DJ in a spin as a learner

The best advice I had once I passed my driving test was from my husband, writes Beacon FM’s morning presenter Di Jean-Paul.

He said: “You are a good driver don’t worry so much about what you are doing worry about everyone else, you never know what someone will do on the road”.

I had always beat myself up about the fact that I was a new driver and everyone else on the road knew more than me and was automatically a better driver than me.

As time went on I realised this was not necessarily true.

I am not a natural driver, some people just pick it up and take to it like a duck to water. I just couldn’t work it out. It took me five driving instructors and lots of lessons before I passed my test at the age of 33.

I would hear people say after a while you just stop thinking about it.

How on earth can you just stop thinking when you are driving - it’s so hard. My problem was I tried too hard and I was impatient. I didn’t realise that you needed three things to be a good driver; concentration, confidence and the ability to relax.

As a learner driver I would worry and panic about the car behind me - did they think I was a bad driver? Was I driving too slowly? Why are these people constantly overtaking me and giving me dirty looks?

I always vowed that when I passed my test I would be more tolerant of learner drivers, well, all drivers really.

I vowed I would always let people out, I would never shout and lose my temper and just be a tolerant, happy driver.

Now fast forward to two and a half years later and all the things I vowed I would never do, I was doing.

I found myself screaming the following phrases at the top of my voice to the person in front “get a wriggle on”, “I haven’t got all day”, “what is your problem?”.

I finally realised that I had to calm down when I was taking my son home from nursery and screamed at a driver in front of me when they cut me up on a roundabout.

I glanced at my son in the mirror to see a very upset and shocked look on his face. This has really brought it all back to basics for me.

I now know that I am a good driver and that you have to watch everyone around you always and be patient. Then it starts to be enjoyable.