What is It Like to Drive in Heavy Traffic?

Driving in heavy traffic is an unfortunate necessity these days in most towns and cities. As a new driver, it can be pretty daunting to navigate the roads in such conditions. It is good to get as much supervised practice as possible in heavy traffic before heading out by yourself to take a driving test, so that the situation becomes more familiar to you.

Driving Under Stress

Studies have shown that driving in heavy traffic increases the release of stress hormones in our bodies, particularly if the traffic is slow moving or has ground to a halt in a traffic jam. Our usual fight or flight response to environmental stressors does not work because we can neither battle something nor run away from it. The result is that these stress hormones cannot be released properly and they build up inside us, leading to frustration, carelessness and bad road manners, in addition to a damaged immune system.

As a new driver, you are likely to be more affected by being in heavy traffic than an experienced driver. When you first venture into heavy traffic, you will probably feel more easily flustered than usual, as there are more motorists around you who are often in a hurry. These other drivers, because of the stress related to driving in heavy traffic, will not always be as considerate towards you as they should be, so you will need to maintain your concentration in order to drive safely and not get distracted.

You will probably feel as though you are holding up all the other drivers if they are waiting for you to move off at traffic lights or junctions, but you need to make sure you do not get bullied into moving off at the wrong time by some impatient driver behind you. You are more likely to make a mistake if you allow yourself to get too flustered, so take a deep breath and focus on what you need to do. If you can maintain your concentration, you should drive well.

When you are driving along in heavy traffic, in order to keep safe you should leave a safe distance between yourself and the car in front. Even if other drivers on the road are not doing this, make sure you obey the Highway Code by giving sufficient space. Additionally, remember that as a new driver, your response speed is slower than everybody else so you need that space to ensure the safety of both yourself and other motorists.

As other drivers may be more careless about observing the road rules than you, you need to make sure that you take all the steps necessary to protect yourself from them and any hazards they pose to you. You will need to keep alert to any dangers around you, so keep checking your mirrors so you know what is happening. Also, if the driver behind you gets too close because he or she is in a hurry, do not let it fluster you. It can be a good idea to touch the brakes to deliberately slow down, so that it indicates to such an irresponsible driver that they are too close to you and that they in turn need to slow down.

In summary, it can be very stressful to drive in heavy traffic. However, if you can maintain your focus and concentration while keeping alert to the dangers around you, you should drive safely in these conditions. It is vitally important that you do not allow other motorists to get you flustered as this can lead to mistakes.

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