Almost got into two accidents today, need help on how to move on
Just a vent. I’m (26) still shaken by the fact that I almost costed damages both financial and physical. I don’t have my license. Ive had my permit for only 4 months. I’ve taken driving lessons and now my parents are taking me out to drive. This was with my dad.
First time I was following behind this car, nearly rear ending it before I stopped at the last minute. To paint a better picture, there was a UPS truck parked in the lane so we had to pass it. I was following behind the car I mentioned earlier, it stopped after passing the truck. I was expecting it to move but didn’t notice its hazards before my dad had to tell me before I swerved.
The second time was the worst. I had to make a right turn onto the left turning lane of a main road. My thought process as I got onto the lane was to overtake the car that was coming from the opposite direction. I had the turn light, I didn’t want to lose it, and I knew I had to take it. My dad said to speed up, I floored it instead. For a brief moment I lost control of the car, didn’t realize it til the shock hit and I was horrified when I heard the tires screech. My dad yelled at me, rightfully so. At the speed I was going I wouldn’t have stopped in time to prevent an accident. I was so lucky there weren’t any pedestrians or else things would’ve been a lot worse.
I know this is gonna sound like I’m making excuses but I was running on 4 hours of sleep. I should have said something. But I need to practice every chance I get. I want to get my license. I’m too slow when I drive. I take forever when I make turns and I’m always disrupting the flow of traffic because I can’t read traffic properly. Any tips on how to get over this feeling?