. Choose people who are calmer and who motivate you to overcome your failures in driving the vehicle.

In order not to forget the car parked in the garage, take advantage of the opportunities that arise to practice with the vehicle. In that sense, offer to give rides and take your brother to school, for example. With this, it will be possible to acquire more and more experience.

If, even after all efforts, fear and insecurity persist, it may be necessary to seek a qualified driver training instructor. Instructors, in addition to helping drivers to better master the vehicle, can also collaborate indirectly with the psychological, encouraging the driver to have a real perception of the risks of traffic, for example, by showing that going uphill is not as risky as looks.

Taking out auto insurance can make you more relaxed in the event of an accident, because it replaces your property. But this tranquility can also be expensive, because young and single drivers pay more for insurance, since according to statistics and studies analyzed by insurers, they are the ones who are most involved in accidents.

Finally, set “driving” as a goal in your life. According to studies, when we set a goal and a deadline to achieve it, the mind focuses and motivates our behaviors to strive until they achieve the expected result.

It had been less than a week since Carolina Antoniete, from Franca (São Paulo), had received the PPD (also known as provisional license) and decided to take her sister to college. On the way, Carolina entered a roundabout without realizing that on the right side of the street there was a police car that would also be advancing to make the same route.

When she saw the car at the roundabout, Carolina’s reaction was to take her feet off the pedals and put her hands on the steering wheel, but that wasn’t enough to avoid a collision with the police car.

Despite the scare, no one was injured and Carolina did not lose her PPD. She remained calm, treating the incident with good humor. She took the photos at the crash site and posted them on her twitterwithout imagining that the images would go viral so quickly, and give her great visibility on the internet and on TV stations.

Many new drivers feel insecure about putting their hands on the wheel, either for fear of causing accidents or even because they are nervous about the pressure of other drivers who seem to have no patience. To dribble the hostility in traffic, some newly qualified people choose to stick posters and stickers on their cars.

As is the case of Débora Corrêa, who in 2017, became famous on the internet after publishing her testimony on a social network about the difficulties of being an inexperienced driver and ways she found to overcome it. Débora fixed a handwritten sign on the back of her vehicle with the words “I am newly licensed. Thank you for your patience!”. As a result, Débora said that the drivers were more understanding of her and this idea served as an inspiration for other people.

Like Débora, other drivers decided to warn about their debut in traffic. Check out 5 examples below:

While in Brazil the stickers are an individual choice for new drivers, in Japan it is a mandatory item to be affixed to the vehicle, in order to signal that the driver is a newly licensed driver. The sticker is called “Shoshinsha” — popularly known as “wakaba🇧🇷

Know any newly qualified? What is the biggest difficulty he faces on the road? Tell us!