August 18th 2024.
I received a message from the DVSA: "Your driving test is in 10 days. If you're not ready, you can change your appointment here." To be honest, I wasn't ready at all. I hadn't even started my driving lessons yet. I was supposed to begin them the following Sunday, just six days before my test. It was going to be an intensive course - five hours a day for five days. I had tried learning to drive before, about a year ago, but I only managed to complete 10 two-hour lessons over a couple of months. Life got in the way and I had to stop, feeling discouraged by my slow progress.
Every time I started a lesson, I would say, "I can't remember how to pull away," followed by, "I just don't understand clutch control." I would spend so much time trying to remember what I had learned the previous week that I couldn't move forward and learn anything new. As a 30-year-old who lived in the city without a car, I didn't have the same luxury as an 18-year-old who could take a few lessons a week, or someone who could practice with their family. I knew that this stop-start approach was not working for me. I realized that the only way I could learn was by immersing myself in it for a week, without giving myself the chance to forget what I had learned.
Even before I started my lessons in 2023, I was already feeling anxious about driving. I was scared that I wouldn't be able to grasp it, no matter how hard I tried. The thought of causing harm to others or getting into an accident terrified me. I was also worried about what others would think of me as a driver. Taking those first few lessons, where I felt like I knew very little about controlling a car, only added to my fears.
But then I came across Kev and Tracey Field, who run Confident Drivers - a driving school specifically for people who are nervous on the road. With Kev's 15 years of experience as a driving instructor and Tracey's background in holistic wellbeing, the couple combined their expertise to create a driving school that not only focused on the practical aspects of driving, but also addressed the mental barriers that hold learners back.
I signed up for their VIP Confidence to Drive Programme, which cost £3,347. This gave me five days of lessons with Kev, as well as a personalized driving anxiety report, a copy of their book "Drive Calm Journal," a 30-minute Zoom session before the lessons, 12 months of access to their Nervous Drivers Calming Kit, and additional lessons if needed. The package also included the option for Kev to meet me in my neighborhood, but I chose to travel to their base in Leighton Buzzard, as it was easier to find a slot for my test there compared to my local area. They also offered a five-day lesson package in Leighton Buzzard for £2,250, with fewer perks.
The first step was to fill out a questionnaire about my feelings towards driving. It asked me about my worries and if I experienced any physical sensations, like sweating or nausea, when driving. The questions were followed by a 13-page report, which showed that I scored 31 out of 80 for the frequency of negative thoughts about driving. My biggest fear was causing harm to others. The report also provided a plan to help me tackle these fears, with suggestions such as questioning my negative thoughts and not worrying about things that haven't happened yet.
The report gave me an idea of what to expect in my lessons with Kev, which we discussed further in our Zoom call. It was clear that Kev was a very friendly and reassuring instructor. He explained that during the lessons, we would set small, achievable goals and use short, repeatable routes to slowly push me out of my comfort zone. I would then repeat these tasks until they became second nature. As Tracey explained in the report, this process helped rewire my brain and create positive evidence of my ability. In their podcast, "The Driving Confidence Podcast," Tracey also talked about the importance of replaying successful moments in your memory to boost confidence.
With this newfound confidence, I went into my first lesson. On the train, I tried to remember how to start a car and wrote down the steps. When I nervously recited them to Kev, just 15 minutes after meeting him, he assured me that we would be stopping and restarting the car so often that I wouldn't forget again.
I received a text from the DVSA, reminding me that my driving test was in just 10 days. The message also offered me the option to reschedule my appointment if I felt unprepared. And, to be honest, I definitely was not ready. In fact, I hadn't even started my lessons yet.
My plan was to begin my lessons on the upcoming Sunday, just six days before my test. I had signed up for an intensive course, with five hours of lessons each day for five days. This was quite a change from my previous attempt at learning how to drive, when I had taken 10 two-hour lessons over a couple of months. Unfortunately, life had gotten in the way and I had to stop, feeling discouraged by my lack of progress.
During those few lessons, I struggled to remember even the basics. Each week, I would start the session by saying, "I can't remember how to pull away," and soon after, "I just don't understand clutch control." I spent so much time trying to recall what I had learned the previous week that I barely had time to learn anything new.
As a 30-year-old living in the city without a car, I knew I didn't have the same luxury as an 18-year-old with a couple of lessons a week or someone who could practice with family or friends. I quickly realized that this stop-start approach was not for me. I needed to immerse myself and learn everything in a short period of time. I needed to "bash it out" in a week, without giving myself the chance to forget what I had learned.
Even before my previous attempt at learning how to drive, I had been anxious about the prospect. I was scared that I wouldn't be able to understand it, no matter how hard I tried. The thought of causing harm to others or being judged as a bad driver terrified me. And those first few lessons, where I felt like I knew very little about controlling a car, only reinforced those fears.
That's when I discovered Kev and Tracey Field, who run Confident Drivers and specialize in helping nervous drivers. With Kev's 15 years of experience as a driving instructor and Tracey's background in holistic well-being, they had created a driving school that not only focused on the practical aspect, but also addressed the mental barriers that hold learners back. I signed up for their VIP Confidence to Drive Programme, which cost £3,347 and included five days of lessons with Kev.
As part of the package, I received a personalized driving anxiety report, a copy of their book Drive Calm Journal, a 30-minute Zoom call prior to the lessons, 12 months of access to their Nervous Drivers Calming Kit, and the option for additional lessons if needed. The package also offered the convenience of having Kev meet me in my neighborhood, but I chose to travel to their location in Leighton Buzzard since I found an available slot for my test there more easily.
Kev and Tracey's approach began with a questionnaire that focused on my fears and worries about driving. I was asked to indicate which thoughts occurred to me, such as "I will not be able to react fast enough" or "I will hold up traffic and people will be angry." The questionnaire also explored when I first started feeling negative about driving and whether I experienced physical symptoms like sweating or nausea while driving. Based on my responses, I received a 13-page report which stated that I scored 31 out of 80 for the frequency of negative thoughts, with my biggest fear being causing harm to others.
The report outlined a plan to tackle these fears and offered helpful suggestions, such as questioning the validity of my "what if" thoughts and focusing on the present instead of worrying about things that haven't happened yet. This approach really resonated with me and gave me a sense of relief. It also gave me an idea of what to expect during my lessons with Kev, which we further discussed during our Zoom call.
From our first interaction, it was clear that Kev was incredibly friendly and dedicated to putting me at ease. He explained that we would set small and achievable driving goals during the lessons, using short and repeatable routes. Gradually, he would nudge me out of my comfort zone and have me repeat these tasks until they felt easy. As Tracey had mentioned in the report, this process would help rewire my brain and build positive evidence of my abilities.
In their podcast, Tracey talks about the importance of replaying successful moments in our minds, like a film, to boost our confidence. And that's exactly what Kev and I did during our call. He was also quick to reassure me that I would make progress and that my main goal was to become a confident driver. The license would come with time, but what was important was that my anxiety no longer held me back.
With this newfound confidence, I went into my first lesson. On the train, I tried to remember the steps for starting a car and wrote them down. As I nervously recited them to Kev, just 15 minutes into our first meeting, he assured me that we would practice starting and restarting the car so often that I wouldn't forget again.
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