How do I regain confidence after an incident?
Posted by MrFox652@reddit | driving | View on Reddit | 2 comments
I’m a new driver and a couple weeks ago I had a rather unpleasant experience on the road, while it wasn't that crazy and there wasn't any significant damage, it still shook me up. I put on my turn signal to go right on an intersection, there was a car in front of me that hasn't put their turn signal on, probably overshooting the right turn and getting in my way. They stood in the middle of the road for a few seconds with a small gap to where I was going to turn to which I didn't want to squeeze into yet since it wasn’t that large. They then started reversing. I was stationary behind them, got startled a bit started reversing as fast as I could but ultimately they tapped my car, scratching some of the paint, a bit of the front grille and and damaging a little plastic panel around the right fog light. We then passed the intersection stopping on the side of the road to exchange insurance details. (Everything has been taken care of which I’m glad is so) The driver was very calm and apologetic about the whole situation, unlike me who was rather shook up from the whole thing since I’ve never been in such situation. I feel like I’ve lost a lot of confidence, a part of that I think stemming from the fact the car actually belongs to my father who borrowed it to me that day with another factor being that it was totally preventable! Do you have any tips how to regain confidence? Is there anything I could have done better? I hadn't honked at the driver, just started reversing.
Blue8Evan@reddit
You did great. Your first accident is gonna shake you up, no matter how big or small it is. You did everything right, but the other driver still messed up, so don't hold yourself accountable for that. Someone reversing into you isn't your fault. If you had to see into the future to avoid an accident, it's not your fault.
For all the first accidents you could've had, this is probably the best one. Now you know how it feels, and how the process goes. If (big if there) you ever get in another one, you won't be nearly as shaky as you would if it were your first.
Get out on the road when you need to. Take things slow, drive on less busy roads if you can help it, you'll get your confidence back. Your car isn't that damaged, the other guy's insurance should pay for everything, you'll get it back in a week better than it was before, and you'll have a nice story to tell people.
NefariousnessFew4354@reddit
It's not easy but best advice is to keep driving and learning from the experience. The more you wait getting behind the wheel the worse it gets. Accidents happen unfortunately, thankfully it wasn't bad and everyone is ok. They make you better driver.
PS. Having anxiety, less confidence is absolutely normal. Specially for a new driver.