Fear of New Drivers

This is a fun personal story of mine; when I taught my friend to drive.

As many people might know, driving is a treacherous learning experience for both the student and the teacher. You never realize the position that the teacher is in and the fear he experiences until you are that teacher. However, if you are a teacher you are likely an experienced student. I remember seeing and hearing my mom get scared when she taught me to drive, this was expressed through screaming and her hands being thrown up like she could stop the collision with her hands.

            Thankfully, I never got into a serious accident that totaled my car. However, now I find that I am a teacher myself. My friend wished to learn how to drive, so I took him to get his permit. A few nights later, in a parking lot, I sat terrified as the car jerked as he drove around the largely vacated parking lot. During this time, I realized that it is not fun teaching people to drive, it was more frightening than a wild roller coaster. I also realized I do what my mom did and still does, I jumped and was quick to correct him even when the correction may not have been needed.  

            When I drove with my mom, there were some very alarming incidents, and fortunately my friend has done a better job at starting than I did. He and I are very different drivers. When I started, I made friends with the gas, and I was always leaning on it when I panicked. However, I was informed most drivers prefer the brakes, and my friend made very sudden movements to the brakes when he drove. It almost reminded me of the movies when new drivers stop and go very suddenly, making everyone in the car jerk back and forth very violently. Gladly, I would like to say that my friend is fairly comfortable behind the wheel now and it is much easier to sit in the car while he drives.

            However, with driving I remembered a good tip that new drivers don’t usually consider: hug the left. This is because the driver seat has a better view of the left of the vehicle. The drivers also have to become acquainted with seeing the road from the driver’s seat, something that is very different from the passenger seat. I feel that tip helped my friend to begin driving. After being both a student driver and an unprofessional driving instructor, I realize that it is much scarier to teach; I could imagine this is true of more than just driving.

Author's Note

Tear me up, tell me everything that can be improved, but give me the opportunity to correct it on my own. Thank you for reading. (I don't know what category this should fall under)