The fear of driving on freeways/highways is one of the most commonly feared driving situations.
Many drivers cite reasons such as difficulty in merging into freeways, the need to travel at high speeds and the feeling of being trapped as their top concerns when driving on freeways.
Here are a few tips to help drivers overcome their driving fears: Merging Into Freeways The very first thing to do is to gauge the speed of the traffic.
Once you ascertain the traffic speed, give signal in advance to show that you are about to merge into the freeways.
Get on the ramp and accelerate to the speed of the traffic, DO NOT slow down when you are getting to the end of the ramp (unless the traffic is also slowing down).
Quickly scan for an empty gap, glance again to check blind spots and for approaching cars, and quickly move in if everything is clear.
Most importantly, do not hesitate while you are on the road.
Do not obsess and keep checking...
slow down a bit...
recheck again...
slow down a bit more...
check again...
DON'T DO THAT! Once it is safe, move in - don't hesitate! Don't Force Yourself To Drive Fast There is no rule that states that you MUST drive fast on freeways/highways.
If you are not used to driving fast, keep to the right-hand lane and drive at your own pace.
There is absolutely no reason for you to floor the acceleration pedal and zoom down the freeway at top speed.
Let go of yourself and quit rushing yourself...
there is no need to drive fast...
honest! Learn To Look Around One of the most common mistakes is the tendency to focus only on what is directly in front of them.
That is the wrong way to go about driving.
I'll cite walking and cycling as an example: When you are walking down the street, do you stare DIRECTLY at what is in front of you? No, you look AROUND you! You look left, look right...
you look around you.
Same thing with cycling.
Do you cycle and focus only on what is in front? No, you look AROUND you! You look at your surroundings, you watch out for walking pedestrians, you enjoy the scenery around you.
Why should driving be any different? Look around you and keep track of your surroundings.
Look at the side-mirrors, look at the rear-view mirror, and look at what is happening AROUND you.
Don't worry about the detail - just LOOK! You will be surprise that you will learn a lot just by looking around: a truck ahead, a car trying to cut into your lane, etc.
You will be aware of these events and you will have more time to react to them.