[erure]

Hello -

I'm 19 years old and a freshman in college... My parents are getting me a car by the end of June and they decided to get me a 2007 Acura TSX. I'm really excited about getting a car and driving and all but I'm really scared that I'll hit something (or someone ).

I think it's mostly self confidence issues, since I passed my driver's test last year with a perfect score... It's just that the driving teacher I had was pretty terrible -- he would yell at me and tell me that I'm stupid when I make mistakes =_=;; Plus I drove my brother's new car (2006 Honda Civic coupe) and I accidentally ran into a curb -- my brother yelled at me for 5 minutes T-T

So are there any driving tips so that I can drive well? I've actually yet to drive all by myself in the car My brother has a new car so he won't let me drive it and my parents drive Lexuses so they won't let me near their cars which basically means a serious lack of driving experience for me ._.

Things I'm worried about:
- PARKING
- turning corners
- going on the highway =_=;;

Thank you >_<

[extrapetite]

when you are going to turn make sure you get to 20mph... when parking make sure you go wide then turn in (kinda hard to explain in words)..... but above all else you just gotta drive by yourself A LOT... i was scared of driving too, until i drove to school by myself and made it there without any accidents

[FusionGT2]

Get your miles in. Practice practice practice. And try not to get nervous. When you do something long enough, it'll become second nature. Just remember to be aware of all your surroundings and signs and USE YOUR TURN SIGNALS. Ok I probably sound like your driving instructor now.

[AChan10]

yeah you just have to get used to the car by practicing... its all about being relaxed when you're driving, but also alert and aware!

[lilpucal0v3r]

you passed your driver's test with a perfect score? you should be fine then! i have yet to be behind the wheel, and im elgiable to take my license test super soon. drive safetly =]

[Stevent]

i wish i had the money to get a tsx

[FusionGT2]

you passed your driver's test with a perfect score? you should be fine then! i have yet to be behind the wheel, and im elgiable to take my license test super soon. drive safetly =]

I got a 98 on my test and in a month got into an accident hah. Never compare a test to real life applications

[taoh]

I've been told by someone that statistics shows those who get really good scores on their road test are more likely to soon get into accidents or traffic violations.

Hey, nine years ago I barely passed my road test with a score of 75 (fail was below 70) and have yet to have gotten pulled over or been in any traffic incidents. When I was still a rookie, I had dozens of close calls and made several mistakes without getting caught, so luck was on my side as well. After several years on the road, I can say I'm pretty good at driving but I do have trust issues with other drivers on the road and sometimes lack confidence when I'm in unfamiliar territory. I also tend to not trust myself and have to double check my mirrors or take another look to my side when I change lanes.

Experience will teach you a lot and I think if you know someone who is really good at driving, has several years under their belt, does not blow up into panic outbursts when you make mistakes while driving, is patient and really good at instructing or giving advice without fear of insulting you, then you might have someone to help you start off.

One advice for freeway driving is to use the onramps to speedup and match the speed of traffic. Don't wait until you are on the freeway to speed up, anyone who will be behind you is going to have to slow down and they will get mad at you. Think of onramps like runways for aircraft, you have to open up the throttle so that you can quickly speedup for take off, then reduce throttle to maintain cruising speed. While doing this, you also have to watch traffic and find a gap where you can get your car into; you might have to slow down or speed up a little to compensate. When on the freeways, maintain a good 3 second distance behind the car you're following so you have enough time to brake and evade should something happen on the road.

With turning corners, you really just have to get a feel for the car's response when you turn the steering wheel and only turn enough to get through the corners. Too much or too little turning will force you into making sudden corrections. You should slow down before going into corners, but don't slow down to a turtle's pace.

There's too many variables for parking, but one thing I can tell you now is if you're in a parking lot, don't park so close to the car next to you that the occupants of the other car won't be able to get into their car because they can't open their doors. You'll also be in for a cosmetic surprise when you come back to your car.

[ZiGeNX77]

Wow that is an interesting piece of information taoh. I got a 70 on my test, and I've been driving without any at-fault accidents or tickets. But that is another topic....

Minji, I have advice for driving. Don't be afraid to get out of the car and see the distance you are from anything around you. For instance check the curb when parking, check those parking bumps, check poles, etc. Also compare it with the mirror at the same time. After a while things will come more easy to you after you get familiar with them. Checking these things will also help you with turning as well. Highway tips... drive in the slow lane until you get used to driving. Stay on the speed limit, signal always, change lanes slowly, and leave a good distance between you and the car in front of you.

[ieatpho]

sniped

Very good advices.

[babii_gurl]

yea just drive around..lol
all my sneaking out helped me out a lot to my driving..xD lol

[SaberX]

haha yeah just drive around and pray really Lolz. I've come to alot of close encounters, all come down to experience failing haha or perhaps a slack day in judgement. ALways use indicators Lolz, at least if you get into accident if you didnt put your indicator then you'll get your ass kicked and blamed

lOlz some things are unavoidable. I had to pay the security guard to park in an open carkpark(at night) near a nightclub, checked rear no car, hit it into reverse started reversing, loud crkkkkk, drove off, lolz friends are like "omg you hit someone" and i was like wtf?! haha got down turned out to be a done up skyline *heart about to burst* thank god nothing on the front. Dont know if i reversed/just stopped on her license plate looked sorta bent. But thank god no scratches, relunctantly got the thumbs up after sayign sorry phew.

If it was an old banged up car it wouldnt' have been so bad. So i would advise you to be exceptionally careful around expensive cars HAHA. Remember if you have to hit a civic or a mercedes hit the civic! LOL, and get insurance.

I wouldn't be too happy in your situation either. Lexus etc, puts pressure on you i guess. Atm i peddle to the medal in my toyota camry, still scares crap outta me having to look after it, but if i was in a merc I wouldn't do some of the things i do currently

anyway be fearless lolz, I change lanes on the freeway as fast as I can, you have to be that bit aggressive etc in rush time, and i've only been driving since the start of this year. Becuase if you don't you'll get scared of changing lanes in bumper to bumper traffice when pplz are speeding up to close gaps, weaving betweenlanes and you'll find you'll miss out on that extra bit of confidence.

TBH driving by yourself all the first few times is more about taking minor risks to improve your driving and pray that nothign bad happens. Once you get through the first few months then phewwwwww. Also I reckon drive by yourself not with other pplz. TBH i worry too mucha bout passenger comfort, what they think etc while i have passengers. By myself i pump up the techno and pedal to the medal and I reckon i've had less close calls that way. hehe also no embarrassment if you stuff up since no ones there to see it MUHaha.

[joonage]

I got a 98 on my test and in a month got into an accident hah. Never compare a test to real life applications

Yup ... I Agree ...

I rear ended someone while I had my permit ... xD

But I still got a 96. lol

[youre sexy <3]

try not to rely on your mirrors too much...
i have a problem with that...i HATE turning around to look and stuff...so i always use my mirrors..err.

[Kiribati]

Some good advice is to memorize your surroundings, like remember which car was where and that way it's easier for you to know where you are in the lane and stuff. I don't know if you get it but yea...

Freeway or not, it helps to keep track of where the other cars are, just for changing lanes and stuff. BUT I'm not saying not to check your blind spots every time to change lanes or something.

[BoAFreakVer.300]

xp is the only way your gonna get better and be more confident. each car require different precision and handling so its sort of hard to understand all the quirks and tweaks w/o regular usage. always scan the road ahead of you and take a quick look ahead, then at the mirrors, then over your shoulders at your blind side before changing lanes. give your car plenty of room and time when driving and dont mind the idiots honking, i rather live than get to my destination 15 secs faster. i would suggest getting an used car so your not always so stressed out and paranoid that you will dmg the car. you can also just take driver training, defensive driving and such to learn to be a better driver.

also i got a perfect score on the written and driving exam and i have yet to have an accident or ticket in the 5+ years i have been driving. i drive a highly modified car and i think my safety as a driver is cuz my mentality to kept this car in good condition cuz of the hard work and money i put in to it.

[Mentos]

Don't weave through traffic T.T
No tailgating.
Try not to go more than 5 mph over the speed limit.
And if by chance you're speeding with a bunch of cars and their switching lanes like crazy, then check your rear mirror. The car that can be weaving behind COULD be a highway patrol car or the police T_____________________T.

[GooNiEGooGoo]

a freeway on ramp means "go faster"

[cand33clouds]

um... always check when you change lanes
watch for crazy pedestrians
sometimes, the speed limit on off ramps are too slow. if you follow these, someone may rear end you
slow down on turns
park carefully
go faster on on ramps
phone and driving do not mix

basically, you just have to practice a lot...

[heyitsjosie]

try not to rely on your mirrors too much...
i have a problem with that...i HATE turning around to look and stuff...so i always use my mirrors..err.

this is actually a good tip lol

for the first 5 months or so that i owned my car the driver side mirror was broken so i had to look back.

for parking:
if you're really nervous try parking a farther in spots that have more empty spaces. just go slow so you dont go too forward and hit the stone bump thing or someone elses car. also what i did to practice reverse parking was practicing in far away spots. did it every time i could and now i can do it like a pro lol XD

for turning corners:
i noticed a lot of people (esp. new drivers) like to do the right turns right as the people that are going Straight (toward the same place people turn right go) go straight. just wait a bit.. does that make sense? lol.. i hope so. also there is nothing wrong with waiting until it's green to make a right turn. go slow until you're used to your car.

high way:
start out in the right side at a speed you're comfortable with. get to a comfy speed and just coast it. the faster you go the more gas you waste so dont waste your gas because you want to drive 90+.

also: PLEASE USE YOUR SIGNAL LIGHTS!

I can't stress this enough. There is nothing I hate more then some dumb jerk going into my lane without using their signals when there is not much clearance. plus if you ever get in a fender bender and you used your lights..... thats a good thing lol