by kfae8959 » Sat Nov 28, 2009 9:01 pm
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
"A man's life in these parts often depends on a mere scrap of information"