I passed my road test yesterday and was going to the DMV to get my license with my younger brother (who also passed yesterday) and dad. After a 6 year journey and a random 2 year break in the middle of that, thinking I was going to quit forever for years, and being horribly anxious before and during every drive, I decided it was time to try and get my license anyway. So I wasn’t alone yet for this awful drive I just had. But it was my first time using Waze on a new route 30+ minutes away and trying to rely on that rather than my dad. I drove perfectly fine on the way back from the test with my family yesterday, and have never done this bad before.
First, I stalled at a 4 way stop twice, went the wrong way once when looking at the road instead of focusing on Waze (it was a little quiet I guess?) and almost went the wrong way another time before my dad told me. Halfway there, I realized I didn’t have my wallet and we turned around. I grabbed my wallet from my house and left again, but Waze directed me a completely different way (I guess I missed it entirely because my dad was putting in the directions last minute, but still). He tells me after my car is already in the road and angled the wrong way that I actually need to turn right and tells me to reverse. I was in a terrible position to reverse in time and a car was coming so after I froze and panicked, I gassed it and cut the car off (thankfully they didn’t honk so Idk how close it was). At the end of the drive I almost rear ended a car because I was stressed out trying to find the DMV turn. They were turning kinda last minute after braking and even with my 4-5 second following distance, my dad goes “woah”and I had to brake hard, but then he acts like I didn’t just almost kill us or crash or something.
All of my confidence that I finally built up is gone. I have no sense of direction. I feel like a freaking idiot that doesn’t deserve to be on the road because I’ll probably just crash and make critical mistakes 24/7. But my parents think I’m fine and a “good driver” even after today’s drive. Makes no sense. I’m actually terrible, an anxious driver, and danger to the road and everyone around me. This is after 4+ years of experience. Then my brother with less than a year of experience does the drive back perfectly. Now I don’t think I can get a job or go anywhere on my own. Did anyone else make terrible mistakes and eventually get over it and get better? Did you mostly make them because you were nervous or actually bad? Did you crash? How did you stop panicking on the road and when making mistakes?