Street Phobia

[don03]

Ive been driving for a while.. but still im scared to speedup.. also i feel like ill knock a car from behind in traffic jams. guess i have a problem with balancing the pedals. any advices to get rid of this stupidity & to take it to the roads like a pro?

P.S. Yeah i know its kind of funny & i feel a bit amateurish now!

[Watchman]

Have you tried going to a learners' school?

[don03]

Have you tried going to a learners' school?

The license is 7 years old , but im thinking of taking few lessons again

[heavyD]

If you're scared, don't drive. No point putting other people at risk.

If you have a problem with the pedals, well, learn. Take you car to a deserted road and practice.

Edited June 20, 2011 by Big_D

[nexus]

The license is 7 years old , but im thinking of taking few lessons again

what is your transmission type of you vehicle manual gear one or automatic gear one?.

[Watchman]

The license is 7 years old , but im thinking of taking few lessons again

Well, clearly being able to drive and possessing a license are two completely different things. And you're not the first person to have one and not the other in Sri Lanka.

But yeah, a driving school or a friend/relative (with a lot of patience) would be able to help you. But for everyone's well-being try to find an unpopulated open area first.

[don03]

what is your transmission type of you vehicle manual gear one or automatic gear one?.

MT

[jdnet]

Sell your car., Take the bus. Clearly, if you need to create this thread you should not be driving at all. I can picture an old housewife in a maruti right now.

Edited June 20, 2011 by jdnet

[MasterDon]

Learners school will do you no good.May I suggest a couple of long drives around colombo with a friend/relative whos a good driver,It'd be even better if he's a pro racing driver.Observe his gear shifts,lane changes,braking etc etc very closely.Learn to anticipate and predict the behaviour of other drivers and pedestrians.

If the above fails,consult a Psychologist.These phobias are cure-able.

[MkX]

Take ur vehicle to a ground or some where you can drive freely and get used to pedals and stuff.

[Pericles]

Its all a matter of confidence. And that will come with practice.

I suggest you try a few sessions of carting. For one thing, you'll feel its pretty fast, but really, its pretty slow. For another, it'll help you get co-ordinated with your pedal work and steering work.

[nexus]

MT

if none of these methods able to cure your phobia there is a simple way to cure your phobia is sell your car and buy a automatic gear car.

[Schiffer]

ok mate..

the way i see it.. you are still not familiar with the braking distance of your vehicle.

go for an empty street or a clear road and drive on different speeds and check how long it takes to break in all the different speeds.

and then you'll know when to brake.. at what speed at what place...

you have to get more familiar with your car.. then you can build up your confidence..

and if all's not gonna work.. sell it and buy an AT or a driver.. or buy a prius. you'll NEVER go fast

[heavyD]

I suggest you try a few sessions of carting. For one thing, you'll feel its pretty fast, but really, its pretty slow. For another, it'll help you get co-ordinated with your pedal work and steering work.

Let's hope he doesn't press the clutch when he wants to brake.

[Pericles]

Let's hope he doesn't press the clutch when he wants to brake.

No clutch to get confused with Thats why I said it.

That said, I was there one day when a kid coming into the pits mixed up his brakes and throttle, musta been about 10. The guy working in the pits had to play leapfrog with the car, just avoided crushing his nuts on the kid's helmet. Quick thinking on his part.

[AbeysinghE]

Ive been driving for a while.. but still im scared to speedup.. also i feel like ill knock a car from behind in traffic jams. guess i have a problem with balancing the pedals. any advices to get rid of this stupidity & to take it to the roads like a pro?

P.S. Yeah i know its kind of funny & i feel a bit amateurish now!

May be manual transmission of your vehicle is one reason for this,try to change your car to Automatic one first,If this is also not solving your problem I suggest you to meet a psychiatrist and explain clearly about it,I know one person who was having a same phobia as you,now he's alright after consulting a psychiatrist

[heavyD]

No clutch to get confused with Thats why I said it.

I know, I meant him getting used to the cart pedals and then going to a car.

[CyRaX]

My mom had the same problem,but after some runs in the nugegoda area,she's good.....Practise is all you could do

[VVTi]

Ive been driving for a while.. but still im scared to speedup.. also i feel like ill knock a car from behind in traffic jams. guess i have a problem with balancing the pedals. any advices to get rid of this stupidity & to take it to the roads like a pro?

P.S. Yeah i know its kind of funny & i feel a bit amateurish now!

As much as I find your post annoying, I have been where you are 18 years ago. But then we had less cars on the roads and less idiots.

My advise is, go to a secluded place, become one with the car. Learn its limitations. Get used to the car. Drive around in an open area like you own it. Learn to have as much control as you can over your car before you get on the road.

I was blessed with a few friends who let me practice on their cars on empty patches behind the parliament those days and by the time I got my license, clutch balancing and control of the car became 2nd nature. Not that you will ever be a perfect driver. I mess up too sometimes, but the main thing is to be confident.

Good luck and be safe... and a courteous to other road users.

[MasterDon]

Furthermore.If you want to practice clutch balancing,put the car on a steep incline in first gear and try to keep it stationary for long as possible using only the clutch and the accelerator peddles.Now this will have some wear on the clutch but it is better(and cheaper) than ramming in to some poor guys' arse coz you slipped your clutch

[TheClutch]

practice,practice and practice....but remember fear is good to have, u will never put the other person at risk if u fear to drive fast..if u feel u r going to knock the front vehicle use the brakes even if there enough room to go dont go if u are not comfortable with the space, drive with patient u'll get the confident...no point in sell ur manual and switch to a auto,, shifting gear is something like eating and drinking...even in a full dark place u can eat as normal nah..or u are going to say u cant find ur mouth because of the darkness...going to the driving lessons will make no change they cant rid ur fear they can only teach u how to move ur vehicle and use the steering finally jus dont follow the others and never rush..in the end its u and ur car

[Kavvz]

Ive been driving for a while.. but still im scared to speedup.. also i feel like ill knock a car from behind in traffic jams. guess i have a problem with balancing the pedals. any advices to get rid of this stupidity & to take it to the roads like a pro?

P.S. Yeah i know its kind of funny & i feel a bit amateurish now!

Drive (on a trip) outstation with your dad. The relatively low traffic levels and the presence of of you pater in the front seat will probably set you straight by the end of the journey

[Sylvi]

Members,

Years ago I used a Vehicle I had a problem with the Brake peddle every time I use the brake I have to lift the foot to brake the speed of the Vehicle once I crashed into a vehicle in front of me although I had braking distance.

I did the damage to the other Vehicle on my account as it was my fault.

Finaly I lovered the brake paddle to be in line with the accelarator paddle problem was solved I never lifted the leg to brake the speed of the vehehicle.

For example you can notice all three wheeler drivers have to lift their leg to brake the speed of the three wheeler. The brake paddle is not able to operate when your foot is on the foot board of the three wheeler I have a Bajaj

Three wheeler which I have lovered the paddle by welding a shaft so that withot lifting the leg brake paddle can be operated. I do not drive that my workers do drive same are happy with that.

May be the topic startes problem brake paddle is not in line with the accelarator paddle.

Moct vehicles have the paddles in line some do not have this.

If the paddles are in line so that you need not have to lift your leg to operate the two paddles.

Above is my experience about the topic.

Sylvi Wijesinghe.

[Watchman]

practice,practice and practice....but remember fear is good to have, u will never put the other person at risk if u fear to drive fast..if u feel u r going to knock the front vehicle use the brakes even if there enough room to go dont go if u are not comfortable with the space, drive with patient u'll get the confident...no point in sell ur manual and switch to a auto,, shifting gear is something like eating and drinking...even in a full dark place u can eat as normal nah..or u are going to say u cant find ur mouth because of the darkness...going to the driving lessons will make no change they cant rid ur fear they can only teach u how to move ur vehicle and use the steering finally jus dont follow the others and never rush..in the end its u and ur car

uuuhhh... i disagree with you machang..

1- Just cos you drive fast doesnt mean you'll run into someone. And just cos you drive slow doesnt mean you wont. And being scared isnt helping. You have to be comfortable with driving fast. If you're scared, the moment the guy in front of you brakes or someone crosses the road in front of you, you're going to panic and end up doing something bad.

2- driving doesnt come as naturally to everyone. And that goes for clutch balance too. Its not like eating or drinking...it's more like swimming, if you cant you cant. and throwing that person in the water isnt going to teach him to swim.

3- and the stuff about driving schools is BS. IF they can teach you to drive a car or "move a car and use the steering" as you put it that will help the OP, dont you think?

Frankly your last line totally explains you on the road. You're the dude who drives in the middle of the road at 20kmph cos its "you and your car" giving no consideration for other road users who are inconvenienced by your selfish driving style.

[luckey007]

Members,

Years ago I used a Vehicle I had a problem with the Brake peddle every time I use the brake I have to lift the foot to brake the speed of the Vehicle once I crashed into a vehicle in front of me although I had braking distance.

I did the damage to the other Vehicle on my account as it was my fault.

Finaly I lovered the brake paddle to be in line with the accelarator paddle problem was solved I never lifted the leg to brake the speed of the vehehicle.

For example you can notice all three wheeler drivers have to lift their leg to brake the speed of the three wheeler. The brake paddle is not able to operate when your foot is on the foot board of the three wheeler I have a Bajaj

Three wheeler which I have lovered the paddle by welding a shaft so that withot lifting the leg brake paddle can be operated. I do not drive that my workers do drive same are happy with that.

May be the topic startes problem brake paddle is not in line with the accelarator paddle.

Moct vehicles have the paddles in line some do not have this.

If the paddles are in line so that you need not have to lift your leg to operate the two paddles.

Above is my experience about the topic.

Sylvi Wijesinghe.

I do think this in opposite. When both paddles are on same level you may mistaken the peddles. Lifting the leg for brake paddle is helpful to me for not mistaking the paddle specially in the panic situations.