Driving..First time...?

Question

I have had my license for at least 4 months..today finally my dad let me drive on the expressway.. to pick up my mom in Miami Beach..we live in south miami..so i had to take the expressway.. i was so nervous! and my dad makes me even more nervous..i wanted to know what i should do about using the mirrors..i am so afraid of changing lanes because i dont want to get rear ended..if i have my signals, and start turning will the people behind me let me? Also, when i am merging how do i get the people let me through..merging is also hard for me because people won't let you through i have no choice but to force my way through regardless..and what is a safe speed..cuz my dad complains when i go to slow and when i go to fast..any advice of how to get over my nervousness (my heart beats like crazy) i am afraid of getting into an accident..

Answer 1

Experience, these are all thing you are going to learn with experience.  Untill you start to feel safer and develope more accomplished driving skills when you are on the expressway stay in the right lanes and if you have to move over to take a left exit or so just plan in your mind well in advance what you are doing and look for the traffic and when it is clear signal and go.  Use your mirrors, it is the only true way to see what you need to see, looking over your shoulder can cause you to forget and or not be aware of your front, also be aware of your blind spots.  As far as spped the general rule when you are on the expess way is to keep up with the flow of traffic, but if the majority of the people are driving like maniacs (and I know in South Florida that is common) don't be embarrassed or hesitant to drive at a speed you are comfortable with.  I know you have to learn it sometime, but I think I would wait until I had some more time under my belt driving before I ventured out on the free way, esp there in the Miami area as in all major metropolitan areas.  Good luck, stay safe and don't worry about your parents, their nervous for you, for themselves, and def for the pocketbooks if something was to happen...lol.

Answer 2

Just take your time and stay calm..it'll all work out.

Answer 3

Ride a motorcycle for a year,If you survive youll be a crackerjack auto driver.

Answer 4

OK good questions.

First adjust your mirrors so you can see down the side of the car and outward.

Second, Turn signals do not give  you any rights, it lets people know you want to or need to change lanes. NEVER assume they can see your turn signal.

Third and this is very important. You can NOT see if the turn signals on the car next to you are on or off if you are right next to it. NOR can other drivers.  The car behind you at least 15 feet has the best chance of seeing your signals, no one closer.

Last match speeds with the cars you need to merge with, driving like a maverick bull will make other drivers panic then you have to guess what they are going to do.

Yes some people are self centered and cut all people off including people who need to change lanes, but keep in mind most people are not paying attention and just do not see you. Hopefully the next driver in line will give you a break. Generally if you drive friendly most people will return the favor, and those who do not still have to go home and be someone elses problem.

Answer 5

First you signal, then you wait for a big enough gap in the cars in the other lane.  Once you have a big enough gap, you move in.  

It takes a LOT of practice.  Don't worry if you don't get it the first few weeks.

Answer 6

Sometime you have to force your way into other lanes - but here are some tricks if you're in a traffic jam or something: Look for the large 18-wheeler trucks. They can't accelerate as fast as a smaller vehicle, so they usually let people in front of them. They are good at forcing their way into another lane, too. If you are behind a truck, you can follow them when they change lanes. Be very careful, though. Also look for exiting cars, if you need to merge right. When a car exits you can merge into the open spot.

Don't rely on mirrors to change lanes. Always do a shoulder check - i. e. look over your shoulder to check the 8 o'clock and 4 o'clock positions. These are easy to miss in a mirror.

As for the speed, I think the ideal speed is 10 to 15 mph over the speed limit - maximum 20 over (only if you're over-taking). Go with the flow of the traffic, but anything over 20 and you're a good candidate for a ticket.

More important than the speed, however, is the distance from the car ahead of you. You should always maintain enough distance to give yourself room to react and brake in case of an emergency. The general rule is one car-length for every 10 mph. Six car-lengths if you're going 60 mph, seven car-lengths if you're going 70, and so on. If you're not good at gaging distances, another way to do it, is to count two seconds. Pick a road sign - count from the moment the car ahead of your passes under it, and see how long it take you to pass under the same sign. If it's over two seconds, you're doing well.

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EDIT: You're father is mistaken. You can't rely solely on mirrors - and you could fail the driver's test if you don't do a shoulder check. Your driver's manual will probably say something about shoulder-checking, and you can show that to your father. He is right, however, that you risk colliding with the person in front of you. That is another reason it is important to maintain at least a two-second distance from the car ahead of you.

Take a look at the links below. The first one (Massachusetts) says, "Check your mirrors and check over your shoulder to view blind spot." The second one (California) says, "Glance over your left or right shoulder to make sure the lane you want is clear." Show these links to your father.

Answer 7

Your dad is an idiot.  You can glance back if you're aware of what is in front of you.  Nothing is going to magically appear in front of you.  You're SUPPOSED to check your blind spots occasionally.  That said...don't rely on turning your head to see what is behind you.  That's what mirrors are for.

As for whether people will respect turn signals, that varies from place to place and person to person.  In West Texas, I find that people usually do let you merge.  In California, the standard response to a turn signal in front of you is to floor it.  All you can do is either wait for them to pass you if traffic is light, or cut them off if it isn't.  If they rear-end you, that is THEIR fault, and the insurance claim will generally reflect that.  They'll get cited, they'll get points, and THEIR insurance will pay for the damage.  (Assuming they have insurance.)

Be attentive, but don't be nervous, and don't EVER freak out.  If you panic about anything you are ensuring something will go wrong, because you will not react appropriately to changing conditions.  Just know what's in front of you, know what's behind you, know how fast you're going in what direction and how fast they're going in what direction.  

Actually, I'd highly recommend you take either a physics or pre-calculus class that includes vector math.  I'm not suggesting you rigorously calculate the trajectory of every object on or around the road.  But if you learn to visualize everything as vectors, you will be MUCH better able to predict what will be where, intuitively.  Thoroughly absorb that math, and it will change your way of thinking, and make you a better driver.

Answer 8

well, first you need to drive more. i had my license when i was 16 but never drove until i was 21 and moved out on my own. i really didnt have  a choice. i used to have severe anxiety that turned into panic attacks when i drove so i stayed away from driving (worst mistake ever) the more you drive the better and safer driver you will be. i know how you feel about the merging. i still sometimes get the merging anxiety. next time you go out driving go with your mom or another adult and then you will be able to see if its your dad thats making you scared.

good luck! :) youll get through it, if i did anyone can

Answer 9

Drive at a speed you are comfortable with,   tell your dad he's making you nervous.

Leave lots of following room.    You are right to check over your shoulder before moving over or merging,   mirrors don't show the blind spots.

The proper sequence is to signal,  and let it blink about 5 times.   If someone is going to make you room,  it would have happened by now.  Then,  check blind spot and mirrors again,  move over.