Spatial Awareness - Advice Needed!

[Segundus]

Hello - I'm hoping for some practical suggestions on how I can improve my driving. I think that the problem is I do not have good spacial awareness - I really can't tell how big the car is or how much space to leave for it. My husband thinks the problem is that I am indecisive and therefore dangerous. I have very little driving experience, I passed my test over 10 years ago but have only just started driving on the roads. But I am nervous to practice because I simply can't tell how close I am to the kerb, oncoming traffic, a cyclist etc, which has caused some near misses. (Mainly due to the other drivers managing to avoid me.) I have had lessons, I can read the road, I am observant (though obviously I need practice in all these areas) but the thing that really worries me is that I seriously misjudge how much space I am taking up and where I am on the road. It also means I can't park. I have an automatic car with power steering. Has anyone any suggestions on where I should practice? what specifically I need to practice? whether this is likely to be connected with anything else (e.g. do people who think they have problems with spacial awareness also tend towards indecision?!). Any advice welcome

[martine]

Spatial awareness is pretty important but everyone's different in how good they are at it. You were obviously good enough to pass your test (including parking) a while back - has anything changed or is it just lack of practice?

Has your eyesight been checked recently?

You say you've had lessons but is this recently?

How about going to an empty car park and practice parking equidistant in the parking bays? If necessary get out of the car to see how well you've done in judging both side-to-side and front-back.

Do you drive a car that has good visibility of the 'corners' of the car from the driving seat - indeed...is your seat adjusted properly?

Most people are amazed when you tell them if they stretch their hands out sideways, the car is probably only a little wider than your finger tips (unless you drive something really quite large).

[kfae8959]

Hi Segundus, and welcome to the forum.

It sounds to me as if you're just having a bit of trouble getting used to where the corners and edges of your car are. That's not uncommon - I see quite a few drivers out on the road who seem unsure where the nearside of their car is, for example - and it's certainly not impossible to sort out. It categorically doesn't mean you've got a problem with your spatial awareness! If you are indecisive, it may just be because you're lacking some essential information - namely, where your car is on the road - that you need before you can make your decision.

Most drivers gain a better understanding of where the corners of the car are with experience, and it will come for you as you drive more. I can suggest a few ways to encourage that process, and I'm sure others will be along to comment soon, but since it's been quite a few years since you passed your test, I wonder if you'd consider going for a couple of lessons with an ADI just to brush up?

In addition to some time with an instructor, here are a few ideas. First, try to remember to check both door mirrors frequently: the nearside one is especially important but commonly neglected! If you set it to do so, it will give you a view of where your car is relative to the kerb, the row of parked cars, the cyclist, or whatever you're going past at the time.

Secondly, remember to keep your speed down if you think things might be a little tight. It's easier to judge distance at closer to human speeds (by which I mean no faster than running speed) because those are the conditions our eyes have adapted to over thousands of years. They can be trained to work better at faster speeds, but "less space, less pace" is a good guideline for us all.

Thirdly, could you find somewhere off-road to practise, like a supermarket car-park early in the morning? The white lines don't complain if you run over them, so they might be helpful tools for you. There's a caveat, though: car parks can, at times, be very high-risk environments, so choose your place and time!

I hope this helps! Once again, welcome to the forum: I hope you'll continue to contribute.

David