Driving and my confidence

Remember my confidence posts?! Well my confidence is/was different when it comes to driving.

I passed my driver’s license pretty late, only by 21 and I also failed for the first time. So as you can imagine I was more of an uncomfortable and not confident driver. It stayed that way when I was at university and only afterwards when I bought a car and started driving to work every day. I had a 1000 Fr. damage pretty early on though, when it came to a side parking situation around rocks and afterwards I smashed one of my side mirrors.

After that I grew more confident every sibgle day and I actually started liking to drive around. Last spring I was in bit of bad luck and both times it wasn’t my fault. The first time it was actually my brother driving, but it wasn’t his fault either. He was a the station and there is always a lot of traffic around the pick up and drop off area. The woman in front of him reversed right into my car, the license plate fell off and at first it didn’t look like more. Then I showed it tot he mechanic and he stold me that they have to exchange the whole front part. Luckily I didn’t have to pay anything. Just a day after I showed it at my car garage, something else happend on the way home from work. The school I work at is up on a mountain and they second part of the drive is passing farms and nature. The roads only have space for one car most of the time. There are certain areas to pull in an wait. Well, I drove and then a car came up with no really area close by. I pulled into the grass, but couldn’t go far, because of a post. Well the car passed and in the end pulled into the road about to early. It was ok, because he was nice and his insurance payed everything. It was a bit embarrassing though to show the mechanic again.

Driving up and down a mountain makes winter really tricky, especially without a four wheel drive. I don’t like driving in the snow and up the mountain it’s even worse, because there is more snow and they don’t clear the roads. So far I’ve been really lucky with the snow though. I either take public transport or my mum’s car.

Then there is the darkness, that’s fine alone. However, darkness combined with rain is horrible and if you add fog to it on a narrow road you’re the clear winner, or not! So in these situations I’m still nervous and tense.

I was really happy with my driving confidence though. I never liked driving backwards, but I had some moments that made my really proud. Like driving up but backwards and getting out of a complicated parking situation by reversing.

And then on a cold November morning this happened: I had a car in front of me getting into the main road. We both stopped, then she started driving and so did I, but she stopped again and then it was already to late. My god I had a shock. Of course it was clearly my fault, but anyway. I was tense and nervous the whole day, couldn’t think of anything else. Driving home was weird, I just didn’t have any confidence anymore. Of course it’s explainable, but still. I went to the garage and the mechanic was able to fix it immediately. That took so much weight off my shoulders. In the beginning I always had the sound of the crash in my head, which is terrible, but time makes you forget.

Now, it’s January. I have gained part of my confidence back, but the insecurity is still there. I’ve had my car for 2 ½ years and a lot of things have happened already. Why always my car?! In the end though, I’m actually grateful that it’s things like this and noting worse. I never got hurt myself, neither have other people in my car or other drivers, that’s the most important thing.

Last but not least, there is something else. Everyday while driving around I meet different drivers, some are crazy, some are slow and some are just stupid. I think I’d even be able to write a book about all these experiences and it wouldn’t be boring at all.