Getting more comfortable with driving, without driving (a lot)

July 6, 2023 10:27 AM

I live in a place where I generally don't need a car. I got my driver's license as an adult after much badgering from my family, and have literally never gotten behind the wheel since passing my road test. I get by very well in everyday life with transit and biking, but there are rare occasions where I would like to be able to rent a vehicle and drive without it being a huge deal. Is there any way I can get comfortable with driving without literally just driving around a lot?

It just seems like a big waste (of time, money, GHG emissions..) to be puttering around a lot when I don't actually need to be doing so. I bike regularly in traffic so I am quite familiar with the rules of the road, it's really the actual operation of a vehicle that want to get more comfortable with. Is there no way around just putting in a lot of miles? Is there anything I can do to make my practice time more efficient? Any ideas appreciated!

posted by btfreek to Travel & Transportation (22 answers total)

I don't think you need to put in a ton of miles, but moreso need to put in more frequent use. So try to use a car once a week or two, instead of never/once a year or whatever need would dictate.

One way to get more experience without adding any marginal GHG emissions is to ask to drive whenever anyone would pick you up in their car. As a bonus you also get experience with a greater variety of vehicles.

Once you get to a firm baseline, you won't need much driving to keep the skills useful. It's sort of like riding a bike in that way :)
posted by SaltySalticid at 10:38 AM on July 6, 2023 [2 favorites]

I was in your exact situation-- had to learn to drive for a job, didn't use the skill for 3 years, had to build it back up again. Biking is helpful but very different from driving-- for example, in a car, you are actually visible to drivers and they will try not to hit you.

So, the short answer is no. Your best bet is to get a Zipcar membership or similar so you can drive to the grocery store and back or something like that once every couple of weeks to keep your hand in.
posted by blnkfrnk at 10:41 AM on July 6, 2023 [4 favorites]

Honestly I don't think there's a great alternative to actual time spent behind the wheel in traffic on a semi-regular basis, so I'd try to find ways to drive that isn't wasting too much money or putting carbon in the atmosphere that wouldn't already be going there. Are you confident enough that you could offer to drive a friend somewhere in their own car to a destination that they'd otherwise be going to alone?

I'm a full-time cycle commuter and I'd also caution against thinking that you can lean too much on it when driving a car. There's a lot of operating a motor vehicle that's simply muscle memory, and that's obviously very different than being on a bike.
posted by pullayup at 10:49 AM on July 6, 2023 [3 favorites]

Agree that the only way to retain these skills in by doing.

One complimentary thought to that: a lot of driving is muscle memory, as noted previously, and that includes understanding the exterior dimensions of your vehicle and where all the knobs, levers, etc., are in the cockpit. To the extent possible, try to always rent or drive the same make/model of car. If not that, stick to a compact or economy car if you can. Having frequently switched between small and larger cars, there is an additional learning curve to moving to larger vehicles - everything from your new elevation and increased blind spots to the physical dimensions of the thing, to staying under the speed limit in the bigger car. It doesn’t seem to be so pronounced going from big to small. If you drive infrequently, small if your friend.
posted by Silvery Fish at 11:02 AM on July 6, 2023 [4 favorites]

When I started to drive, years ago, I was okay but not to the point where it was natural and relaxed. A friend invited me to come and visit him in another city, about a day and a half away. I got in the car, drove for about eight hours, got lost, slept in the car, woke up early and drove again, and arrived around noon. A week later I drove home. After that I felt competent and I didn't have to plan each movement and consciously pay attention second-by-second.
You can't get good at anything without doing it, and confidence comes with experience. I think a road trip is a really good way to make a solid start on this.
I also don't think that time spent driving around practicing is either a waste or environmentally unethical. You're going to be on the road, and you owe it to your fellow drivers to be good.
A car turned onto my street ten hours ago, missed the turn and wiped out three vehicles, his own, and a stop sign. One of them was a truck with a two hundred gallon gas tank in the bed. A competent driver wouldn't have done that, and the environmental carnage from dealing with and replacing four wrecked vehicles completely overwhelms the gas he'd have burned learning to drive.
posted by AugustusCrunch at 11:17 AM on July 6, 2023 [2 favorites]

You can pay for lessons.
posted by brainwane at 11:24 AM on July 6, 2023 [2 favorites]

Take a road trip! Make it an actual planned vacation and all, so it's not just you driving for the sake of driving. I'd say at least two weeks, and don't plan -too- much; maybe figure you'll camp or find a cheap hotel whenever, so you're not pressed to be at a certain point every day-- you don't want to be driving under stress or fatigue. See the sights, stop off at the Big Ball Of Twine, suddenly take off in a different direction if a place you arrive at seems like it's not as good as you wanted. You can do this with a friend, but it's also fun to do alone.
posted by The otter lady at 11:25 AM on July 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

Yes, you have to drive a car. A video game car isn't gonna cut it.

Back in the day I got a Zipcar account and rented a car for a few hours at a time. It helped to pick somewhere you wanted to go to that you wouldn't be able to do without a car.
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:26 AM on July 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

You have to just do it. There's no substitute for experience. Just like you can't learn to ride a bike by being in a car, you cant learn to drive a car by being on a bike. The experience is completely different. I've been driving since I was a teenager, but both times I've had to do something completely different (in this case, abruptly learn how to drive a stick, and abruptly learn how to drive a huge RV) the best way was to just do a lot of it in a very short time. No amount of watching youtube was going to help, as I quickly found out!

A road trip is a great idea!
posted by cgg at 11:54 AM on July 6, 2023

Being a regular cyclist will make you a better driver because you are just used to having to pay more attention, but there are enough differences that you need to practice in the vehicle, too.

I've had a driver's license for thirty-eight years and owned a car for twenty, but currently, I use a car share and my driving goes in fits and starts. I've gone as long as 3-4 months without driving. I notice the following if I haven't driven in a few months but have been cycling regularly:

- the car accelerates more quickly, so I don't need to leave as much time for a left turn
- my field of vision isn't as great in the car as on a bike and you need the mirrors
- I drive a lot slower since my brain is used to travelling at 15-30km/h. This isn't necessarily appropriate.

I think the road trip ideas are good. If you are renting a car, at least initially try to do it out of the city where parking isn't quite as tricky. Don't turn on music, but do turn on the navigation system. You want to get used to hearing the prompts and trusting that it can recalculate quickly if you miss a turn.
posted by TORunner at 12:01 PM on July 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

Like pullayup said, driving when SOMEONE needs to be driving anyway is a way to get this practice. I would suggest doing a once-weekly restaurant delivery shift, but you'd need your own vehicle for that. Other options can be:

Putting out on social media that anytime friends might want rides to medical appointments, to be dropped off at and picked up from a bar or concerts, etc. in their own car, to call you first.

Look for volunteer gigs that involve driving. Some of the animal rescues near me have vehicles volunteers use to transport dogs and supplies, or you may be able to run errands for a senior citizen in their own vehicle.

Offer to pick up groceries, etc. for your neighbors. Once you're more confident, you can offer to drop their kids off at school for them etc. to keep in practice.
posted by metasarah at 12:04 PM on July 6, 2023

Nthing the zipcar idea. Use it once a month or so to go to Target, etc. out in the suburbs, or on a day trip somewhere (even just to do something in a part of your city that would be hard to get to by bike or transit).

The alternative is to rent a car on a vacation (could be a staycation) and drive it every day. Basically, you want to either drive a LOT in a short amount of time, on a mix of kinds of roads, OR drive regularly over a long period of time. Depending on your personality and how you learn, you probably know which would work better for you.
posted by lunasol at 12:14 PM on July 6, 2023

(Oh, and this is coming from someone who didn't get my license until I was 26. I then had a job for a few months where I had to drive a few hours a day in a mix of city, suburbs, and freeways, and that's when I really learned how to drive. I then had a couple of years when I didn't have a car but regularly used Zipcars to run errands. Between those, I was pretty comfortable behind the wheel by the time I got my first car at 29.)
posted by lunasol at 12:16 PM on July 6, 2023

Blind spots really bothered me for a while -- how do I know that someone didn't trip and fall in front of me while I was looking in the other direction, or that a child isn't crossing, or an animal? To some extent, the answer is simply accepting that this may be the case and proceeding anyway. Of course there are some rare tragedies, but no one blames the drivers in those cases. After driving a while, your simply stop thinking about these things -- and that's when you become comfortable.

Mainly, if you're focused and observant, you're already a better driver than average. Comfort will come with practice.
posted by alexei at 12:29 PM on July 6, 2023 [2 favorites]

Nothing but time in the seat will develop the proprioception a competent driver develops. $19.95 U-Haul truck rental, or zipcar. The U-haul will be more than $20, after gas, em taxes, etc., but may be the least expensive option.
posted by at at 12:36 PM on July 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

I got my licence as a teenager, commuted by car to a summer job and then didn't drive again for about 13 years. Hired a car for a journey I couldn't make by public transport. It came back to me pretty quickly. I found that picking up that hire car at a quiet time of day and just driving it around a little bit was helpful. I also drove with a passenger who gave me confidence.

I would say I'm now an average to below average driver. I own a car because I can afford to even though it's not financially sensible. I drive it once or twice a week most weeks.
posted by plonkee at 1:08 PM on July 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

Just after I got my license my Dad and I drove across the United States. I then didn’t drive at all for five years but when I started again it came back pretty quickly. Now I drive a rental car once a year and there’s always a little adjustment period and then it comes back.

So I would suggest an epic (well, okay, two week) road trip with a trusted copilot and then not worrying about it.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 1:44 PM on July 6, 2023

If you're looking to maximize your learning per mile or learning per hour, I think road trips are *not* your best bet. Driving down an interstate for 3 hours doesn't teach you much. Spending 3 hours driving around a town or city will involve many more lane changes, stops, starts, turns, judgement calls on whether you can fit, checking blind spots, etc.
posted by mrgoldenbrown at 1:51 PM on July 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

I'm teaching my young adult child to drive. This is someone who doesn't get driven or drive very often because of better options by foot, bus, and bike. I don't see any real substitute for driving. Biking helps, for sure, but you have to learn where the car is and how to move it around.

I have tried to combine my kid's lessons with some actual errands that are slightly less convenient by bike or bus, so a visit to a particular store that's not well-served by transit. Another thing to do would be to take a trip to pick up something big (a bunch of toilet paper maybe?) that's awkward to carry otherwise.

Also, it might feel awkward, but could you ask friends to let you drive if they pick you up to go somewhere?
posted by bluedaisy at 1:53 PM on July 6, 2023

Driving down an interstate for 3 hours doesn't teach you much

I had a different experience than that. Hours of simple driving with occasional stops into gas stations left me very comfortable and confident in my control of the car. When I did do city driving I was not distracted by basic car operation while trying to sort out traffic signs. For me having long calm hours was a very important step.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 2:23 PM on July 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

Nthing - you just need experience. Lots of short trips with plenty of turns, stops, and maneuvers more important than miles.

Find an empty parking lot on Sunday morning with clearly delineated parking spaces. Practice pulling in precisely, backing out, etc. Make up your own exercises.

People who come of age in New York City and getting their license there are typically very uncomfortable and scary drivers for a long time. But if they move to the suburbs, soon enough they're driving like a kid from Scarsdale who learned at 16.
posted by Kevin S at 2:43 PM on July 6, 2023 [1 favorite]

Inviting friends that you like to come along with you on weekend picnic day drives to nature (Conservation Areas) is something to consider.
posted by ovvl at 5:22 PM on July 6, 2023 [1 favorite]