Contrary to what you might believe, driving for an hour isn’t always the best way to learn. In fact, it’s probably better for you to drive for just 10 or 15 minutes at a time. You’ll be able to stay focused, and it’s much easier to isolate your mistakes. Besides, driving is just as much a physical exercise as it is a mental one, so it’s better to have 15 minutes of solid practice than a half an hour of meandering around. If you take 20 minutes to practice driving, you’ll probably end up with terrible shaking, stomping on the brake, and forgetting to check your mirrors. But if you take 15 minutes, you’ll be less likely to form these habits. So don’t feel like you need to take as much time as you can get behind the wheel. You just need to practice until you can perform an action successfully a few times. Then you can call it a day.
Short practice sessions are best done when you focus on a single aspect of driving. If you try to focus on turning, parking, positioning on the road, use of the clutch, and judging traffic, you’ll find yourself unable to do so effectively. Instead, pick one of those things, and base the rest of your drive around it. If you want to practice stopping smoothly, then focus on when you release the gas, when you press the brake, and whether or not the car jerks to a stop. If you want to practice steering, try driving on less busy roads, and pay attention to how your hands move when you turn. This way, you’ll be able to react with less stress. If you try to do too much at once, you’ll just get frustrated. Focus on a single thing, and you’ll find it easier.
One of the best things you can do is simply take a 15 minute block of practice time. Begin by spending a few minutes adjusting your seat, adjusting your mirrors, and just breathing. Then drive on a single, familiar course that isn’t too challenging. Practice a single type of action repeatedly, rather than trying to do everything once or twice. For example, you might want to spend 5 minutes practicing left and right turns at a 4 way stop. Make sure you’re checking your mirrors, speed, and turning properly. Finally, spend a few minutes practicing whatever action you’re worst at, and then stop. Take a minute to think about what you did right and what you did wrong. This will help you learn what you need to work on.
One of the most common problems I see is that people try to drive too fast when they practice, hoping it will help them gain confidence. In reality, this is probably the worst thing you can do. When you try to drive too fast before you’re comfortable, you’ll end up failing to check your mirrors, slamming on the brake, and moving your hands sluggishly. To fix this problem, you simply need to slow down. Approach slower, look where you’re going sooner, and don’t start one action until you’ve finished another. You should always do this when you’re navigating roundabouts, approaching intersections, or parking. It may feel unnatural, but in the long run it’s actually better for you. There’s no sense in trying to drive at high speeds before you’re comfortable. It will just stress you out.
Finally, don’t worry if you have a bad practice session. That doesn’t mean that you should just throw in the towel for the day. Often, you’ll find that there’s a single problem within a problem. Perhaps you’re having trouble with turns because you’re in the wrong lane. Perhaps you’re having trouble parking because you didn’t position yourself correctly. If you find that something’s just not working, try to isolate the problem. Instead of practicing parking, practice just the approach. Instead of practicing an intersection, just practice the approach. That way, you’ll be able to more easily identify the problem, and correct it. Positive Reinforcement
When you’re trying to learn, it’s best to use positive reinforcement. This doesn’t mean you should just praise yourself profusely; it just means you should avoid using negative and judgmental language when you make a mistake. Instead of thinking I’ll never get this right, try thinking I should have stopped braking sooner. Instead of thinking I’ll never be a good driver, try thinking Next time, I’ll check my mirrors before I pull out. Don’t be afraid to carry one or two practices from one day to the next. If you find that you’re having trouble with turning intersections on one day, you might need to practice the same thing the next day. Remember, you’re not just trying to practice. You’re trying to develop muscle memory, and muscle memory only comes through practice and repetition.