First time driving on the road and I am still freaking out?

I'm a parent and grandparent, but your question brought back memories of how scared I was when I started driving. And the fact that I weaved back-and-forth in the road some. (As you gain experience you learn not to try to keep it perfectly straight - so you do less corrections and it becomes less weaving)

My dad had been a professional long-distance truck driver, and he was going to have none of that.

Just tell your Mom that you understand her wanting you in the big safe, SUV (not always the case - on icy roads SUVs are bad. In snow, they are good - but not on ice.)

Tell her right now, your main concern is not being too close to the lines (left-side and right-side) and you would like a little experience driving a smaller car before trying to thread the lines while driving a big SUV.

Also, start noticing when there is less traffic in your locale. Or places where there is less traffic. Get your Mom, or Dad, to go with you to those places a couple of times so you can get some experience / practice driving. Get used to driving in the day-time before trying after dark.

In my case. on Sunday in my small town (population 8,000) - the downtown area was dead - very few cars. So my parents would go with me and I drove thru the town.

Also, it seems most SUV drivers are women who believe that the bigger the vehicle the safer they are. I do not believe this is true, but I woud not recommend you argue with your Mom over this. A lot depends on the driver and their knowledge of how to drive in bad weather.

Back on January 19, (my birthday) 2006, my wife and I took a 2 lane back road to our townhouse here in Richmond, VA. It had started snowing and people stopped in the road because people could not drive up a small inclined "S-shaped" piece of road. I would call it a knoll (about a 50 foot rise in elevation) in the road. Trucks, cars, and SUVs were going into the ditch. I got out and walked up to see what had happened. Richmond .."natives" were standing in the middle of the road saying it was too slick and no one could get up the incline. While walking back to my car, I tried running and sliding on the snow - didn't slide much. Got in my Honda Civic, put it in D2, drove at 10 mph and went up the incline without sliding. When we got to the top of the knoll, a policeman was there blocking traffic cause he thought the road was impassable. He was upset with me for risking driving up the incline.

I had done a simple trick my Dad, the professional driver, had taught me. Some people will drive fast - and their tires go too fast to grip the snow. Some drive too slow and start to slide. At 10 mph I had momentum pushing me up the hill.

But I'm also smart enough to know if the road has ice on it - I stay home. Richmond tends to get as many ice storms as snow storms. And some SUV drivers think they are safe cause they have an SUV with 4 wheel drive. Tires cannot grip on ice and 4 wheel drive is only better if some of those wheels are not on ice.

Work was cancelled one day because a ice storm hit in the middle of the day (back before 2000). Wife and I were driving home in a Honda Accord on Interstate 64. Because of the ice and visibility all the casr were in the right hand lane and only going about 25-35 mph. Long line of traffic.

Someone driving a white SUV passed us - driving at the normal rate of 65 mph. By the time we got about 8 miles down the road - we passed that SUV cause it had gone out of the road and wrecked. They had hit a spot in the road that was all ice - and when all of their tires could not grip the road at the same time - the driver lost control of the vehicle.

If you live in a area that gets ice & snow, find a shopping center or other store that has a large parking lot. Get your parents to drive you there one day when they have snow on the pavement. Practice your driving thru snow skills.

One extra tip, if you are ever in a vehicle and it starts sliding (snow, ice) most people respond by giving it more gas or hitting the brakes. Instead, just let up on the gas and let the vehice slow down until you can feel the tires starting to grip the road again.

And when driving in ice or snow - keep a safe (longer) distance behind the vehicle in front of you (not always possible - some people will cut in front of you).

In time, you'll become good at it. There was a time, my Dad didn't think much of my driving.

Haha I was the same way and I drive an '86 Crown Victoria. If you have never seen one, that thing is a BOAT!! lol It's huge and I'm used to it now. You will get over it and eventually you will enjoy driving. I still can't drive in rain or snow cuz I'm scared but other than that I'm okay now.

I had a phobia of driving. Didn't get my license until I was 18, almost 19 and I have never driven a Go Kart cuz i was too scared of driving. I always had to ride with my mom or sister. lol

dude don't worry so much, the germans think driving is a skill and should not be treated for a small thing. keep your cool it's hard im going for my license tomorrow and it's going to rain to add on and im just chilling out and remember every thing i can and scan all the time. remember driving can be dangerous and you have to do all you can to keep your self safe and the other around you they depend on you to know what your doing try getting a feel for the car become one with your car it's cheese but just lessen to it not the radio.

try driving a friends SMALLER car get comfortable with that first.

you must have been terrified. your mom should not have done that to you. That vehicle is too big for beginners.

look everyone is a little freaked out the first time they drive. i learned how to drive in new york city can you imagine how freaked out i was? i was pissing my pants when cabs cut me off. but after time, im the one cutting cabs off...those bastards.

itl be allright just keep on driving or ull be stuck.

Your mom's an idiot, and is going to either get YOU killed, or worse, someone else.

And take my word for it...a heart attack is NOT a good thing.

just try in streets with no cars or parking lots, take it slow you'll get better

lol you pore thing try riding a motercycle if you panic you die