Nervous about driving? What actually helps

You’re not the only one

Words like anxious, nervous and test anxiety come up again and again in Mrs. Akbar’s reviews, usually from people who went on to pass.

Before you drive

• Eat, sleep and give yourself time. Rushing to a lesson or a test starts the drive with your heart already racing.
• Set the car up properly. Seat, mirrors and steering wheel adjusted before you move. Feeling in control of the car is half the battle.
• Know the plan. Ask where you’re going and what you’ll practise. Surprises are what make nervous drivers tense.

While you’re driving

• Breathe slowly at stops. Four seconds in, four seconds out, at red lights.
• Talk it through. Saying what you see (“light’s turning, car pulling out on the right”) keeps your attention on the road instead of on the worry.
• Look far ahead. Staring at the bumper in front makes everything feel faster. Looking further up the road gives you more time.
• Pull over when you need to. Find somewhere safe, stop and reset. That’s good driving, not failure.

Build up in layers

1. Quiet streets and empty parking lots
2. Residential streets with a bit of traffic
3. Busier roads with traffic lights and turning lanes
4. Faster roads, then the highway

Move to the next layer when the current one feels a little boring. Boring means your brain has stopped treating it as a threat.

When the fear is about something specific

Left turns

While you wait to turn left across traffic, keep your wheels pointing straight ahead until it’s clear. If someone hits you from behind, straight wheels won’t push you into oncoming traffic.

Merging

The scary part is usually going too slowly. Use the whole ramp to get up to speed; the G road test guide walks through it.

Parking

It’s a method, not a talent. The parallel parking guide breaks it into steps.

Roundabouts

They run on one rule: traffic already in the roundabout goes first. Start with single-lane ones, and read the roundabout guide before trying two-lane ones.

Test-day nerves

Practise in test conditions: someone giving directions without warning, no backup camera, and the full routine of mirror, signal and shoulder check. A lesson close to the test can help too.

If anxiety about driving is affecting your day-to-day life, it’s worth mentioning to your doctor as well. That’s a normal thing to do.