Following on in our series of articles specifically about anxious drivers, we will now take a look at driving in busy towns, such as Newbury, and large cities. This type of driving especially in an area you don’t know can cause drivers, especially new drivers, to feel stressed.
There are a number of things you can do to help yourself. Using a “sat nav” or the maps on your phone can help you navigate your way around busy and unfamiliar streets. A good idea is to make sure you always have a charger in the car in case the “sat nav” or phone start to run out of battery.
You can use road signs to help you, however this can be difficult to do and drive safely at the same time. If you have a passenger they can help you to read road signs and road markings to help you with navigation.
Allow plenty of time for your journey. If the journey is supposed to take 1 hour, why not allow yourself 1 and a half hours. This will allow for any wrong turns you may take and any extra traffic that you weren’t expecting.
You can take some extra lessons with your instructor. When people learn to drive they tend to spend most if not all of their time in the area where they live or, if different, the area where they will take their driving test. A good idea is to have some lessons in a town or city you don’t know. Try driving to a fixed location or landmark by reading road signs and try another time by using sat nav. The skills for the two are different and it’s a good idea to get good at both.